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Telefonica Germany said it expects RedCap 5G IoT devices to be available in 2025
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RedCap requires 5G SA to operate
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The provider has started testing RedCap IoT routers in Munich
Telefonica Germany said this week that it expects to start supporting 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) IoT services as devices that support the specification become available around 2025.
RedCap (also known as NR-Light) will offer data transfer speeds of between 30 Mbps to 80 Mbps, according to Gus Vos, chief scientist at Sierra Wireless. The RedCap spec significantly reduces the bandwidth needed for 5G, allowing the signal to run in a 20 MHz channel rather than the 100 MHz channel required for full scale 5G communications.
RedCap is part of the 3GPP Release 17, or the third iteration of the 5G standard, which reached completion (a functional freeze) in March 2022. RedCap is one of the first IoT specifications that is solely focused on 5G.
A Telefonica Germany spokesman told Fierce Network this week that the Telefonica division has been testing RedCap in Munich. The spokesman said that the operator plans to offer business services that support wireless industrial routers and wireless surveillance cameras “that transmit images and videos from the factory premises,” he said in an email.
“The industry expects a growing number of 5G RedCap-capable IoT end devices to be available from 2025,” he said.
RedCap needs a true 5G standalone network to work, supporting functions like massive IoT, where thousands of devices can be supported in the same kilometer.
“o2 Telefónica already reaches 95 percent of the population in Germany with its 5G standalone network,” the spokesman said. “The 5G network uses the frequencies 3.6 GHz and 700 MHz (both New Radio) as well as 1800 MHz (DSS). In October 2023, o2 Telefónica has launched its first commercial 5G Standalone offer (“5G Plus”) for consumer and business tariffs.”
Telefonica started its RedCap test in Munich. “The network technicians used an industrial router with 5G RedCap module in an indoor test scenario. The router was connected to a mobile radio site in Munich,” he said.
RedCap devices require a RedCap radio module to operate on a Release 17-compliant 5G SA network. Telefonica and other operators will need vendors like Qualcomm and VeriSilicon to supply chips to support the forthcoming RedCap spec.
“We actually announced our X35 RedCap modem-RF in early 2023, and we have been shipping commercially, including modules,” said Danny Tseng, director of technical marketing at Qualcomm. “We’re seeing success in several categories, including IoT, FWA CPE, entry-level laptop/tablets.”