Eurofiber and Nokia introduced 5G RedCap support within Eurofiber’s Private 5G ecosystem at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, extending enterprise-grade mobile connectivity for large-scale IoT deployments. The update integrates RedCap into the existing ecosystem that Eurofiber built with Nokia, NTT DATA, Greenet and Netways, running on Eurofiber’s 76,000 km fiber backbone across the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. The move targets enterprises that require reliable, low-latency connectivity without the full bandwidth profile of standard 5G.
5G RedCap (Reduced Capability), defined in 3GPP Release 17, addresses mid-tier IoT use cases by lowering modem complexity, reducing energy consumption, and cutting module costs. The profile supports high device density and real-time data exchange for sensors, wearables, cameras and industrial equipment. Eurofiber positions RedCap as a fit for sectors including industry, logistics, healthcare and construction, where enterprises seek scalable wireless connectivity that integrates operational technology (OT) with IT systems.
Eurofiber said no Dutch mobile operator has commercially deployed 5G RedCap to date, positioning its private 5G platform as an early enterprise implementation in the Netherlands. The company emphasized that RedCap devices connect directly to its open fiber backbone, offering an alternative to WiFi, BLE and LPWAN for mission-critical environments that demand predictable latency and managed security.
• 5G RedCap added to Eurofiber Private 5G ecosystem
• Built with Nokia, NTT DATA, Greenet and Netways
• Targets industrial IoT, logistics, healthcare and construction
• Optimized for lower complexity, reduced energy use and lower-cost modules
• Runs on Eurofiber’s 76,000 km fiber network across four European countries
• Direct integration with secure fiber backbone
Phaedra Kortekaas, Managing Director Eurofiber Netherlands: “With the introduction of 5G RedCap within our Private 5G ecosystem, we are giving our customers a powerful new building block for their digital transformation. More and more organizations want to modernize their operations with IoT applications, while seeking maximum reliability and security. Thanks to our unique collaboration, we now make this innovation widely accessible, directly connected to our fiber backbone. With all the data captured via IoT, AI models can function even better.”
🌐 Analysis: RedCap fills a gap between high-performance 5G and low-power wide-area technologies, enabling private networks to address cost-sensitive, high-density IoT deployments without overprovisioning radio capacity. Nokia continues to expand its private wireless portfolio in Europe amid growing enterprise demand for AI-enabled operations, while operators and vendors globally accelerate RedCap trials to support Industry 4.0 and campus-scale connectivity models.
5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) is a 3GPP Release 17 feature that defines a streamlined class of 5G devices designed for mid-tier IoT use cases that need better latency and reliability than LPWAN but far lower cost and power consumption than full 5G. RedCap reduces modem complexity by supporting narrower bandwidths (typically 20–100 MHz depending on band), fewer antennas, and simplified features while still operating on standard 5G networks, making it suitable for devices such as industrial sensors, cameras, wearables, and logistics trackers. The technology has moved rapidly from specification to deployment: Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X35 5G modem-RF system in 2023, the first commercial RedCap platform; MediaTek followed with the M60 RedCap modem targeting industrial and consumer IoT devices; Ericsson and Vodafone completed one of the first live RedCap network trials in 2024 in Europe; and China Mobile and Huawei launched early RedCap commercial services in several Chinese cities in 2024–2025, enabling devices such as surveillance cameras and industrial modules to connect directly to 5G networks at lower cost and power than traditional 5G endpoints. These milestones mark RedCap’s transition from a standards concept into an emerging global ecosystem spanning chipsets, modules, and early commercial networks
