📡 RedCap vs eRedCap — What’s Really Changing in 5G IoT?

(This is a conversation between me and Tech Explorer 📶)

Tech Explorer 📶:

Hi Mohamed! I keep hearing about eRedCap lately…

Is that just a fancier name for RedCap, or is it actually something new?

Me (Mohamed):

You’re right to ask — it sounds similar, but eRedCap is a major evolution.

And I’ve seen this shift coming from the field for a while now.

Let’s start from the beginning.

RedCap, or Reduced Capability NR, was introduced in 3GPP Release 17.

It’s designed for 5G devices that don’t need high throughput, like:

📷 Surveillance cameras

⌚ Wearables

🏭 Industrial sensors

🚦 Smart traffic lights

The goal is simple: reduce cost, size, and power consumption — while keeping native 5G performance for reliability, slicing, and security.

In some smart cities and industrial projects I’ve worked on, we tested RedCap-capable modules — they delivered good results with ~85 Mbps downlink, no need for MIMO or carrier aggregation, and efficient idle state transitions.

Tech Explorer 📶:

Okay — so RedCap is great for lightweight 5G devices.

Then what exactly is eRedCap adding?

Me (Mohamed):

eRedCap — or evolved RedCap — is introduced in Release 18 and extended in Release 19.

While RedCap targets medium-complexity devices, eRedCap goes even lower, aiming for massive-scale, ultra-low-cost IoT.

I’m talking about:

🔋 Smart utility meters

📦 Asset trackers

🌿 Agricultural sensors

🛰️ Ambient IoT tags

In short, RedCap is 5G for smart cameras.

eRedCap is 5G for devices that sleep 23.9 hours a day.

And the technical specs reflect that:

❌ No mobility (or only static paging)

✅ Less than 10 MHz bandwidth

✅ Peak DL: ~10–20 Mbps

✅ Power-saving modes tailored for multi-year battery life

✅ Target BOM under $5 per module

Tech Explorer 📶:

Sounds a bit like NB-IoT or Cat-M, right?

Me (Mohamed):

Exactly. eRedCap fills that role — but it’s natively built into the 5G Core and works only in 5G Standalone.

NB-IoT and LTE-M were bolted onto LTE and lacked:

• Consistent slicing
• Seamless mobility
• Tight security frameworks
• 5G-native service awareness

In contrast, RedCap/eRedCap UEs can participate in QoS flows, even with basic capabilities.

In one of our pilot PoCs, we tested eRedCap devices using slicing templates configured in the PCF, and they performed exactly as expected — no interference, low power, consistent scheduling via SPS.

Tech Explorer 📶:

So what’s the real business impact?

Me (Mohamed):

Operators get to retire NB-IoT/LTE-M, simplify their RAN, and enable future-ready IoT over a single 5G infrastructure.

For industries, eRedCap means:

✅ Reduced time to market

✅ Certified modules built for slicing

✅ Secure onboarding to the 5GC

✅ Standardized behavior across vendors

And in terms of deployment, Countries like China are already deploying eRedCap smart meters at scale.

In Europe, I’ve personally seen chip vendors integrating eRedCap profiles into industrial edge routers.

Tech Explorer 📶:

So… when should teams start?

Me (Mohamed):

If you’re designing anything low-power or connected in the next 2 years, now is the time.

➡️ RedCap is already commercial in many 5G SA networks

➡️ eRedCap chipsets are arriving late 2025

➡️ By 2026, many operators will phase out LTE Cat-M and NB-IoT altogether

Start aligning with your RAN vendor and core supplier to enable RedCap slicing and support lightweight registration and UE contexts.

📢 If this helped clarify the real difference between RedCap and eRedCap, please press the Like button to help others learn too!

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