Connectivity Technology Blog

The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) Research Team recently hosted a webinar examining the current state of 5G Reduced Capability, or RedCap, and its role in the wider 5G ecosystem. The session provided a useful snapshot of where the technology stands today, how it is evolving, and what still needs to happen before it reaches scale. At its core, 5G RedCap is designed to address a gap that has existed since the early days of 5G. While full 5G NR targets high performance use cases and technologies such as LTE-M and NB-IoT focus on ultra low power and low data rates, RedCap sits in between. It is intended for mid-tier IoT applications that require a balance of performance, cost, and energy efficiency. This positioning makes it particularly relevant for devices such as wearables, industrial sensors, cameras, and gateways, where full 5G capability is unnecessary but legacy IoT technologies may not be sufficient. RedCap was introduced as part of 3GPP Release 17, with the enhanced ve...

The development of autonomous and connected mobility solutions requires robust and uninterrupted connectivity, especially across borders. The "5G Autobahn to Autoroute" ( 5G A2A ) project aims to establish one of Europe’s first cross-border 5G highway corridors, linking Metz in France to Saarbrücken in Germany. This 60-kilometre route will support advanced vehicular applications and ensure seamless connectivity across national boundaries. Infrastructure Deployment and Coverage The project, scheduled to commence construction in early 2025 and reach completion by the end of 2027, will see the deployment of state-of-the-art 5G infrastructure along the corridor. The coverage will include: France : A 55 km section along the A4 and A320 motorways, where TOTEM and Orange will install nine new masts and upgrade up to eight existing sites to provide dedicated 5G coverage on the 3.5 GHz frequency. Germany : A 5 km section along the A6 motorway, where Vantage Towers and O2 Telefónica w...

Fixed Wireless is one of the recurring topics on our blogs (see links to other posts at the end). Now GSMA Intelligence has just released a playbook on this topic. The executive summary says: One of the most interesting potential applications of 5G is in providing access to home broadband, through fixed wireless access (FWA). This hybrid approach combines aspects of traditional mobile and fixed-line delivery methods but is primarily marketed as a ‘home’ internet product. FWA offers the principal advantages of (generally) lower upfront deployment costs relative to fixed options, and capital efficiency gains through the reuse of existing spectrum holdings. The technology has been around for more than a decade through the 3G and 4G eras, particularly in serving rural areas that lack fixed broadband access or have low speeds. At the end of 2020, 492 mobile operators (approximately 50% of the sector) had launched 4G FWA services, with varying levels of ambition. 5G will enable FWA to targe...

Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) has been one of the most talked about thing in the drone industry, for a very long time. As this article points out , countries around the world are amending their drone policies so that they can allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight for maximum efficiency. Unlike VLOS flights, which are operated within the pilot’s line of sight, BVLOS flights are flown beyond the visual range. BVLOS capabilities enable a drone to cover far greater distances. BVLOS has numerous applications and is cost-effective. It enables service providers to conduct complex drone operations and facilitate drones to fly without any human interference. But, drones have to become ‘airworthy’ to get there. BVLOS flights are mainly performed in infrastructure inventory, for monitoring large areas and creating orthophoto maps.  Drones flying Beyond Visual Line of Sight are controlled by data provided by on-board instruments. Information is transmit...

When I last wrote about 802.11ax (a.k.a. Wi-Fi 6), I mentioned that the 5G Frequency Range 1 (FR1) has been updated to 7.125 GHz. This brought it in line with the proposed frequency for next generation Wi-Fi called 802.11be. While in theory this is great, different regions would have to release the frequency above their current 5GHz Wi-Fi frequencies. I came across this good summary regarding the road to 6 GHz in Europe. I guess once we reach 6GHz, we can go further to 7.125 GHz, in the next 3-5 years. From the description provided by the author: In Europe as well as the USA, the 6 GHz band is considered for unlicensed use. This can enable the use of Wi-Fi (WLAN) in the band. The presentation introduces you to the domain of regulatory and spectrum processes, with a deep dive on the European institutions (CEPT, ECC, ETSI). Furthermore, the incumbents of the 6 GHz band are briefly introduced. The slides and the video is embedded below. 2019 - Road to 6 GHz in Europe...