Samsung announced on Friday the successful completion of the industry’s first 5G-4G SA Option 4 (NE-DC, New Radio E-UTRAN Dual Connectivity) trial in SK Telekom’s (SKT) 5G Standalone commercial network, achieving the equal performance as the NSA (Non-Standalone).
SA Option 4 is an advanced dual connectivity technology that connects both 5G and 4G radios to a 5G Core in advanced 5G SA mode. According to Samsung, it is a more advanced option than the existing 5G Standalone mode (SA Option 2) and provides the equivalent level of speed and quality as the NSA while utilizing the specialized functions of the SA Option 2 such as network slicing and the evolved 5G Core network.
The dual connectivity technology allows operators to deliver innovative services including Urban Air Mobility (UAM), automated vehicles, remote control for heavy equipment, remote control robots and more.
While previously, operators used E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) technology to combine 5G and 4G networks in 5G NSA mode, and now with 5G SA, they can leverage SA Option 4, Samsung said in a statement.
“Through this commercial trial, Samsung is proud to collaborate with SKT to achieve another milestone in advancing 5G SA technology, demonstrating the equal performance as NSA with 5G Option 4 technology in 5G SA mode. We look forward to continuing collaborating with SKT for the development and commercialization of advanced 5G SA technology, to deliver market-leading services to consumers and diverse use cases across the industry,” said June Moon, Executive Vice President and Head of Technology Strategy, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung and SKT verified the 5G Option 4 technology at the latter’s R&D Center and also completed the verification of SA’s specialized functions. The commercial trial leveraged Samsung’s 5G SA Core, 5G radios and 4G radios, which are already deployed across SKT’s 5G commercial networks.