New Radio is the air interface that fifth-generation mobile networks use between a handset and the radio network. It defines how the handset and the tower take turns on the air, how the data is packaged, and how a connection is handed from one tower to the next.
It is the radio specified for Fifth Generation (5G) service. Earlier generations used their own air interfaces. A handset needs this one to use a fifth-generation network at full capability.
What the Air Interface Sets
- The waveform. How bits are placed on the radio channel the tower assigned.
- The scheduling. Which handset may send or receive in a given moment.
- The handover. How the connection moves to another tower without dropping the session.
This Air Interface and the Previous One
| Compared | Fifth-Generation Radio | Earlier Radio |
| Which networks use it | Fifth-generation networks | The generation it was specified for |
| A handset without it | Cannot use the fifth-generation air interface | Can still use the older network |
| A tower | Schedules handsets with the new rules | Schedules handsets with the older rules |