In the journey to build a green digital future, the convergence of network-level sustainability initiatives like the EXIGENCE project and device-level innovations such as 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) and Enhanced RedCap (eRedCap) are not merely a technical footnote; they represent a strategic masterstroke. Within the IoT ecosystem, technology enables the mass deployment of sensors and wearable devices, which might increase aggregate energy consumption due to the so-called rebound effect, i.e., the phenomenon were efficiency gains in technology lead to higher overall consumption. As a result of the rebound effect, the number of IoT devices in Europe and North America is expected to grow to more than 8 billion in each region by 2034, while in China it is projected to exceed 12 billion (see Figure 1). This growth is expected to surpass the number of connected non-IoT devices. To address this challenge, EXIGENCE is conducting RedCap experiments to measure energy efficiency under realistic conditions and help identify optimisation strategies for IoT deployments, ensuring sustainability without compromising performance.
Figure 1: IoT Connected Devices Forecast by Region (Source: Detecon, based on data from Statista[1]).
5G RedCap/eRedCap delivers low-energy communication for IoT, dramatically reducing power consumption in smartwatches, wearable health monitors, industrial sensors, smart city sensors, drones, and other connected devices. Imagine a world where every connected device whispers efficiency into the network’s ear, and the network, in turn, orchestrates energy savings across the entire ICT value chain. This development represents the new paradigm of energy-aware digital ecosystems, established through significant collaboration among standards organisations, telecommunications providers, and innovators. By aligning these forces, we unlock pathways to slash energy consumption and related carbon footprints while fueling smarter, future-proof connectivity. EXIGENCE provides holistic vision for end-to-end ICT greening, while RedCap/eRedCap delivers lightweight muscle for billions of devices. Together, they redefine how we deploy technology not as a voracious energy hog, but as a regenerative force.
At its core, the EXIGENCE project tackles the heavyweight of ICT energy efficiency. Traditional approaches nibble at edges, optimising isolated domains like data centers or radio access networks. EXIGENCE flips the script, integrating measurement, optimisation, and incentivisation across heterogeneous ICT ecosystems. It envisions metrics that track not just kilowatt-hours but the full CO₂e footprint, factoring in energy source diversity from renewables to grids strained by peak demands. Picture tenants in cloud infrastructures, edge nodes in smart cities, and core networks in telco stacks all sharing data on their energy profiles. This inter-domain exposure enables end-to-end assessment of service delivery, revealing hidden inefficiencies, like a video stream guzzling power through redundant transcoding across layers. By 2030, ICT could devour 20-25% of global electricity if unchecked[i]. EXIGENCE counters this with tools for dynamic load balancing, green SLA negotiations, and carbon-aware routing, ensuring sustainability scales with 6G ambitions.
5G RedCap & eRedCap at a Glance
3GPP introduces 5G RedCap in Release 17[2] and eRedCap in Release 18[3], both designed as the Reduced Capability variant of 5G New Radio, designed for IoT devices that prioritise efficiency over raw speed. Unlike power-hungry flagships smartphones, RedCap devices, think industrial sensors, wearables, and AR glasses, operate with halved bandwidth (20 MHz vs. 100 MHz in standard 5G) and streamlined protocols, Figure 2. RedCap slashes peak power draw by up to 50%, reduces antenna requirements, extending battery life from hours to days while maintaining reliable connectivity. eRedCap goes further, reducing bandwidth to 5 MHz, lowering peak data rates to ~10 Mbps, and optimising power-saving features like extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) and expecting to provide very-low-cost IoT deployments. In comparison to legacy 4G LTE, RedCap/eRedCap provide higher data rates than Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT, typically under 100 kbps) and LTE for Machines (LTE-M, around 1 Mbps).
GSMA forecasts billions of RedCap endpoints by 2030[4], flooding networks with lean traffic. Device-level efficiency here means offloading computing from energy-intensive processors to smarter, intermittent transmissions. A RedCap-enabled UAV, for instance, wakes only to burst critical data, dormancy conserving watts that would otherwise evaporate in constant polling.
Figure 2: RedCap vs. eRedCap (5G IoT) Comparison.
The magic unfolds in convergence: RedCap’s frugal devices feeding into EXIGENCE’s intelligent networks could create symbiotic loops. Devices could signal their energy states, battery levels, thermal throttling, via lightweight metadata, empowering networks to prioritize low-carbon paths. EXIGENCE’s metrics evolve to include device telemetry, painting a real-time carbon heatmap of the ecosystem. Strategically, this could shift ICT from siloed optimizations to holistic orchestration. Operators gain granular visibility: a fleet of RedCap/eRedCap IoT sensors in a smart grid detect overloads early, triggering certain kinds of EXIGENCE-driven migrations to edge renewables. The result? End-to-end services with lower footprints.
This couldn’t just be technical harmony; its strategic alchemy born of collaboration. Standards bodies like 3GPP and ETSI lay the groundwork, embedding sustainability primitives in protocols, RedCap’s power-saving modes now extend to network energy reporting in Release 18. Telecom value chain, from Ericsson to Vodafone, pilot these in trials, proving viability at scale[5]. Innovators- startups building AI-driven optimizers or chipmakers like Qualcomm refining RedCap silicon[6], bridge gaps with open APIs. EXIGENCE outcomes support amplifying this through its consortium model, fostering data-sharing where operators can expose energy KPIs with certain anonymity/conditions. Consider the 6G-IA’s Non-Terrestrial Networks working group: RedCap/eRedCap satellites align with EXIGENCE’s multi-domain metrics, enabling energy-aware handovers for drones over vast areas. Such alliances could dismantle barriers, turning competitors into co-creators of green standards.
Engineering Sustainability into Networks
Strategically, this convergence future-proofs ICT amid regulatory tsunamis. The EU’s Green Deal mandates Scope 3 emissions reporting for telcos by 2026, while CSRD directives
demand ecosystem-wide accountability. EXIGENCE project findings could equip operators with auditable metrics, while RedCap/eRedCap ensures device fleets comply without premium costs, critical for mass-market adoption in emerging economies. Economically, it has potential to unlock new revenue: green-certified services command premiums, a telco deploying RedCap/eRedCap in smart agriculture, for example, offers “carbon-neutral crop monitoring,” bundling EXIGENCE orchestrated SLAs with IoT subscriptions. Risks like stranded assets in brown energy infrastructure vanish as networks dynamically favor renewables, hedging against volatile fossil prices.
Critically, this convergence addresses ICT’s rebound effect, were efficiency gains spur usage. Outcomes of project EXIGENCE like counters with caps and behavioral nudges, like throttling high-emission streams during grid stress. RedCap/eRedCap’s tiered capabilities prevent over-spiking, curbing induced demand. Together, they foster circular economies: e-waste from old devices drops as RedCap/eRedCap extends lifespans, recyclable under tracked supply chains.
RedCap/eRedCap evolves into AI-native profiles, with neuromorphic chips sipping microjoules, scaling services to zero-touch orchestration, AI negotiating energy trades across domains. By 2035, ICT could achieve net-zero via such paradigms, per ITU visions.
The call-to-action rings clear: stakeholders must deepen collaborations, funding joint R&D, standardizing metrics, and piloting at scale.
In this strategic convergence, project EXIGENCE findings and IoT grow with RedCap/eRedCap don’t just align; they ignite a greener digital renaissance. Networks breathe efficiency from devices, ecosystems thrive sustainably, and collaboration cements the path. The future isn’t about choosing between connectivity and climate, it’s about engineering both, smarter and stronger.
References
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1194677/iot-connected-devices-regionally/
[i] Information & Communication could consume up to 20% of electricity in 2030
[2] 3GPP TR 38.875: Study on support of reduced capability NR devices (Release 17).
[3] 3GPP TR 38.865: Study on enhanced support of reduced capability NR devices (Release 18).
[4] IoT Connections Forecast to 2030 | GSMA Intelligence
[5] Vodafone, Ericsson and Qualcomm in First European Test of New 5G Radio Technology
Authors
Detecon
Dr. Shivam Gupta at Detecon International manages AI, Data Analytics, and Sustainability, leading their digitainability efforts. With over 10 years’ experience, a PhD in Geoinformatics, and over 20 publications, he advises global entities and delivers data-driven solutions. He co-developed “digitainability” and contributes to data-driven sustainability policies.
Detecon
Marvin Sanchez Garache holds an Eng. degree in Electronics and a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Sweden. His extensive career includes roles as a researcher and professor at UNI, a postdoctoral researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University, and various leadership positions in telecommunications across the globe. He is currently a consultant at Detecon, specializing in wireless networks, intellectual property, telecommunication regulation, and Green ICT.
Detecon
Konstantin Marin is Senior Manager with Detecon International GmbH, Dresden, Germany. With over 15 years of telecommunication industry experience he is DETECON’s technology expert in the Telco Industry Cluster, covering variety of topics in radio access and mobile core including 5G, 6G and Open RAN, and execution projects in the area of sustainability and energy efficiency for mobile operators in Europe and MEA region.