What is the difference between 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE & 5G networks?
When connected to the internet, the speed of the connection depends on signal strength expressed in abbreviations such as 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G.etc. on any mobile device.
Each generation of wireless broadband is defined as a set of mobile phone network standards that describe the technology deployment of standard 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G systems.
To compare 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G we first need to understand the key features of all these technologies.
1) Generation 2G
2G refers to the second generation of mobile networks based on GSM. The radio signals used by 1G networks are analogue, while 2G networks are digital. 2G capability has been achieved by allowing multiple users on one channel through multiplexing. In 2G technology, mobile phones were used to transmit data along with voice. Some of the key features of 2G are:
- Data rates up to 64 kbps
- Use analogue signals instead of analogue
- Activated services such as SMS and MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
- Provide better quality voice calls
- It uses bandwidth of 30 to 200 KHz
2) 3G technology
The 3G standard uses the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) as its core network architecture. 3G networks combine aspects of 2G networks with new technologies and protocols to provide significantly faster data rates. By using packet switching, the original technology has been improved to allow speeds of up to 14 Mbps. It uses the Wide Band wireless network to increase clarity. It operates in the 2100 MHz band and has a bandwidth of 15-20 MHz. Some key features of 3G are:
-Speed up to 2 Mbps
-Increase bandwidth and data transfer rate
-Send / receive large email messages
-Large volume and broadband capability
IMT-2000 is the specifications of the International Telecommunication Union for 3G networks. Theoretically the maximum achievable speed is 21.6 Mbps - HSPA +
3) 4G technology
The main difference between 3G and 4G is the data rate. There is also a huge difference between 3G and 4G technologies. The main technologies that have created 4G are MIMO (Multiple Inputs) and OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Multiplexing). The most important 4G standards are WiMAX and LTE. Although 4G LTE is a huge improvement over 3G speed, it is technically not 4G. What is the difference between 4G and LTE?
Even after being widely available, many networks do not reach the required 4G speeds. 4G LTE is a fourth generation long-term evolution, capable of providing very fast and secure internet connection. Basically, 4G is a predefined standard for mobile network connections. 4G LTE is the term given to the road to follow in order to achieve previously defined standards. Some features of 4G LTE are:
- Support interactive multimedia, voice, video
-High speed, high capacity and low cost per bit (Speed up to 20 Mbps or more)
- Mobile network is global and scalable
4) 5G technology
- 5G using millimeter radio bands is rarely used in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz range. Testing the 5G range in mmWave resulted in about 500 meters from the tower.
- Using small cells, carriers using millimeter waves to deploy 5G can improve the overall coverage. Combined with Beamforming, small cells can provide extremely fast coverage with low latency.
- Low latency is one of the most important features of 5G.
- 5G uses scalable orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) framework. 5G benefits greatly from this and can be as low as one millisecond with an estimated reality of 1 - 10 seconds.
- 5G is estimated to be 60 to 120 times faster than average 4G latency.
- With speeds up to 10 Gbps, 5G is set at speeds 10 times faster than 4G. The following is a brief comparison of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.
Comparing 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G clearly shows the difference in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies. It is clear that 5G will be one of the biggest leaps in mobile network technology history and the evolution of mobile network technology.