Specifically, according to Oracle's document, RedCap is considered a low-bandwidth version of 5G (also known as NR-Light), expected to be used on certain types of devices such as wearables, sensors or surveillance cameras to meet the criteria of energy saving and simplicity.

STK142_5G.jpg.jpeg
5G "RedCap" will be used on IoT mobile devices. Photo: TheVerge

Using RedCap, connected smartwatches, extended reality (XR) glasses or mobile products will not need high-power antennas, thereby extending battery life after each charge.

AT&T began testing the specification on its own network earlier this year, and the carrier is reportedly planning to release its first NR-Light devices in 2025, according to Fierce Wireless. T-Mobile, meanwhile, will launch one of its own devices by the end of the year.

It's not yet clear what product lines the devices will encompass, but back in June, AT&T Vice President of Device Architecture Jason Silkes hinted at what the first NR-Light products might look like.

The first RedCap devices could be low-cost mobile hotspots and transceivers, a US carrier representative said. Last week, TCL announced a 5G USB transceiver, the TCL Linkport IK511.

The first products could use the Snapdragon X35 modem chipset that Qualcomm launched last year. The mobile chipmaker lists a number of customers, including T-Mobile and AT&T, that plan to use the modem in future products.

(According to TheVerge)

Potential to leverage 4G, 5G infrastructure to meet 6G technology A research team at a Chinese university has used a new approach to upgrade existing 4G and 5G infrastructure to 6G.