Simply, the"G"stands for"GENERATION". While you connected to internet, the speed of your internet is depends upon the signal strength that has been shown in alphabets like 2G, 3G, 4G etc. right next to the signal bar on your home screen. Each Generation is defined as a set of telephonenetwork standards, which detail the technological implementation of a particular mobile phone system. The speed increases and the technology used to achieve that speed also changes. For eg, 1G offers 2.4 kbps, 2G offers 64 Kbps and is based on GSM, 3G offers 144 kbps-2 mbps whereas 4G offers 100 Mbps - 1 Gbps and is based onLTE technology.
The aim of wireless communication is to provide high quality, reliable communication just like wired communication(optical fibre) and eachnew generationof services represents a big step(a leap rather) in that direction. This evolution journey was started in1979from 1G and it is still continuing to 5G. Each of the Generations has standards that must be met to officially use the G terminology. There are institutions in charge of standardizing each generation of mobile technology. Each generation has requirements that specify things like throughput, delay, etc. that need to be met to be considered part of that generation. Each generation built upon the research and development which happened since the last generation. 1G was not used to identifywireless technologyuntil 2G, or the second generation, was released. That was a major jump in the technology when the wireless networks went fromanalog to digital.
1G - First Generation
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 .
2G - Second Generation
Cell phones received their first major upgrade when they went from 1G to 2G. The main difference between the two mobile telephone systems (1G and 2G), is that the radio signals used by 1G network are analog, while 2G networks are digital . Main motive of this generation was to provide secure and reliable communication channel. It implemented the concept of CDMA and GSM . Provided small data service like sms and mms. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Oyj) in 1991.
Data speeds of up to 64 kbps
Use of digital signals instead of analog
Enabled services such as SMS and MMS (Multimedia Message)
Provided better quality voice calls
It used a bandwidth of 30 to 200 KHz
THIRD GENERATION (3G) Download
3G - Third Generation
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 3G standard utilizes Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) as its core network architecture. 3G network combines aspects of the 2G network with new technologies and protocols to deliver a significantly faster data rate. By using packet switching, the original technology was improved to allow speeds up to 14 Mbps. It used Wide Band Wireless Network that increased clarity. It operates at a range of 2100MHz and has a bandwidth of 15-20MHz. Some of the main features of 3G are:
Speed of up to 2 Mbps
Increased bandwidth and data transfer rates
Send/receive large email messages
Large capacities and broadband capabilities
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) were the specifications by the International Telecommunication Union for the 3G network. Theoretically, 21.6 Mbps in the max speed of HSPA+.
4G - Fourth Generation
4G is a very different technology as compared to 3G and was made possible practically only because of the advancements in the technology in the last 10 years. Its purpose is to provide high speed , high quality and high capacity to users while improving security and lower the cost of voice and data services, multimedia and internet over IP. Potential and current applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony , gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television, and cloud computing.
The key technologies that have made this possible are MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) and OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). The two important 4G standards are WiMAX (has now fizzled out) and LTE (has seen widespread deployment). LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a series of upgrades to existing UMTS technology and will be rolled out on Telstra's existing 1800MHz frequency band. The max speed of a 4G network when the device is moving is 100 Mbps or 1 Gbps for low mobility communication like when stationary or walking, latency reduced from around 300ms to less than 100ms, and significantly lower congestion. When 4G first became available, it was simply a little faster than 3G. 4G is not the same as 4G LTE which is very close to meeting the criteria of the standards. To download a new game or stream a TV show in HD, you can do it without buffering .
Support interactive multimedia, voice, video
High speed, high capacity and low cost per bit (Speeds of up to 20 Mbps or more)
Global and scalable mobile networks.
Ad hoc and multi-hop networks.
5G - Fifth Generation
5G is a generation currently under development , that's intended to improve on 4G. 5G promises significantly faster data rates, higher connection density, much lower latency, among other improvements. Some of the plans for 5G include device-to-device communication, better battery consumption, and improved overall wireless coverage. The max speed of 5G is aimed at being as fast as 35.46 Gbps , which is over 35 times faster than 4G.
Key technologies to look out for: Massive MIMO , Millimeter Wave Mobile Communications etc. Massive MIMO, milimetre wave, small cells, Li-Fi all the new technologies from the previous decade could be used to give 10Gb/s to a user, with an unseen low latency, and allow connections for at least 100 billion devices . Different estimations have been made for the date of commercial introduction of 5G networks. Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance feel that 5G should be rolled out by 2020 to meet business and consumer demands.