5G RedCap: Bridging the Gap Between High-Speed Connectivity and IoT Applications
Teyf Sharif Consultants Company (Teyf Group)
Market Development, Regulation Studies, Digital Transformation, Training and Consulting in ICT field.
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5G Reduced Capability (RedCap), despite its name, signifies a significant advancement in wireless technology. Yatin Pahwa, Vodafone's Head of IoT Product and Portfolio Management, emphasizes that while RedCap offers reduced capabilities compared to full-scale 5G standalone networks, it still surpasses existing technologies in many aspects.
Introduced in 3GPP Release 17, RedCap, also known as 5G New Radio Light, addresses use cases that fall between high-speed enhanced mobile broadband and low-throughput massive machine-type communications. This design bridges the gap between conventional 5G and IoT applications, supporting devices with lower throughput requirements. RedCap and its enhanced version, eRedCap, aim to be less costly and complex than other 5G technologies, making them suitable for consumer IoT devices like wearables and industrial IoT applications such as surveillance cameras and robots.
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However, the widespread adoption of RedCap faces challenges. Pahwa notes that it may take another three to five years for the technology to achieve sufficient scale and reach favorable price points. A primary reason is that RedCap devices operate exclusively on 5G standalone (SA) networks, and the deployment of these networks has been slower than anticipated. As of the end of 2024, approximately 67 5G SA networks had been deployed globally.
?Additionally, existing technologies like 2G, low-power wide-area (LPWA) solutions such as NB-IoT, and 4G-based LTE Cat 1 and Cat 4 continue to support many IoT use cases. Pahwa believes that 4G will remain prevalent for an extended period, and many applications expected to be addressed by RedCap and eRedCap are currently served by 4G. Therefore, the transition to RedCap will be gradual.
?In summary, while 5G RedCap represents a promising development in bridging the gap between high-speed 5G and IoT applications, its mainstream adoption will depend on the broader rollout of 5G standalone networks and the gradual transition from existing technologies.