The stripped-down version of 5G New Radio, called 5G Red Cap (Reduced Capability) came to prominence with the release of 3GPP Release 17, which supports it, in mid-2022, even though its full capabilities will not arrive until Release 18 enters products during 2024. Originally dubbed NR-Light, Red Cap is pitched as the version of 5G fit for many IoT applications in both the enterprise and consumer spheres and work is already underway incorporating the technology in smartwatches, as well as industrial monitoring devices. However, its emergence has also drawn criticism and even cynicism from those who see it as a fix for 5G’s own problems and an attempt to smother alternative non-cellular low-power WAN technologies for IoT, notably LoRaWAN. It…