GENERATIONS OF MOBILE NETWORKS
Mobile networks have matured over the last two decades from a data speed perspective, but
they continue to evolve to enable many new use cases for people and IoT (Internet of Things)
devices. Today, the 4G and 5G use the same technologies worldwide; however, it wasn’t the
case before the fourth generation of mobile networks. The first generation of mobile networks
is now obsolete, but we still have 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks active in most parts of the
world.
p1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G are the five generations of mobile networks where G stands for
Generation, and the number denotes the generation number. 5G is the latest generation,
whereas 1G networks are now obsolete. The cellular technologies GSM, UMTS, LTE
and NR enable 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G, respectively.
GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, UMTS stands for
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, and LTE stands for Long Term
Evolution (of Mobile Networks).
Term Stands for Launch Year
1G First Generation 1979 (Obsolete)
2G Second Generation 1991
3G Third Generation 2001
4G Fourth Generation 2009
5G Fifth Generation 2019
Generations of Wireless Communication
This was the first generation of cell phone technology . The very first generation of
commercial cellular network was introduced in the late 70's with fully implemented
standards being established throughout the 80's. It was introduced in 1987 by Telecom
(known today as Telstra), Australia received its first cellular mobile phone network
utilising a 1G analog system. 1G is an analog technology and the phones generally
had poor battery life and voice quality was large without much security, and would
sometimes experience dropped calls . These are the analog telecommunications
standards that were introduced in the 1980s and continued until being replaced by 2G
digital telecommunications. The maximum speed of 1G is 2.4 Kbps .
1G
o This is the first generation of wireless telephone technology, mobile
telecommunications, which was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979.
o The main technological development in this generation that distinguished the
First Generation mobile phones from the previous generation was the use of
multiple cell sites, and the ability to transfer calls from one site to the next site
as the user travelled between cells during a conversation.
o It uses analog signals.
o It allows the voice calls in one country.
Disadvantages
o Poor quality of voice
o Poor life of Battery
o Size of phone was very large
o No security
o Capacity was limited
o Poor handoff reliability
2G
2G refers to the second generation of mobile networks based on GSM. The radio
signals used by the 1G network were analog, while 2G networks were digital. 2G
capabilities were achieved by allowing multiple users on a single channel via
multiplexing. During 2G, cellular phones were used for data along with voice. Some
of the key features of 2G were:
o Data speeds of up to 64 kbps
o Use of digital signals instead of analog
o Enabled services such as SMS and MMS (Multimedia Message)
o Provided better quality voice calls
o It used a bandwidth of 30 to 200 KHz
o This is the second generation of mobile telecommunication was launched in
Finland in 1991.
o It was based on GSM standard.
o It enables data transmission like as text messaging (SMS - Short Message
Service), transfer or photos or pictures (MMS ? Multimedia Messaging Service),
but not videos.
o The later versions of this generation, which were called 2.5G using GPRS
(General Packet Radio Service) and 2.75G using EDGE (Enhanced data rates for
GSM Evolution) networks.
o It provides better quality and capacity.
Disadvantages
o Unable to handle complex data such as Video
o Requires strong digital signals
3G
This generation set the standards for most of the wireless technology we
have come to know and love. Web browsing, email, video downloading,
picture sharing and other Smartphone technology were introduced in
the third generation. Introduced commercially in 2001, the goals set out
for third generation mobile communication were to facilitate greater
voice and data capacity, support a wider range of applications, and
increase data transmission at a lower cost .
The 3G standard utilises a new technology called UMTS as its core
network architecture - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System.
This network combines aspects of the 2G network with some new
technology and protocols to deliver a significantly faster data rate. Based
on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile
telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 ( IMT-2000 )
specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. One of
requirements set by IMT-2000 was that speed should be at least 200Kbps
to call it as 3G service.
3G has Multimedia services support along with streaming are more
popular. In 3G, Universal access and portability across different device
types are made possible (Telephones, PDA's, etc.). 3G increased the
efficiency of frequency spectrum by improving how audio
is compressed during a call, so more simultaneous calls can happen in
the same frequency range. The UN's International Telecommunications
Union IMT-2000 standard requires stationary speeds of 2Mbps and
mobile speeds of 384kbps for a "true" 3G. The theoretical max speed
for HSPA+ is 21.6 Mbps.
Like 2G, 3G evolved into 3.5G and 3.75G as more features were
introduced in order to bring about 4G. A 3G phone cannot communicate
through a 4G network , but newer generations of phones are practically
always designed to be backward compatible, so a 4G phone can
communicate through a 3G or even 2G network .
Advantages
o 3G is the third generation was introduced in early 2000s.
o The transmission of data was increased up to 2Mbits/s, which allows you to
sending or receiving large email messages.
o The main difference between 3G and 2G is the use of packet switching rather
than circuit switching for data transmission.
o Faster communication
o High speed web or more security
o Video conferencing
o 3D gaming
o TV streaming, Mobile TV, phone calls etc. are the features of 3G.
Disadvantages
o Costly
o Requirement of high bandwidth
o Expensive 3G phones
o Size of cell phones was very large.
4G
o 4G is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunication which was appeared
in 2010.
o It was based on LTE (Long Term Evolution) and LTE advanced standards.
o Offer a range of communication services like video calling, real time language
translation and video voice mail.
o It was capable of providing 100 Mbps to 1Gbps speed.
o High QoS (Quality of Service) and High security.
o The basic term used to describe 4G technology is MAGIC. Where :
M - Mobile multiedia
A - Anytime anywhere
G - Global mobility support
I - Integarted wireless solution
C - Customized personal service
Disadvantages
o Uses more battery
o Difficult to implement
o Expensive equipment are required
5G
5G is a generation currently under development, which aims to improve upon 4G. 5G
promises significantly faster data rates, higher connection density, much lower latency,
among other improvements. Some of the plans for 5G include improved device-to-device
communication, better battery consumption, and better overall wireless coverage. The
maximum speed of 5G is targeted to be as fast as 35.46 Gbps, which is 35 times faster than
4G.
It is refered to fifth generation wireless connection which will be probably
implemented by 2020, or even some years earlier.
o Machine to machine communication can be possible in 5G.
o 5G will be able to performs Internet of Things (IoT) for smart home and smart
city, connected cars etc.
o This generation will be based on lower cost, low battery consumption and lower
latency than 4G equipment.
o There will be much fater transmission rate of data to the previous versions. Thus
the speed of 5G will be 1Gbit/s.
