CELLULAR PHONE NETWORKS
Mark Swearingen
 |
|
|
|
The terms ‘‘first-generation’’, ‘‘second-generation’’ and ‘‘third-generation’’ are used to describe the capabilities of a cellular phone or cellular phone network. These terms are defined as follows. |
| 1st generation | Analog: voice only |
| 2nd generation | Digital: voice and text (SMS) messaging |
| ‘‘2.5G’’ | Digital with packet data (GPRS): multimedia (MMS) messaging, mobile Internet |
| 3rd generation | Higher-bandwidth digital: live video calls, video streaming |
|
Most cell phones in use around the world today are 2G or ‘‘2.5G.’’ For more information, see the following links: |
|
Wireless Dictionary (try entering: 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G) 3rd Generation (3G) (by Alan Smith) Third Generation Mobile Communications (by Anshuman Richharia et al) 3G Phones |