A First Large-Scale Study of Operational 5G Standalone Networks

As 5G technology has reached its midlife, mobile operators are increasingly rolling out 5G Standalone (SA), which is pivotal in unlocking the full potential of 5G networks. Prior research has mainly focused on 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) performance, while comprehensive evaluations of operational 5G SA deployments remain scarce. Through two cross-country US driving trips (3200+ km) in 2023 and 2024, we conduct, to the best of our knowledge, the first large-scale study of T-Mobile's 5G Standalone (SA) deployment in the US, analyzing its evolution while comparing it head-to-head with 5G NSA. Our study shows a shift in the operator's 5G deployment priorities from 2023 to 2024 in favor of 5G SA compared to 5G NSA, with 5G SA deployments extending across diverse geographical areas. Advanced features, such as higher carrier aggregation with diverse band combinations and new frequency bands with different duplexing capabilities, allow SA to achieve better performance compared to NSA, whose peak performance has plateaued, reflecting limited upgrades as the operator transitions to SA infrastructure. Additionally, we examine the handover duration and uplink power control in SA and NSA networks, offering deeper insights into the operational dynamics of the two modes.