Summary
We have seen by now that the push for NSA networks comes from the strong desire of the industry to accelerate the standardization of NR architecture so that the time to market can be cut down. The greatest advantage is the ability to leverage existing legacy network infrastructure.
NSA access was standardized in 3GPP Release 15 in December 2017.
In this chapter, we have covered a typical NSA network in detail. We have discussed the different bearers such as MCG, SCG, and split bearers. We have also explored the other available deployment options and their key features.
We explored the various migration paths from the EPS network to 5G and finally, we delved into a detailed 5G-NSA call flow. We concluded the chapter by briefly discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the NSA network.
In the next chapter, we will learn about the design and implementation of a typical 5G SA network and delve into the details of its procedures.
