Jump to content

List of wireless network technologies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article summarizes the main generations of mobile network technology, from early analog radio systems to current digital cellular standards.

Generations of mobile network technologies
Generation Standards Core technology Maximum data rate Launch year Notes
0G Mobile radio telephone Analog (pre-cellular) <1 kbit/s 1946 Point-to-point radio without cells
1G NMT, AMPS, TACS Analog voice 2.4–9.6 kbit/s 1979 First cellular systems
1.5G D-AMPS Hybrid analog/digital 14.4 kbit/s 1990 Transitional between 1G and 2G
2G GSM, IS-95, IS-136 Digital voice and SMS 64–144 kbit/s 1991 Introduced digital encryption and text messaging
2.5G GPRS Packet-switched overlay 56–115 kbit/s 2000 Added packet-switched data to GSM
2.75G EDGE 8PSK modulation 236 kbit/s 2003 Enhanced GPRS data rates
3G UMTS, CDMA2000 W-CDMA / CDMA 384 kbit/s–several Mbit/s 1998 Enabled Internet and video services
3.5G HSDPA, HSUPA High-speed packet access 14.4 Mbit/s ↓ / 5.8 Mbit/s ↑ 2005 Higher capacity and lower latency
3.75G HSPA+ Enhanced HSPA 42 Mbit/s ↓ 2008 Final 3G evolution stage
4G LTE, WiMAX All-IP, OFDMA 100 Mbit/s–1 Gbit/s 2009 Broadband Internet and multimedia services
4.5G LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro Carrier aggregation, MIMO 1–3 Gbit/s 2015 Precursor to 5G
5G 5G NR Massive MIMO, beamforming Up to 20 Gbit/s 2019 Low latency, IoT, mmWave spectrum
6G (under research) Sub-THz (100 GHz–3 THz) >1 Tbit/s (target) ~2028 Experimental systems in development

0G

[edit]
Main article: Mobile radio telephone

0G systems did not use cellular networks and are referred to as pre-cellular or zero generation (0G mobile) systems.

1G

[edit]
Main article: 1G

1G refers to the first generation of cellular network technology. These analog telecommunication standards were introduced in 1979 and used until replaced by 2G digital systems. The main distinction was that 1G transmitted voice as analog radio signals, while 2G transmitted all communications digitally.

1.5G

[edit]
Main article: Digital AMPS

1.5G describes transitional systems such as Digital AMPS that combined analog and digital elements.

2G

[edit]
Main article: 2G

2G introduced digital encryption for calls, efficient use of spectrum, and services such as SMS and MMS. The first commercial 2G network, using the GSM standard, was launched in Finland by Radiolinja (now Elisa Oyj) in 1991.[1]

North American standards IS-54 and IS-136 (Digital AMPS) used TDMA with three time slots in each 30 kHz channel, supporting three compressed calls in the same spectrum as one analog call under AMPS. IS-95 (CDMAOne) was the first CDMA-based digital cellular standard, developed by Qualcomm and adopted by the Telecommunications Industry Association in 1995.

2.5G

[edit]
Main article: General Packet Radio Service

2.5G systems added a packet-switched domain alongside circuit-switched operation, enabling GPRS mobile data.

2.75G

[edit]
Main article: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution

GPRS networks evolved to EDGE with the introduction of 8PSK modulation.

3G

[edit]
Main article: 3G

3G standards introduced data rates of at least 144 kbit/s and later supported several Mbit/s, enabling mobile broadband for smartphones and modems. CDMA2000 succeeded cdmaOne (IS-95) and was deployed in North America, East Asia, and Oceania. Variants included CDMA2000 1xRTT for voice and 1xEV-DO for data. The first 3G networks appeared in 1998.

3.5G

[edit]
Main article: High Speed Packet Access

3.5G covered technologies that improved 3G performance, such as High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and Evolved High Speed Packet Access.

3.75G

[edit]
Main article: Evolved High Speed Packet Access

HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA) was the final stage of 3G evolution.

4G

[edit]
Main article: 4G

4G provided broadband Internet access for mobile devices, supporting IP telephony, high-definition video, and real-time communication. LTE and WiMAX were the first 4G implementations. LTE Advanced met the full 4G standard. The first LTE networks launched in Oslo and Stockholm in 2009.

4.5G

[edit]
Main article: LTE Advanced Pro

4.5G, also called LTE-Advanced Pro, increased throughput and reduced latency using carrier aggregation and massive MIMO.

5G

[edit]
Main article: 5G

5G is the successor to 4G and IMT-Advanced. It provides lower latency, higher data rates, and large-scale device connectivity. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance defined key performance targets such as gigabit speeds in dense areas and high connection density.[2] 3GPP developed the 5G NR (New Radio) specification with frequency ranges FR1 (<6 GHz) and FR2 (mmWave).[3]

6G

[edit]
Main article: 6G

6G research began in the late 2010s. It is expected to use frequencies between 100 GHz and 3 THz, offering terabit data rates but limited range.[4] Commercial deployment is projected for the late 2020s.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Radiolinja's history". April 20, 2004. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
  2. ^ "The race to 5G: Inside the fight for the future of mobile". TechRepublic. December 15, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "5G frequency ranges". ShareTechnote. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Rappaport, Theodore S.; Xing, Yunchou; Kanhere, Ojas; Ju, Shihao (2019). "Wireless Communications and Applications Above 100 GHz: Opportunities and Challenges for 6G and Beyond". IEEE Access. 7: 78729–78757. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2921522. ISSN 2169-3536.
  5. ^ "China sends 'world's first 6G' test satellite into orbit". BBC News. November 6, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_wireless_network_technologies&oldid=1325445298"