LG Uplus is working with Qualcomm, Ericsson and others to validate RedCap for enterprise IoT usage.
In sum, what to know:
RedCap tests – LG Uplus is working with RAPA, Qualcomm, Ericsson and others to validate RedCap for 5G IoT use cases for SMEs in industrial settings.
SME acceleration – The project enables local device makers to test solutions in near-commercial conditions, cutting development cycles.
Industrial testing – RedCap dongles are being tested on robots and drones, with aims to deploy private 5G networks in logistics and smart manufacturing.
Telco LG Uplus is partnering with South Korea’s Radio Research Agency (RAPA), Qualcomm Technologies, Ericsson, and Newgenes to commercialize reduced-capability (RedCap) 5G technology to accelerate the country’s 5G IoT ecosystem and strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The project will take place at the IoT Technology Support Center within RAPA’s Elektropical Technology Institute in Songdo, Incheon. The institute provides validation infrastructure for testing at commercial network scale, giving domestic SMEs access to faster product testing and shorter development cycles.
LG Uplus is providing the technical consulting and test environments. Qualcomm is providing chipset integration for interoperability tests across commercial and private networks. Newgenes and Ericsson are supporting the specialized network infrastructure for industrial use cases.
The demonstration will connect RedCap 5G dongles with industrial machines like autonomous mobile robots and drones to compare performance with current Wi-Fi and LTE systems. This will help determine how 5G RedCap technology can improve real-time device control.
LG Uplus said it will expand the use of 5G RedCap into logistics robots, smart meters, IoT sensors, and factory automation, offering private network services tailored to specific industries.
Kang Jong-oh, director of LG Uplus’s business service development lab, said: “Through validation of the RedCap-based 5G IoT technology, we aim to support SMEs in commercialization and contribute to expanding the IoT ecosystem across industries.”
Kim Hyung-jun, president at RAPA, said: “We plan to establish a quality management system that meets demands by collaborating with specialized network providers, ensuring practical technical support for SMEs.”
RedCap is a reduced set of 5G capabilities intended for devices like wearables and IoT devices with lower bandwidth requirements. Introduced with 3GPP Release 17, it is designed for devices currently served by LTE CAT-4 but provides equivalent or better in performance with a max downlink throughput of up to 150 Mbps – on paper / in lab conditions.
To implement RedCap, operators need to have a 5G standalone (SA) network. As of February 2025, the GSA counted 154 operators in 63 countries with 5G SA networks. However, adoption of RedCap technology remains in early stages, with 26 operators in 18 countries currently exploring or investing in the technology.
Earlier this year, GSA had launched a new group focused on supporting and monitoring the growth of 5G RedCap technology.
The entity noted that this initiative brings together major telecom players aiming to develop and promote the RedCap ecosystem, which includes network deployments, connected IoT devices, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) equipment and service launches.
The members of this newly formed RedCap group will collaborate to track progress in RedCap networks, features and device development. Founding members of the group include Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, MediaTek, Qualcomm and VIAVI Solutions.
