UK (Commonwealth) _ In an effort to open up new IoT use cases, UK operator group BT is testing 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap). It its Adastral Park research facility, the telco has conducted several tests of the new technology in collaboration with Nokia and MediaTek.
It notably used the 5G Standalone (SA) network from mobile company EE, AirScale RAN products from Nokia, and the RedCap testing platform from MediaTek. When it comes to designing and releasing RedCap services for EE’s consumer and corporate clients, BT said the trial will help it think through its options.
The RedCap technology’s potential to unleash a fresh wave of innovation inside the 5G services ecosystem is demonstrated by this testing with Nokia. Greg McCall, BT’s chief networks officer, said in a statement that this is particularly true as we near the launch of 5G SA, which will bring with it improved reliability, responsiveness, security, and speed and is expected to benefit a variety of new IoT devices and use cases through 5G RedCap.
RedCap, which was first introduced in 3GPP Release 17 (Rel-17), is basically a scaled-down version of 5G New Radio (NR) for devices that don’t necessarily need lightning-fast throughput and extremely low latency but still require something quicker and more responsive than LTE-M, NB-IoT, or even 4G. Additionally, it enables cutting-edge 5G capabilities like edge networking, slicing, and ultra-reliable, low latency communication (URLLC), for instance.
But more crucially, RedCap modems use less power and are easier to make, which makes them less expensive to create. The technology therefore has a lot to offer in terms of prospective Internet of Things application cases, including wearables, industrial networking, medical devices, and video surveillance, among others.
These gadgets have typically relied on local networking up until now to keep prices down and guarantee adequate battery life, such as Bluetooth or wifi. Many of these device types are expected to be able to connect to cellular networks for the first time thanks to RedCap and technologies like eSIM.
By 2030, cellular IoT module shipments worldwide are anticipated to be 18% accounted for by 5G RedCap, according to research firm Counterpoint. Transforma Insights forecasts that by 2032, there will be 810 million IoT connections based on 5G non-massive machine-type communications (non-mMTC) technology, which is likely to include RedCap, up from 490 million in 2030.
RedCap’s launch will open up new 5G options for a variety of industries and could result in the connection of billions of additional devices. According to Phil Siveter, CEO of Nokia UK and Ireland, “Our field tests with BT Group show that Nokia 5G standalone networks are ready to support RedCap devices.”
In an effort to keep up with Nokia, MediaTek, and BT, Huawei has also revealed the most recent RedCap development.
The Chinese kit manufacturer revealed last week that China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom have commercially implemented its end-to-end RedCap solutions in more than 10 cities, including applications in the manufacturing, power, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) sectors.
A number of other telcos, including e&, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Zain, and AIS Thailand, have also finished technical verification or commercial pilots of Huawei’s RedCap equipment, the company added.
In the future, Huawei will collaborate with international carriers, business clients, and device and module vendors to support extensive RedCap network deployment and enhance applications, realizing a prosperous ecosystem that will give the 5G industry a new boost and revive the mobile economy, the company said.
In the meanwhile, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), Malaysia’s state-backed 5G wholesale provider, has tried out Ericsson and MediaTek’s pre-commercial RedCap software on its network, according to a September announcement.
