Vodafone, Ericsson and Qualcomm make the first reduced capacity 5G data call in Europe

MADRID, 23 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Vodafone, Ericsson and Qualcomm have carried out the first 'RAN Reduced Capability' (RedCap) data tests on a European network, a milestone with which they have "laid the foundations" for many of the IoT (Internet of Things) devices. its acronym in English) and other connected devices transmit information in a "more efficient and simpler" way.

Specifically, the pilot was carried out on September 21 with Ericsson's 'RedCap RAN' software and Vodafone Spain's 5G test network called 'Create' (Ciudad Real España Advanced Testing Environment) and "it was a success," he stressed. the British operator in a statement.

RedCap enables connectivity for simpler devices, from smartwatches to smart water meters, and allows many others to connect to 5G networks and transmit data with low consumption and a lower cost, achieving improvements in cases of use of existing 5G and "new opportunities" are created.

"This technology, called 'New Radio Light' (NR-Light), works with lower complexity devices that can be smaller, cheaper and have longer battery life than traditional devices that make use of mobile broadband." Likewise, NR-Light can complement the network APIs developed by Vodafone so that its customers can extend the battery life of their devices," the company added.

The demonstration also used the Qualcomm Snapdragon

In that sense, these tests are part of the steps prior to the introduction of commercial devices based on Snapdragon, scheduled for 2024.

"These tests have marked a turning point for OEMs, network operators and users, as it marks a clear path towards new devices and commercial use cases," explained Qualcomm Europe Vice President of Technology, Dino Flore.

For his part, the director of Open Ran at Vodafone, Francisco Martín, highlighted that the results of these tests show that, in the future, networks will be capable of supporting many more connected and energy-efficient devices.

"5G RedCap opens the door to new use cases for both the business and consumer segments, as well as the industrial sector, lower-cost 5G routers and wearables," added the director of Technological Networks at Ericsson, Isidro Nieto.