5G RedCap: RF Implications for IoT Devices

The global transition to 5G is in full swing, with more than 1 billion connections expected by 2023. To date, 5G has primarily been used for smartphones and fixed wireless access (FWA) applications. While those are critical use cases, the potential applications for 5G are much broader and over the next few years, 5G will expand in scope to cover many more applications and device types.5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) is a key step in this evolution. It’s the first 5G standard designed for the vast and growing Internet of Things (IoT) landscape. RedCap aims to meet the requirements of IoT devices that need smaller,less complex, lower-cost RF solutions with better battery life than existing 5G offerings. The first set of Redcap specifications were defined in 3GPP Release 17 and finalized in mid-2022, with chipsets and end-user products expected to become available over the next 1-2 years. These specifications focus on three application areas:wearables, industrial wireless sensors and video surveillance.This white paper dives into RedCap specifications, IoT application requirements, development timelines and the RF implications for IoT device manufacturers and wireless carriers.