A 5G communication standard streamlined and optimized for wearables and other IoT devices
Lower-cost, lower-power 5G optimized for IoT devices
A streamlined version of New Radio (NR) 5G radio communication technology, “RedCap”— short for “Reduced Capability” and also known as “5G RedCap”—is defined by the international standards body 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as “NR RedCap.” By reducing data rates and the number of antennas compared to standard NR, RedCap lowers costs and power consumption, making it optimal for IoT devices.
RedCap is designed for IoT devices that do not require large data transfers, such as sensors, wearable devices, surveillance cameras and tags used for logistics management. This enables a wide range of applications, including the transmission of operational data from factories, location tracking in logistics and collection of health-related data from consumer wearables. Commercial deployment has already begun in countries such as Japan and the United States, with other regions currently conducting trials and evaluations.
As a forerunner in the telecommunication industry, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) launched 5G RedCap commercial services in September 2025, supporting new wearable devices, including Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra 3.
(Posted on October 16, 2025)
by SoftBank News Editors
