GSA Strengthens Commitment to 5G RedCap with New SIG Initiative

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) announced it is forming a special interest group (SIG) dedicated to 5G reduced capability (RedCap) activities. GSA’s move is intended to monitor and promote 5G RedCap deployments and technologies, including those targeting connected IoT fleets and fixed wireless internet access (FWA).

5G RedCap is a 3GPP-standardised criteria enabling access to 5G networks with reduced bandwidth and power consumption, catering to IoT devices of relatively modest complexity but with moderate requirements around peak data rates. The technology is based on the 5G New Radio standard and can also be used for FWA internet services. Bandwidth usage in 5G RedCap devices typically peaks at 20 MHz compared with 100 MHz or greater in standard 5G NR units. However a 5G standalone network must be deployed before carriers can begin offering RedCap services.

According to GSA’s data, there were 26 operators in eighteen countries investing in RedCap technology as of February. The association argues growth drivers in the 5G RedCap space are starting to emerge, though there remains plenty of work for the industry to capture its full potential, particularly around compatible devices and chipsets.

3GPP’s SIG will aim to address this by bringing together ecosystem vendors to keep track of upcoming RedCap products, features and mobile networks. Members of the SIG and their partners will be able to flag RedCap-enabled products via the GSA website and through the association’s mobile broadband database GAMBoD. At this stage, GSA’s 5G RedCap SIG is supported by Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Viavi, among others. The SIG is open to all GSA executive and ordinary members as well as GSA associates.

GSA’s announcement was timed to coincide with the release of its latest 5G RedCap market data. The report shows the Middle East and Asia Pacific have accounted for the lion’s share of 5G RedCap investments to date, with both regions on 33 percent followed by Europe (19 percent), North America (8 percent), and Oceania (7 percent). High levels of fragmentation in the cellular IoT space and across IoT more generally have led some observers to query the roadmap to 5G RedCap utilisation, though proponents argue there is a clear use case for more intensive enterprise IoT with 5G network slicing capabilities, including factory cases like enriched sensing or video surveillance. This is likely to be particularly relevant as the capabilities of LTE networks are deprioritised in favour of 5G NR infrastructures. In the fixed wireless segment, GSA says the price of 5G RedCap equipment is likely to undercut existing products, prompting its adoption in select use cases as providers aim to become more competitive.