What is UE?
User Equipment (UE) is the 3GPP term for any device that connects to the mobile network using a standardised radio interface. In 5G, UEs span an enormous range: consumer smartphones, tablet computers, FWA CPE (home routers), industrial IoT modules, vehicle telematics units, wearables, drones, and AR/VR headsets.
How Does UE Work?
The UE contains: a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) for network authentication and subscriber identification; an NR modem implementing all physical layer and protocol stack functions (PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, NAS); and one or more antenna arrays (phased arrays for FR2). The UE has a NAS interface to the AMF (N1) for control plane signalling and a data path to the UPF via the gNB’s NG-U interface.
Use Cases
Smartphones, tablets, industrial sensors, vehicles (V2X), FWA home routers, wearables, NB-IoT/LTE-M IoT modules, private 5G campus devices.
3GPP / Standards Reference
3GPP TS 38.101-1/2 (UE Radio Requirements), TS 24.501 (NAS Protocol for 5GS)
Related Terms
gNB | AMF | UPF | FR1 | FR2 | V2X | IoT
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This glossary entry is part of the 5GWorldPro Complete 5G Glossary. To go deeper into 5G architecture and technology, explore our 5G Training courses.
