Qualcomm, Airtel, Ericsson demonstrate 5G RedCap tech at IMC 2023

New Delhi, Oct 27 : Chip-maker Qualcomm, along with Ericsson and Airtel, on Friday successfully demonstrated Reduced Capability (RedCap) device capabilities using Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF System and Ericssons RedCap software on Airtels 5G TDD network, at the India Mobile Congress 2023.

RedCap is a device platform that bridges the capability and complexity gap between the extreme-end capabilities in 5G with an optimised design for mid-tier use cases.

As opposed to 5G enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) devices that can support throughputs of gigabits per second in downlink and uplink, RedCap devices can efficiently support 220 Mbps and 100 Mbps in the downlink and uplink, respectively.

"5G RedCap is poised to drive many use cases within the country, spanning across applications such as video surveillance, medical devices, industrial sensors, automotive and various other industrial and consumer applications," Savi Soin, SVP and President, Qualcomm India, said in a statement.

According to the company, the Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF System supports RedCap and enables OEMs to create lower cost, reduced complexity, and higher power-efficiency devices with small form factors, thus expanding the 5G ecosystem.

"The successful testing of RedCap technology on our network will enable futuristic IoT broadband adoption for devices including wearables and industrial sensors in a way that is both cost and energy-efficient," said Randeep Sekhon, CTO, Bharti Airtel.

RedCap also represents one of the next steps in the evolution of 5G technology, designed to serve use cases that are currently underserved by current ‘new radio (NR)’ specifications.

"Ericsson RedCap will open up a new world of possibilities for communications service providers, allowing for the introduction of services beyond enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) on 5G standalone architecture," said Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.

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