The RedCap device emulation, a tool for 5G testing, caters to next-gen IoT devices, ensuring precise performance assessments and seamless ecosystem integration.
Viavi Solutions Inc. have launched the Reduced Capability (RedCap) device emulation for 5G network testing, which the company claims is the industry’s first emulation. The RedCap ensures genuine performance assessment for the Internet of Things (IoT) and private networks. This innovation targets a fresh category of affordable, straightforward devices like wearables, industrial wireless sensors, and video surveillance. The foundation for this solution is the widely-used TM500 network test platform, preferred by most base station equipment producers for performance checks. Leveraging the respected User Equipment (UE) emulation of the TM500, it allows manufacturers to simulate real-world traffic scenarios involving thousands of RedCap devices. The enhanced test platform ensures RedCap testing integrates smoothly into existing test environments, simulating RedCap-specific traffic and signals and assessing network performance for RedCap scenarios.
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) unveiled RedCap devices in 5G NR Release 17, also called Broadband IoT or New Radio (NR) Light. These intermediate IoT devices balance high-end Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) and the lower-end Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) applications, marking 3GPP’s support for IoT and Industry 4.0 devices at the network edge. A primary benefit of employing integrated tools like TM500 for RedCap testing lies in utilising established, embedded fading channel models. These channels mirror real-world wireless conditions, such as multipath propagation and signal fading—which are critical for evaluating live network performance. The TM500, when paired with these models, ensures a precise representation of various conditions, aiding in assessing the RedCap device performance under diverse propagation challenges.
“5G deployment may be stabilising globally, but industrial and private networks are just getting started,” said Ian Langley, Senior Vice President Wireless Business Unit, VIAVI. “RedCap specifications provide the missing link for the devices used in such applications, so equipment manufacturers and operators can confidently pursue development and deployment. The TM500 adds essential validation capabilities with device emulation, further accelerating RedCap adoption.”
