How can we unlock a larger IoT market?

RedCap is an emerging technology that promises to enable more use cases for IoT. The ecosystem needed to harness the value of the technology is diverse, and includes e.g.

• Network solution providers preparing the 5G network to support RedCap features
• Device manufacturers producing the RedCap-enabled devices with low cost and low power consumption.
• Application developers that develops apps to take advantage of the RedCap capabilities.

The ecosystem is still emerging, and many have not yet proven their RedCap solutions. Creating the valuable use cases enabled by RedCap will be an outcome of joint contributions from all.

Will this emerging technology be possible to monetize? To validate this the technology needs to be tested both in terms of functionality and performance.

The key questions the experiment set out to answer was

1. Will both the individual RedCap solution and the overall ReedCap use case work?
2. Can we verify the performance KPIs? RedCap promises both a high power efficiency and excellent Quality of Service.

Designed for cutting-edge telecom research and innovation, the [Network] Lab provides a flexible and highly configurable environment for testing RedCap.

The test design for testing RedCap in the [Network] Lab includes three steps.

1. Readiness of 5G network. A thorough test of several combinations of 5G Network Solution providers was done. To support RedCap, they neew to comply with the relevant standards as provided by the standardization organ 3GPP.
2. Readiness of RedCap devices. Testing several different devices provides critical feedback on real-world performance and configuration challenges.
3. Availability of RedCap-driven apps. Third party applications should be developed to maximize or optimize RedCap features. AI apps are excellent examples of this.

For this particular experiment Huawei RAN and Cumucore core network was validated to jointly support RedCap, and Akkodis ruggedized RedCap devices supported the testing. The 5G RedCap enabled network was tested with different devices to validate the connectivity, throughput and overall performance: Two different RedCap routers, a RedCap modem and a RedCap USB dongle.

Together, this collaborative approach ensured comprehensive testing, enabling a deeper understanding of the potential and limitations of the emerging technology.

Ready for some numbers? The tests found that the RedCap devices that were operating within 20 MHz achieved data speeds of 30-100 Mbps.

Now, what do these numbers actually tell us? Well, in the market today there is a technology gap. There are technologies that are low-power and low-speed that might be great for simpler task, but perhaps not fast enough for many common business needs. On the other hand, there are also technologies that offer full, superfast versions of 5G that are very powerful, but that can be overkill and more costly for some applications.

The results achieved in our testing shows that RedCap devices can bridge the crucial gap between these technologies. For instance, the requirements of wearables, industrial sensors and video surveillance is a great match for RedCap compared to existing technologies today.

As for the tests of third party applications - the tests are still ongoing

Although furter testing is needed to know for certain the monetization potential of RedCap, the results paint the picture of a promising future. Should it prove successful, it can allow a multitude of IoT devices that are not reliant on extreme performance to connect to 5G cost-effectively. It can act as a migration path for older devices compatible with previous G's to be able to move to 5G. Being low-power, it also enhances the battery life of the device.