2G, 2.5G and 3G

2G, 2.5G and 3G are terms that confuse a lot. But we hear a lot about them. In our earlier post and in Glossary we have discussed about these terms and due to readers request we are re describing theses terms for you.

2G : Cellular wireless data transfer technology were commercially launched on GSM(Global System for Mobile communications) in Finland (yr.1990s). In 2G switching from analogue to digital. 2G makes use of a CODEC (compression-decompression algorithm) to compress and multiplex digital voice data. 2G technologies can be divided into TDMA-based (GSM) and CDMA-based standards depending on the type of multiplexing used. Through this technology, a 2G network can pack more calls per amount of bandwidth as a 1G network. 2G cell phone units were generally smaller than 1G unit, since they emitted less radio power because the battery life of a 2G handset lasts longer. It introduced data service (SMS). 2G mainly for voice services and slow data transmission.

2.5 : technology offered extended features and additional capacity such as HSCHD (High Speed Circuit Switched),GPRS (General Packet Radio System) which allows theoretical data rates on the order of 114 Kbit/s, but with throughput closer to 40 Kbit/s in practice. As this technology does not fit within the "3G" category, it is often referred to as 2.5G

3G Technology (IMT 2000) supports much higher data rates, measured in Mbps, intended for applications other than voice. IMT-2000, in fact, represents several incompatible standards lumped together under one banner. The hope of IMT-2000 is that phones using these different standards will be able to move seamlessly between all networks, thus providing global roaming.

Learn about 1G and 4G also at All about the Gs