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Telecom certifications · since 2009

5G NR Numerology Planner

Pick a numerology (μ) or a subcarrier spacing and see the full frame structure — symbol duration, slot duration, slots per frame, CP length and maximum PRB count — as defined by 3GPP TS 38.211 and TS 38.101.

Used to estimate PRB count.

SCS
30 kHz
Slot duration
0.5 ms
Symbol duration
35.68 μs
Slots / frame
20
Slots / subframe
2
CP type
Normal (NCP)
Max PRBs
275
PRBs at BW
~250
SCS 30 kHz enables a slot-based latency of 0.5 ms. Mini-slot scheduling (2, 4 or 7 symbols) brings it down further for URLLC.
Slot duration comparison
μ=0 · 15kHz
1 ms
μ=1 · 30kHz
0.5 ms
μ=2 · 60kHz
0.25 ms
μ=3 · 120kHz
0.125 ms
μ=4 · 240kHz
0.0625 ms

All numerologies at a glance

μSCSSlot (ms)Symbol (μs)Slots/frameCPTypical use
015 kHz171.3510Normal (NCP)LTE-like, legacy, low-band FR1 (600–900 MHz)
130 kHz0.535.6820Normal (NCP)Typical FR1 mid-band (n77 / n78 / n41 at 3.5 GHz)
260 kHz0.2517.8440Normal or Extended (ECP)Optional FR1 / FR2 data channels, URLLC
3120 kHz0.1258.9280Normal (NCP)FR2 mmWave data (n257, n258, n260, n261)
4240 kHz0.06254.46160Normal (NCP)FR2 SSB only (synchronisation signal block)

About 5G numerology

5G NR introduced the concept of numerology — indexed by μ ∈ {0, 1, 2, 3, 4} — to allow a single air-interface design to cover everything from 600 MHz low-band rural coverage to 40 GHz mmWave deployments. The subcarrier spacing is SCS = 15 × 2^μ kHz and the slot duration is 1 / 2^μ ms, so every time you double μ the slot halves and you double the number of slots per 10 ms radio frame.

μ=0 (15 kHz) gives you LTE-like timing and is used for FR1 low bands. μ=1 (30 kHz) is the workhorse for mid-band deployments on n77, n78 and n41. μ=2 (60 kHz) is an option for URLLC in FR1 and also appears in FR2. μ=3 (120 kHz) is the default data numerology for FR2 mmWave, and μ=4 (240 kHz) is reserved for the SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) in FR2 where symbols must be short enough to ride through beam-sweeping.

Who uses this planner?

Radio designers use it to decide the right SCS per deployment. Capacity planners use the PRB count at a given channel bandwidth to size throughput. URLLC use-case architects use the slot duration to estimate user-plane latency budgets. Anyone studying for 5G-related certifications (3GPP, TELCOMA, TCCA) needs this table memorised.

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