LG Uplus employees test drones connected with RedCap technology at the Incheon Songdo RAPA IoT Support Center./Courtesy of LG Uplus

LG Uplus announced on the 9th that it will commence device verification for the commercialization of 'Reduced Capability' technology, a 5G-based lightweight Internet of Things (IoT) technology, in partnership with the Korea Communication Agency (RAPA), Qualcomm Technologies, and Newgens.

Reduced Capability is an IoT technology standard that simplifies device functions to lower expenses while maintaining the data transmission performance necessary for industrial sites. According to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 30 operators in 21 countries around the world have begun investing in Reduced Capability. It is being highlighted as a technology that will lead the growth of the communications industry in the future.

RAPA has established technological infrastructure in the IoT Technology Support Center within the Korea Electromagnetic Technology Institute, and has created a specialized device verification system at the level of the country's first commercial network by a telecommunications company. Here, small device developers can quickly test device performance, shorten development times, and increase commercialization potential.

To activate the 5G IoT ecosystem, LG Uplus is providing comprehensive support from the initial planning of Reduced Capability technology validation to technical consulting and providing test environments. Qualcomm is a corporation that has been involved in the global standardization of Reduced Capability technology and chipset development. In this collaboration, LG Uplus and Qualcomm are conducting validation and interoperability tests of Reduced Capability technology in both commercial and specialized network environments. Newgens and Ericsson are developing and supporting Reduced Capability specialized network technologies to create suitable IoT environments for domestic industrial sites.

This domestic first telecommunications company-led specialized network Reduced Capability validation is being conducted by examining the effects of low-latency and high-reliability communication environments on the stable control of autonomous mobile robots, in real-time comparison with existing Wi-Fi and 4G-based control environments using 5G Reduced Capability dongles.

Based on this validation project, LG Uplus plans to expand the use of IoT in various fields such as smart factories, logistics robots, smart meters, and industrial sensors to reduce the expense burden on corporate customers. They plan to actively expand the industry-specific IoT market through Reduced Capability-based specialized network services.

Kang Jong-o, head of the Corporate Service Development Lab at LG Uplus, said, “Through the specialized network validation based on Reduced Capability, a key technology for the spread of 5G IoT, we will support the commercialization of small device developers and contribute to the expansion of the industrial IoT ecosystem.”

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