Nokia, BT Group, and MediaTek conduct field tests with 5G RedCap

Nokia said Monday it along with BT Group and MediaTek has successfully conducted field trials of 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology to expand the IoT ecosystem and accelerate its deployment.

The trial was conducted at BT Group's Adastral Park site, using Nokia's AirScale RAN portfolio, EE's 5G Standalone (SA) network, and MediaTek's RedCap testing platform.

Commenting on this development, Phil Siveter, CEO, UK and Ireland at Nokia, said, "The introduction of RedCap will unlock new 5G opportunities for many industries, with potentially billions of new devices connected with 5G. Our field tests with BT Group show that Nokia 5G Standalone networks are ready to support RedCap devices."

RedCap is a technology that simplifies 5G devices, particularly small IoT devices such as smart wearables and industrial sensors. These devices such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, among others, demand less battery and lower bandwidth. RedCap ensures they maintain performance and optimizes their power efficiency and allow operators to provide more services to more devices on their 5G networks

BT Group, the UK's leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, is evaluating RedCap to support new 5G use cases which could benefit both EE's business and consumer customer bases.

Greg McCall, Chief Networks Officer at BT Group said, "This trial with Nokia demonstrates the potential of RedCap technology in unlocking a new wave of innovation within the 5G services ecosystem. This is especially the case as we move towards the arrival of 5G SA, bringing with it enhanced reliability, responsiveness, security, and speed which – through 5G RedCap – promises to benefit a host of new IoT devices and use cases." 

Our successful 5G Reduced Capability field tests with @bt_uk and @MediaTek show that our #5G Standalone networks are ready to support RedCap devices. The introduction of RedCap will unlock new opportunities for operators and industries.Read more: https://t.co/pqj5o0eeoS pic.twitter.com/k4VZW4Koha

— Nokia (@nokia) October 17, 2023