Nokia, BT Group and MediaTek have completed trials of 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology with RedCap devices. The trial, which took place at BT Group’s Adastral Park site in the UK, utilised Nokia’s AirScale radio access network (RAN) portfolio, EE’s 5G standalone (SA) network and MediaTek’s RedCap testing platform.
RedCap is a technology introduced in 3GPP Release 17 that brings 5G to devices that do not require its full capabilities. It has the potential to expand the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem and accelerate its deployment within the industry. BT Group is evaluating RedCap to support new 5G use cases which could benefit both EE’s business and consumer customer bases.
5G devices such as smartphones often have complex hardware and power-hungry features which leads to higher cost, size, and power consumption.
RedCap technology focuses on simplifying 5G devices, particularly small IoT devices such as wearables or health trackers for consumers as well as ruggedised routers, and environmental or other condition-based monitoring sensors. These devices have less demand for battery life and lower bandwidth requirements.
RedCap helps ensure that they maintain performance and optimise their power efficiency. Nokia has played a pivotal role in advancing RedCap IoT functionality together with the telecommunications industry.
“This trial with Nokia demonstrates the potential of RedCap technology in unlocking a new wave of innovation within the 5G services ecosystem,” said Greg McCall, the chief networks officer at BT Group. “This is especially the case as we move towards the arrival of 5G SA, bringing with it enhanced reliability, responsiveness, security, and speed which – through 5G RedCap – promises to benefit a host of new IoT devices and use cases.”
Robert Moffat, the deputy director of Europe’s mobile business development at MediaTek, added: “Our collaboration with Nokia and BT Group for this trial of 5G RedCap technology aligns with MediaTek’s commitment to driving innovation and expanding the potential of 5G SA to include a wider ecosystem of devices and use cases.”
Phil Siveter, the CEO for UK and Ireland at Nokia, commented: “The introduction of RedCap will unlock new 5G opportunities for many industries, with potentially billions of new devices connected with 5G. Our field tests with BT Group show that Nokia 5G Standalone networks are ready to support RedCap devices.”
Last month, AIS and Huawei announced the completion of a 5G RedCap commercial test in Bangkok. The test was conducted on both 700MHz and 2600MHz commercial networks and used diversified commercial RedCap terminals, including data transfer units (DTUs) and cameras.
