Control parameters can be used to enable or disable new radios (NR) of mobile devices and preserve battery life. For example, the control parameters can comprise a scan timer and a sleep timer. A mobile device can decode a network message, turn on an NR, and enable the scan timer. If an NR cell is available, the mobile device can enter LTE-NR dual connectivity mode in response to the network message. Conversely, when the scan timer expires, the mobile device can turn off the NR radio, and enable the sleep timer to preserve the mobile device battery. When the sleep timer expires, the mobile device can turn on the NR radio and enable the scan timer.