Ericsson has teamed up with chipset partner MediaTek to perform data and 5G voice calls using Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology.
The test demonstrated an FDD data call which achieved a throughput speed of 220 Mbps for downlink and 74 Mbps for uplink. The partners also carried out a TDD data call that reached a downlink speed of 153 Mbps and an uplink speed of 13.5 Mbps. The test was carried out at an Ericsson lab in Sweden.
RedCap, or reduced capability is a new 5G feature meant to serve less data-intensive use cases such as industrial wireless sensors, video surveillance and wearable medical devices. First introduced in 3GPP Release 17 for 5G NR, it is meant to bridge the gap between extremely low-demand use cases like IoT sensors and high-demand high-speed enhanced mobile broadband.
“The Ericsson Reduced Capability software will open up a whole new world of possibilities for new types of devices that do not require the full range of 5G performance,” says Ericsson’s Head of Product Line 5G RAN Sibel Tombaz. “By enabling both data and Voice over New Radio (VoNR) on the FDD and TDD spectrum bands, Ericsson RedCap is pioneering a whole new range of use cases for both consumers and industries in ways that are both cost- and energy-efficient.”
