Mobile industry completes 5G standard by approving standalone 5G spec

Working under the auspices of international standards organization 3GPP, the mobile industry today confirmed that it has achieved a critical milestone in the race to bring 5G networks to life: official approval of “5G standalone” specifications. In a collective announcement, 3GPP and dozens of wireless companies are describing the approval as kicking off “the final sprint towards 5G commercialization,” which will begin in the United States this year, and elsewhere next year.

Last December, 3GPP approved the earliest 5G “non-standalone” specification, which enabled chip, device, and network makers to develop early 5G products that partially leveraged existing 4G/LTE networks. The newly completed specification enables developers to choose from a standalone 5G standard that doesn’t depend upon 4G, or the earlier non-standalone 5G standard with 4G ties.