5G SA vs 5G NSA: Why Jio is Going for the Former

5G networks are going to be a part of Indian users’ regular life if Jio’s plan of rolling out 5G for every town in India by the end of December 2023 comes true. But there are two types of 5G that Indians are going to see. Jio is going for 5G SA (standalone), while the other private telecom operators, including Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Bharti Airtel, would go for 5G NSA (non-standalone). Let’s look at the differences between the two and understand why Jio is going a different way.

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5G SA vs 5G NSA: Basic Differences

From the words themselves, you can take a hint. 5G standalone (SA) means a network that has its independent infrastructure and can stand on its own. Whereas 5G non-standalone (NSA) requires a 4G core to function. Network service providers who already have a 4G network can quickly upgrade to 5G NSA without having the need to spend much on infrastructure. But with 5G SA, infrastructure deployment costs rise significantly, and the deployment also takes more time.