What are the 2 primary 5G deployment options for first trial and networks in 2018?

The main difference of NSA (Non-Standalone Architecture) and SA (Standalone Architecture) is that NSA anchors the control signaling of 5G Radio Networks to the 4G Core, while the SA scheme connects the 5G Radio directly to the 5G core network , and the control signaling does not depend on the 4G network at all.

5G deployments options

There are two main deployment options for new 5G networks: either as an add-on to 4G – non-standalone (NSA) – or as 5G only i.e. standalone (SA) . This applies for both 5G Core and 5G NR.22 Haz 2020