The adaptation of the new mobile communications generation is advancing steadily, and after the large-scale commercial implementation of the first non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks, operators are gradually offering also standalone (SA) network services for consumers and enterprises alike. The non-standalone modes have paved the way for the new era as operators are able to reuse their existing 4G infrastructure in their expedited offering of the initial 5G performance by increasing users’ data speeds. Nevertheless, the greatest benefits of 5G are possible through completely renewed new radio and core network segments that form the SA mode. It provides enhanced spectral efficiency and supports the new mm-wave bands, and has renewed service-based architecture (SBA) and network functions virtualization (NFV). These elemental enhancements enable the execution of network functions (NF) on the cloud, e.g. in their own or completely outsourced data center environment, and provide means for evolved features such as network slicing.