1G

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. The radio
signals used by 1G are analogue, meaning the voice of a call is modulated to a higher
frequency rather than being encoded to digital signals.

Analogue signals degrade over time and space meaning that voice data can very often
lack quality within a call. In comparison, digital is a representation of analogue stored as
signals, meaning larger amounts of data can be carried more effectively.

2G

The second generation saw the introduction of GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communication) technologies as a standard in the early 90’s. It allowed for digital voice
and data to be sent across the network and allowed users to roam for the first time.

2G also used Signalling and Data Confidentially and Mobile Station Authentication to
ensure improved security and privacy of telephone calls.

The advance in technology from 1G to 2G introduced many of the fundamental services

that we still use today, such as SMS, internal roaming, conference calls, call hold and
billing based on services e.g. charges based on long distance calls and real time billing.

2.5G

Between the year 2000 and 2003, an upgrade in technologies introduced the packet
network which provided high speed data transfer and internet and became known as
2.5G.

The standards included GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EDGE (enhanced
Data Rates in GSM).

GPRS supports flexible data transmission rates and provides continuous connection
with the network. It also allows for the service provider to charge for the amount of data
that is sent rather than their connection time.

3G

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.

For the first time, this generation supported high speed wide band internet access as
well as fixed wireless internet access and allowed for video calls, chatting and
conferencing, mobile TV, video on demand services, navigational maps, email, mobile
gaming, music and digital services such as movies.

Significantly greater security features were introduced within 3G, including Network
Access and Domain Security and Application Security.

4G

Initiated in 2010, the fourth generation is an all IP based network system. 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.

The major benefit of an IP based network is that it is able to seamlessly handover, for
voice and data to GSM, UMTS and CDMA2000 technologies from the previous different
generations infrastructure.

4G introduced the LTE standard which only support packet switching and an all IP
Network. There are a significant amount of infrastructure changes needed to be
implemented by service providers in order to supply because voice calls in GSM, UMTS
and CDMA2000 are circuit switched, so with the adoption of LTE, carriers will have to
re-engineer their voice call network.

5G

5G is the next generation of commercial cellular network, set to greatly increase internet
connectivity speeds. At this time, there aren’t any publicly agreed definitive standards
that have been set as with previous generations so not a great deal of information is
known about the specific technologies that are going to be used.

Different estimations have been made for the date of commercial introduction of 5G
networks, but they are generally around the year 2020.

One of the main benefits of increased connectivity being plugged as the underlying
selling point of 5G is IoT (Internet of Things), which would make the most of the higher
speed of connectivity to allow for seamless integration of devices on a scale never been
achievable before. You can read more about IoT and the details of the technology in our
article ‘Internet of Things: Explained’ here.

Speed (data rates) = 1Gbps to 10Gbps (claimed by service providers in lab conditions)

What is the difference between 4G and 5G?

5G = 100 *1 Gbps = 100*4G
(theoretical)

The fourth generation of mobile connectivity started to make waves in the late
2000s. 4G made mobile internet speeds up to 500 times faster than 3G and allowed
support for HD TV on mobile, high–quality video calls, and fast mobile browsing. The
development of 4G was a massive feat for mobile technology, especially for the
evolution of smartphones and tablets.

4G is now common throughout the world, but things are about to change again. The
Internet of Things is now a real possibility and 4G will not be able to manage the huge
number of connections that will be on the network. It is expected that there will be more
than 20bn connected devices by 2020, all of which will require a connection with great
capacity. This is where 5G comes into force.
5G has started to create a hype recently when we saw the first trials of the capabilities
of the network taking place. What is more, some of the capabilities of 5G were
demonstrated during the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, making the games the
most exciting to date for both fans and participants.
So, what makes 5G so different from 4G?
Simply said, 5G is widely believed to be smarter, faster and more efficient than 4G. It
promises mobile data speeds that far outstrip the fastest home broadband network
currently available to consumers. With speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, 5G
is set to be as much as 100 times faster than 4G. Low latency is a key differentiator
between 4G and 5G. Latency is the time that passes from the moment information is
sent from a device until it can be used by the receiver. Reduced latency means that
you’d be able to use your mobile device connection as a replacement for your cable
modem and Wi-Fi. Additionally, you’d be able to download and upload files quickly and
easily, without having to worry about the network or phone suddenly crashing. You’d
also be able to watch a 4K video almost straight away without having to experience any
buffering time.
5G will be able to fix bandwidth issues. Currently, there are so many different devices
connected to 3G and 4G networks, that they don’t have the infrastructure to cope
effectively. 5G will be able to handle current devices and emerging technologies such
as driverless cars and connected home products.
But it must remember that these scenarios are all still theoretical, and it will take a lot of
investment by governments and mobile network operators to make them work. The
security aspect of 5G also still needs to be figured out. With a greater number of users
and improved services, 5G opens the door to a new level of threat. Governments and
mobile operators must ensure they have the correct level of security in place before 5G
can be rolled out.
What’s the difference in network coverage between
3G, 4G, 5G?
3G --- 2 Mbps

4G -- 3-5 mbps

5G – 20 Gbps (Peak download speed)

The question on the difference in network coverage between 3G, 4G and 5G

seems to be of interest to many of our readers, so we decided to dedicate a
post to it.
As the number of mobile phone users in the world soars, mobile networks must
adapt to handle more users and immense demands for data in order to keep
customers satisfied with how quickly they can access internet-based services.
Every leap in network performance or capability is called a new generation. For
example, 3G is the third generation after 1G and 2G.
With 3G, smartphones generally see download speeds of up to around
2Mbps (megabits per second). By comparison, 4G is around 3 to 5Mbps;
roughly the speed that many home computers receive via cable modem
or DSL. 5G’s peak download speed is up to 20,480 Mbps, a huge leap from
any generation previously. With a higher network generation comes higher
capacity, meaning it can support a greater number of users at any given time. It
will also allow for higher data rates, so that multimedia applications such as
video calling, or YouTube clips work more smoothly.
With a 3G tower, about 60 to 100 people can share the signal and get fast,
reliable service. A 4G tower, however, can serve around 300 or 400 people. As
network generations evolve engineers and programmers pack as much digital
data as they can into each radio signal to maximize the speed and efficiency of
the network. The difference between these generations is simply a network that
improves upon the previous internet experience – not that 4G is twice as good
as 3G.
4G is more spectrally efficient than 3G, just as 5G is more spectrally efficient
than 4G. Each generation delivers more data per hertz than the previous
one. 3G works at frequencies up to 2.1Gigahertz, 4G up to 2.5Gigahertz and
5G can be up to 95 Gigahertz. That is why there is a lot of hype around 5G.
The 5th generation wireless network addresses the evolution beyond
mobile internet to massive IoT (Internet of Things). The capabilities of the
network are so much faster than in previous generations and can therefore
connect more objects than ever before, including things like connected
vehicles, connected homes and smart cities, while the speed and reliability of
5G will mean that a new era of ehealthcare becomes possible. 5G networks will
also use ‘small cells’ compared to ‘macrocells’ used in 4G networks. Put simply,
this means they are smaller in size, require less power and can be installed
much quicker.

With any mobile phone network, signal comes from the frequencies used. In
general, low frequencies are most reliable and capable of penetrating
obstructions like buildings, which is why 3G will often work in more places than
4G. Higher frequencies are more direct but are also more easily scattered by
objects. Mobile carriers that want to provide the more reliable services will aim
to use lower frequencies, however those that want their customers to have
access to faster download speeds will also aim to offer higher frequencies. As
5G will use higher frequencies, which have a more limited range, more 5G
towers will need to be installed to support the reliability of the network.
However, as these are smaller and don’t require a tower they can be placed
on buildings and lampposts, for example.
Because 4G signals are sparser than 3G and 5G even more still, phones expend
more power searching for 4G or 5G reception, meaning your battery life may
drain quicker using higher generations. It should also be noted that you will
need a phone that supports 5G in order to be able to access this network. As
5G uses more data you may find that your phone contract data allowance
depletes very quickly!
What’s more, 5G also provides the opportunity to bring higher level of trust
built on privacy protection.

Frequency bands for 2G, 3G, 4G mobile in

India
India is also one of the largest telecommunication markets in the world. Having
large geography and population, India also has the largest growth of mobile
subscribers and technology development. Total subscribers in India has already
crossed 1 billion marks. Now the number of telecom subscribers in India is 1.19
billion, as of Jan 2018. The total subscribers in mainly dominated by mobile
subscribers in 2G, 3G, and 4G. Which also requires a higher chunk of frequencies
in different spectrum bands. This post we are updating different spectrum bands
in 2G, 3G, and 4G mobiles. It is also important for people to check the band and
technology before buying the smartphones and the device to use in India.

Among the mobile technology standards, GSM and CDMA technology are still
there for 2G. Operators like Vodafone-Idea, Airtel, BSNL, Tata, Aircel have large
subscriber base in GSM 2G technology which operates in 900 and 1800 MHz. As
India is a large country, the licensing regime for India is available in circles. So, the
frequency allocation and the bandwidth differs circle by circle. Operators like
Reliance Communication, MTS, BSNL, and Tata have very fewer CDMA
subscribers. For CDMA technology, the frequency band used in India is 850 MHz.
As this frequency is also popular for 4G LTE technology, CDMA will be
ultimately phased out to die very soon. Most operators have already liberalized
this band to use it for 4G LTE service.
All of the major operators started 3G UMTS in 2100 MHz band. Operators have
also started re-farming their 900 MHz band (which is a frequency band of GSM) to
use it for UMTS. Airtel, Idea is also using 3G UMTS in 900 MHz, for some of the
circles. So, if you want to use 3G in India, you should check for the availability of
both the bands 2100 MHz and 900 MHz in the device either phone or dongles.

4G LTE bands in India

For 4G, there are mainly three frequency bands in India. Jio, the 4G only operator
crossed 100 million subscribers in a short period of time. Jio operates 4G in all of
the three 4G LTE bands namely Band 3, Band 5 and Band 40. Talking in MHz
band, those bands are of 1800 Mhz, 850 MHz, and 2300 MHz. Out of which, 1800
and 850 MHz are FDD technology whereas 2300 MHz band is TDD technology.
Airtel and Idea Vodafone own 4G LTE in both 1800 MHz and 2300 MHz.

 Mobile tower radiation is not harmful: Study

Considering the capacity and competition, operators are seeking new spectrum
bands to use for 4G LTE. Idea Vodafone will use LTE in TDD 2500 MHz band which
is the most popular band in China. Sooner or later, the most expensive 700 MHz
and the popular 2.6 GHz bands will also launch for 4G LTE service. Frequency
bands of 2G and 3G like 900 MHz and 2100 MHz can also use 4G if more
subscribers move from either 2G or 3G to 4G.

Here is a table for the different frequency bands in India for mobile technology
2G, 3G, and 4G.

Mobile
Frequency bands
S.N Technology in Major Operators
in India
India

900 MHz, 1800 Airtel, Idea Vodafone,

1 GSM (2G)
MHz Aircel, BSNL

2 CDMA 850 MHz Reliance, BSNL, Tata

 2100 MHz, 900
3 WCDMA (3G) Airtel, Idea Vodafone
MHz

4 WiMAX 2300 MHz BSNL

5 4G LTE (4G) 1800MHz Airtel, Idea Vodafone, Jio

850 MHz Jio

2300 MHz Airtel, Idea Vodafone, Jio

2500 MHz BSNL, Idea Vodafone

What is 5G? What are the services and applications of 5G?

Although there are places where 4G has not yet reached, people should not stop
talking about 5G, its services, and applications. After all, it is the future of mobile
communication technology. When we talk of 5G, it is not only the fiber-like data speeds.
But it is gonna be a big revolution in the way we do telecommunication. There will be a
lot of 5G services and applications which we will discuss here. Having said that, real 5G
is nowhere near to be available for the consumers. But it is of course on the way.

As the first 5G standard has been already approved, telecom vendors and smartphone
makers have started testing the technology with several operators all around the world.
After some hit & trials, review and the realization in hardware, the field-proved 5G
network will be available for the customers. That can only happen after 2020, as per the
recent speculation in the industry.

Now, let’s give a simple definition of 5G and the range of services, applications with it.
What is 5G?
5G is a fifth generation technology standard for mobile communication. If you know or
heard somewhere how the mobile network evolve from the first generation (1G) to 2G to
3G to 4G, then you still know the half. You probably have realized how the voice-centric
communication has evolved to a data-centric till 4G. That had happened with a multifold
increase in the data speeds and reliability. Well, 5G has more to give than the ultra-high
speed of data transfer, which is higher than 10 Gbps DL. With that, you can
download 4K videos or HD movies to your device in a matter of seconds.

5G cells are also known to provide the bandwidth for the huge number of Internet of
things (IoT) devices. Imagining a connected world (every device and elements
connecting to the internet), 5G will design to handle such huge no of devices and the
bandwidth speed.

Frequency spectrum band of 5G:

Such mammoth speed in wireless requires an enormous frequency bandwidth as
well. So, 5G will operate in the range of above 30 GHz to 300 GHz, which is the
mmWave frequencies. There could be an additional network in lower frequency
bands (< 6 GHz) just to make up for the mmWave 5G. It is due to the reason that
mmWave 5G signal cannot penetrate inside the buildings. But lower frequency
band 5G can provide coverage due to its better propagation characteristics.
Another spectrum band for 5G also include a range from 3GHz to 24 GHz, also
called Mid band spectrum.

To realize such bandwidth, 5G also incorporates several technologies like NR, Small
cells, MIMO, and beam-forming. So, if we want to make use of the real 5G connection
speed, then you should also change your handset or device to be able to support those
technologies and multiple antennas.

Here are some of the characteristics of the network to qualify for 5G.

 Above 10 Gbps download speeds

 Less than 1 ms latency (response time)
 Thousands of devices serving from a 5G cell
 Energy efficient
 Densification of the network.

5G services and Application

Operators can make use of the ultra high speed for giving super HD and virtually real
multimedia experience. 5G can provide the almost real-time streaming in their VR
headset in a sports or concert stadium.

With such Ultra high-speed capability, operators have also started to think of using fixed
5G for your home broadband. For this, sooner the 5G modems start to appear,
operators in the US will provide this 5G speeds sooner to households.

As 5G is all about connecting all the possible devices, 5G powers the required
bandwidth to each of them. Apart from the bandwidth hungry and high power devices,
there will be low powered low capacity and long life devices called IoT. There could be
several cases for different services or applications that IoT capable devices can provide
with 5G.

Here are some of the applications of 5G services with < 1 ms latency and > 10 Gbps
speed.

 Connected cars: 5G is going to make connected cars a reality. Vehicle 2 vehicle

(V2V) and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) will the main focus while providing
multimedia experience, a smart transportation system for road blockage/traffic,
tourists, accidents information and tracking.
 Automated vehicles (driverless cars): Car Vendors have been working in the
driver fewer cars or vehicles from some time. The car which runs on its own is
expected to be very efficient in terms of fuel consumption, road and traffic
management. But the security concern and the decreased job is what woes the
transportation industry. The sensors in the car or vehicles keep track of other
vehicles and environment around it to make a judgment of the vehicle operation.
 If the information is synced or analyzed with the cloud (containing more
information about road and traffic condition) through 5G and deep learning
comes into play, then the cars can be full automated with better real-time
decisions.
 Industry Automation (Industry 4.0): The 5G and IoT will have a great impact
on the future industry (4.0) and manufacturing. It will help to replace a human
being in Industry through such connection and the use of Artificial Intelligence
(AI). Where Robots and computer take over the place of Human for higher
productivity, higher quality, and higher accuracy. But the initial cost or investment
for such will be very high.
 Home appliances, Automation, and home security system with 5G: Till now,
connected or Smart homes have been in place but with noncellular connectivity.
Home WiFi or Zigbee, Lora were fueling it but it could be more enhanced with the
use of 5G.
 Parking lot management: IoT platform and the system can collect and provide
information about the availability of parking lot in the neighborhood to take instant
and effective decisions for parking.
 Smart utilities (electricity, gas, water): Utility meters will be more efficient with
5G connectivity, having higher battery life, for several utilities like Gas, electricity,
water.
 Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR): Grown from the standalone
Virtual reality (VR) videos and gaming, 5G can now realize the VR and AR
potential for streaming and experiencing the real-time happening at a distance.
Attending meeting remotely, Remote diagnosis or health analysis, AR
maintenance, Advertisement, Enhanced multimedia experience, and AR gaming
will be some of the applications of AR/ VR with 5G
 Cloud services for every phone or system: With the ultra high speed, you
won’t need to put heavy storage in your devices. Plus the processing will be very
fast in the cloud servers, to make a better realization of the data. So, it will not
only help for better data but also cut down the size of those devices.
 Remote surgery: With the ultra reliable low latency communication, remote
surgery can also happen over 5G.

Although some of the connected devices and services are already in place with 4G, 3G,
and even 2G, they are known to be much efficient for the telcos and device battery life
with 5G. There are many other services and applications for the use of 5G networks and
IoT.

Isn’t it a revolution rather than just an evolution, that the 5G comes with? But it takes a
whole lot of chain effect and coordination that vendors, telcos, device makers engage to
make the 5G a reality. We will update each significant update for 5G, so stay tuned.