Telecoms.com periodically invites expert third parties to share their views on the industry’s most pressing issues. In this piece Francesca Greane, Marketing, Content and Community Lead for The 5G Series, discusses the journey to standalone 5G.

In 2019, 5G came into the world. Now, 5G is now a mainstream topic of conversation, not just within the telecom industry but in wider consumer and enterprise communities as well. With 5G speeds and connectivity, consumers can download feature-length movies in seconds, and stream 8K video in a flash. They can stream crystal-clear video calls and play graphics-rich mobile games without lag. And the best part—this is just the beginning. As 5G technologies continue to evolve, our connections will be stronger, our communications will be faster, and our lives will be more convenient.

Standalone (SA) 5G networks are considered the turning point for demonstrating the potential benefits of 5G, the next generation wireless communications. But, whilst the rollout of 5G RAN is taking place at an impressive rate, there is still a long way to go until carriers will be positioned to announce the launch of fully standalone 5G, along with the promises of high speeds, low latency and the introduction of next gen applications.

Indeed, it has been reported in an Enea report that more than one-third (37%) of mobile operators will start deploying 5G standalone (SA) within the next two years. Another 27% of operators said they will deploy 5G SA within 12 to 18 months, and 10% said they would in the next 24 months, and nearly half (49%) confirmed they’d have 5G SA in the next four years.

But, what are the steps that need to be taken to reach standalone 5G?

“The survey indicates that several operators have figured out how to deploy SA in the next couple of years. This could be as `islands’ of 5G radio access with a 5G SA core for special services, starting late 2021,” Sue Rudd, director of networks and service platforms at Strategy Analytics, said in a press release.

As operators look to secure ROI on their 5G investments, join the 5G Series on April 16^thfor our upcoming webinar as we take a look at the key steps that carriers must take to make standalone 5G a reality, including:

You can register for the webinar for free by clicking here.