According to Nokia Bell, In October this year, under the guidance of IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, Nokia Bell completed the laboratory and field validation of 3GPP R17 RedCap key technology respectively.
The test followed the requirements of “5G Enhanced Technology R&D Test NR RedCap Key Technology Test Method” and “5G Enhanced Technology R&D Test NR RedCap Field Performance Test Method” prepared by IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, and 100% of the mandatory functions passed. The test results prove that the network has key functions such as RedCap UE residency and access control, identification and random access, basic service-related functions, mobility, and coexistence with Legacy UE, and the key indicators such as single-user peak throughput, multipoint access and throughput, and user-plane delay under the field conditions are in line with expectations, laying the foundation for the future commercialization of 5G RedCap.
RedCap devices are designed for use cases that exceed the capabilities of large-scale IoT technologies such as LTE-M and NB-IoT, meaning they can support high data rates and low latency, with some representative use cases including
- Video transmission for traffic monitoring and security cameras
- Wearable devices such as smart watches, goggles, smart glasses, body health sensors and medical devices
- Industrial wireless sensors for temperature, pressure, proximity, smoke, liquid level and vibration
- Connected vehicle applications such as infotainment, telematics, real-time HD mapping and software upgrades
- Drones for command and control and video transmission
The introduction of RedCap devices will help expand IoT opportunities for operators, such as
- Expanding the IoT market for 5G NR by offering low-cost devices and enabling network software updates, leveraging existing networks
- Supporting the re-farming of LTE spectrum to NR by providing a cost-effective device solution for IoT service migration
- Deliver NR-based IoT solutions to complement URLLC components in Industry 4.0 for better integration and improved network efficiency.
Nokia Bell said it will continue to actively participate in the IMT-2020 (5G) Advancement Group’s subsequent research and validation of 5G RedCap enhancement technologies.
