RedCap, the 5G technology for wearable devices and IoT, will soon launch its first equipment.
The slow race toward 5G begins.
Both T-Mobile and AT&T are expected to soon launch their first devices that will operate with RedCap, a 5G specification designed for Internet of Things devices. RedCap, also known as "reduced capability" or NR-Light, is presented as a low-bandwidth version of 5G that promises to make certain devices such as wearables, sensors, and surveillance cameras simpler and more energy-efficient. According to a document from Oracle, this could translate into more affordable cellular-connected smartwatches, XR glasses, or other wearable products that do not require high-performance antennas and can operate for longer on a single charge.
AT&T, which began experimenting with this specification on its own network earlier this year, intends to introduce its first NR-Light devices in 2025. Meanwhile, T-Mobile will launch its devices before the end of the year. Although it has not been specified which devices will be available, Jason Silkes, Vice President of Device Architecture at AT&T, suggested that the first NR-Light products would likely be budget mobile hotspots and dongles. In fact, last week, TCL announced a 5G USB dongle called TCL Linkport IK511.
The first devices could incorporate a modem chipset released by Qualcomm last year, known as Snapdragon X35, which has been mentioned in announcements alongside several companies, including T-Mobile and AT&T, that plan to use this modem in their future products. More is likely to be heard about this during CES early next year. The race towards 5G (albeit slowly) is about to begin.