What are the differences between 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G?

The ‘G’ stands for ‘Generation’ and each generation is defined by a set of telephone standards. In simple words as the number before ‘G’ increases, the speed and the technology used to achieve the speed also increases.

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1G This was the first generation cellphone network launched in the late ’70s. It is a totally analog technology and the mobile phones had poor voice quality with frequent call drops. They also experienced poor battery life. The maximum theoretical speed of 1G is 2.4 Kbps.

2G stands for the second generation and cellphones received a major upgrade when they migrated from 1G to 2G. Radio signals used by 2G was digital as compared to analog signals used in 1G. It was far more reliable and secure than 1G and GSM and CDMA concepts were implemented at that time. The maximum speed of 2G with GPRS is 50 Kbps and 1 Mbps with EDGE.

3G stands for the third generation and this is the beginning of faster cellphone internet and multimedia capabilities like video downloading, Email, picture sharing, and smart browsing experience. Smartphones were introduced in this generation and 3G utilizes a new technology known as UMTS. The maximum theoretical speed of 3G is 21.6 Mbps through HSPA+ technology.

4G stands for the fourth generation and boosts of high speed, high quality, and enhanced security. The two most important technologies behind 4G are MIMO and OFDM and the two most widely used 4G standards are WiMAX and LTE. The maximum theoretical speed of 4G for moving objects is 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps for stationary objects although it varies a lot during the real-time scenario or practical usage.

5G stands for the fifth generation. It is currently under development and commercial launch is expected soon. 5G is expected to have lightning fast internet speed with higher connection density and lower latency. 5G is expected to have lower battery consumption and improved wireless coverage with a maximum theoretical speed of 35.46 Gbps. 5G is expected to change the way people use mobile internet today and it is basically 35 times faster than 4G