GENERATIONS OF MOBILE PHONES AND INTERNET SPEED (1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G)
1G This is the first generation of wireless telephone technology (mobile telecommunications) launched in Japan by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979. The radio signals used by 1G networks are analog telecommunication standards and later replaced by 2G digital telecommunications. 1G is only modulated to higher frequency, typically 150 MHz and up.
2G
This is the second-generation wireless telephone technology commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991. Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that phone conversations were digitally encrypted; 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum allowing for far greater mobile phone penetration levels; and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages. 2G technologies enabled the various mobile phone networks to provide the services such as text messages, picture messages, and MMS (multimedia messages). All text messages sent over 2G are digitally encrypted, allowing for the transfer of data in such a way that only the intended receiver can receive and read it.
2G has been superseded by newer technologies such as 2.5G (GPRS), 2.75G (EDGE), 3G, and 4G; however, 2G networks are still used in most parts of the world.
2G Data Transmission Capacity with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is maximum transfer speed of 50 kbit/s.
3G
This is the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology based on a set of standards used for mobile devices, mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G network was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in 1998, branded as FOMA. It was first available in May 2001 as a pre-release (test) of W-CDMA technology. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.
3G telecommunication networks support services that provide an information transfer rate of at least 200 kbit/s. Later 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers.
The 3G networks has the following standards:
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) system, first offered in 2001, standardized by 3GPP with WCDMA, HSPA and HSPA+ formats.
CDMA2000 system, first offered in 2002, standardized by
3GPP2, then later EVDO.
3G downlink data speeds defined by telecom service providers vary depending on the underlying technology deployed; up to 384kbit/s for WCDMA, up to 7.2Mbit/sec for HSPA and a theoretical maximum of 21.6 Mbit/s for HSPA+
4G
This is the fourth generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G. A 4G system must provide capabilities defined by ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television.
There are two 4G systems commercially deployed which are the Mobile WiMAX standard (first used in South Korea in 2007) and the first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard (in Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden since 2009). It has, however, been debated whether these first-release versions should be considered 4G. The International Telecommunications Union-Radio Communication Sector (ITU-R) 4G standards, named the International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMT-Advanced) specification, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s) for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users) in March 2008. Since the first-release versions of Mobile WiMAX and LTE support much less than 1 Gbit/s peak bit rate, they are not fully IMT-Advanced compliant, but are often branded 4G by service providers. On December 6, 2010, ITU-R recognized that these two technologies, as well as other beyond-3G technologies that do not fulfill the IMT-Advanced requirements, could nevertheless be considered "4G", provided they represent forerunners to IMT-Advanced compliant versions and "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed". Later, Mobile WiMAX Release 2 (also known as WirelessMAN-Advanced or IEEE 802.16m') and LTE Advanced (LTE-A) were released and are IMT-Advanced compliant.
LTE
LTE meaning Long-Term Evolution is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using a different radio interface together with core network improvements. The standard is developed by the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and is specified in its Release 8 document series, with minor enhancements described in Release 9. LTE is the upgrade same for carriers with both GSM/UMTS networks and CDMA2000 networks. The different LTE frequencies and bands used in different countries will mean that only multi-band phones will be able to use LTE in all countries where it is supported.
LTE is commonly marketed as 4G LTE, but it does not meet the technical criteria of a 4G wireless service, as specified in the 3GPP Release 8 and 9 document series, which later led to LTE Advanced.
LTE Advanced
LTE Advanced is a mobile communication standard and a major enhancement of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. It was formally submitted as a candidate 4G system to ITU-T in late 2009 as meeting the requirements of the IMT-Advanced standard, and was standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in March 2011 as 3GPP Release 10.
5G
5G or 5th Generation mobile netwotks denotes the proposed next major phase of mobile telecommunications standards beyond the current 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. Rather than faster peak Internet connection speeds, 5G planning aims at higher capacity than current 4G, allowing higher number of mobile broadband users per area unit, and allowing consumption of higher or unlimited data quantities in gigabyte per month and user. This would make it feasible for a large portion of the population to consume high-quality streaming media many hours per day in their mobile devices, also when out of reach of wifi hotspots. 5G research and development also aims at improved support of machine to machinecommunication, also known as theInternet of things, aiming at lower cost, lower battery consumption and lower latency than 4G equipment.
There is currently no standard for 5G deployments. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance defines the following requirements that a 5G standard should fulfill:
* Data rates of tens of megabits per second for tens of thousands of users 1 Gb per second simultaneously to many workers on the same office floor
* Several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections for massivewireless sensor network
* Spectral efficiency significantly enhanced compared to 4G
* Coverage improved
* Signalling efficiency enhanced
* Latency reduced significantly compared to LTE.
The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance feels that 5G should be rolled out by 2020 to meet business and consumer demands. In addition to providing simply faster speeds, they predict that 5G networks also will need to meet new use cases, such as the Internet of Things (internet connected devices) as well as broadcast-like services and lifeline communication in times of natural disaster. Carriers, chipmakers, OEMS and OSATs, such as Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), have been gearing up for this next-generation (5G) wireless standard, as mobile systems and base stations will require new and faster application processors, basebands and RF devices.
Although updated standards that define capabilities beyond those defined in the current 4G standards are under consideration, those new capabilities have been grouped under the current ITU-T 4G standards. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the spectrum for 5G, including the 28 Gigahertz, 37 GHz and 39 GHz bands, on July 14, 2016.
