LTE vs NR: Reference signal design

5G NR has an ultra lean design, which minimizes always-on transmissions to enhance network energy  efficiency, reduce interference, and ensure forward compatibility. In contrast to the setup in LTE, the  reference signals in NR are transmitted only when necessary.

NR downlink reference signals are  used for specific roles and can be  flexibly adapted for different  deployment scenarios and spectrum

4G on the other hand ha has a only one type of reference signal design a ‘one size fits all’ downlink reference signal design callled CRS [CRS: Cell-Specific RS]

This configuration has different drawbacks as:

It Limits flexible network deployments, it is not network energy efficient, it is not  applicable for higher spectrum  (>6GHz), it is not MIMO friendly for large  number of antennas and not suitable for 5G new radio

Follow our Professional 5G Training to understand more details about those reference signal on 5G New radio advanced Training at below link:

https://www.5gworldpro.com/5G_NR_Advanced_course.pdf