Rel-15 (5G NR Phase 1) through Rel-18 (5G-Advanced) · IMT-2020
5G
NR (New Radio)
Not just faster - a different kind of network.
5G's marketing promised flying cars and instant everything; the reality is more interesting, if less cinematic. Underneath the hype sits a genuinely new kind of network - a service-based core built from independently scalable microservices, three distinct service families for three very different jobs (fast phones, ultra-reliable machines, and huge swarms of low-power sensors), and network slicing that lets one physical network behave like several, each tuned for a different customer. Millimetre-wave spectrum delivers the multi-gigabit demos, though its short range means it mostly shows up in stadiums and dense city blocks rather than blanket coverage. Where 5G has actually landed, years into rollout, is quieter than the pitch: faster everyday browsing, viable cloud gaming, and the first mobile networks smart-city sensors and industrial IoT can genuinely depend on.
Key Metrics
Key Innovations
The 5G Core replaces monolithic EPC nodes with microservices (AMF, SMF, UPF, NRF, PCF…) that communicate via HTTP/2 REST APIs. Each service can be independently scaled and deployed.
A single physical 5G infrastructure can be partitioned into multiple isolated virtual networks (slices), each with different QoS profiles - one slice for enhanced mobile broadband, another for ultra-low latency URLLC.
5G base stations (gNodeBs) use 64–256 antenna elements to form precise beams directed at individual users, dramatically improving spectral efficiency and range - especially in mmWave.
5G opened millimetre-wave spectrum (24–100 GHz) for the first time in mobile networks. Extreme bandwidth (hundreds of MHz per carrier) enables multi-Gbps throughput - at the cost of range and penetration.
A dedicated service family designed for 1ms latency and 99.9999% reliability. Enables remote surgery, autonomous vehicles, and industrial automation.
Designed to connect 1 million devices per km² at ultra-low power. The foundation for smart cities, precision agriculture, and industrial IoT at scale.
Use Case Support
SMS works over 5G via IP-based messaging.
200+ Mbps and 10ms latency - faster than most home broadband.
Trivially supported. 5G's bandwidth headroom makes HD streaming a fraction of capacity.
4K requires 25 Mbps - well within 5G's realistic throughput even in congested areas.
5G meets cloud gaming's 20ms and 35 Mbps requirements in deployed mmWave and sub-6 GHz networks.
mMTC is a core 5G service family - 1 million devices/km² with years of battery life on NB-IoT NR.
5G URLLC achieves <10ms and >100 Mbps, meeting AR/VR requirements in good coverage areas.
URLLC targets 1ms but real-world deployments typically achieve 5–10ms end-to-end. Sub-1ms requires 6G.
Architecture
5G Core - Service-Based Architecture
Decomposed microservice architecture where every function exposes an HTTP/2 API. The control and user planes are fully separated (CUPS). The NRF enables service discovery across all functions.
See the full diagram catalogue on the Architecture page.