Numerology: subcarrier spacing (15–240 kHz)

Five Numerologies for Every Scenario

Unlike LTE's fixed 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, 5G NR defines five numerologies labeled mu equals zero through four. The subcarrier spacing follows the formula SCS equals fifteen times two to the power of mu, giving values of 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 kHz. Each doubling of subcarrier spacing halves the OFDM symbol duration and the slot length. This scalable design lets the same NR standard serve vastly different deployment scenarios, from wide-area rural macro cells needing long symbol durations to millimeter-wave small cells requiring ultra-short slots for minimal latency.