5G RedCap for wearables and IoT will soon get its first devices

Both T-Mobile and AT&T plan to soon release their first devices that run on RedCap, a 5G specification designed for Internet of Things devices. according to fierce wireless,

What is a red cap? Great question! Also called “low capacity” or NR-Lite, Redcap is a low-bandwidth version of 5G that is expected to make certain devices such as wearables, sensors or surveillance cameras simpler and more power efficient. oracle documentThis could mean that cellular-connected smartwatches, XR glasses or other portable products are cheaper, don’t require high-powered antennas and have faster throughput and last longer on a charge.

AT&T, which began testing the specification on its network earlier this year, reportedly plans to release its first NR-lite devices in 2025. fierce wireless Writes. T-Mobile will launch one of its own before its release this year.

It’s unclear what those devices will be, but AT&T AVP of device architecture Jason Silks has hinted at what early NR-lite products might look like, Say Terrifying in june That first Redcap devices will likely be cheap mobile hotspots and dongles. Actually, TCL announced Last week a 5G USB dongle arrived, given the catchy name TCL Linkport IK511.

Early products could use Qualcomm modem chipsets was launched last year Called Snapdragon X35. It listed several companies in its announcement, including T-Mobile and AT&T, that plan to use the modem in future products. Perhaps we’ll hear more during CES early next year. Let’s start the (slow) race to 5G.