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How many cell phone commercials have you seen that advertise how fast and wonderful their 3G network is? I know I have seen dozens, at least.  But very few people actually know what 3G means. For starters, 3G means third generation. Third generation implies that there was a first and second generation. However, the first and second-generation networks were not widely known as 1G and 2G. In this post we will take a brief look at the history of cell phone networks and try to discover what the mysterious 3G actually represents.

Motorola started the first generation of cell phone networks way back in the 1970s.  At this point, transmission was based on radio waves and all data was transmitted and received through frequency modulated (FM) analog signals. There was no encryption, so interception and interpretation could be accomplished with minimal equipment requirements. It was not until the 1980s that this technology became publicly available. Even then, the network was very unreliable and cell phones were mostly a novelty. However, technology quickly progressed to the second generation.

Second generation mobile networks offered some impressive upgrades. GSM and EDGE systems were introduced and have been in use since cell phones came into heavy commercial use. Also, text messaging and the ability to access media (ringtones, etc.) was introduced on the 2G network. The data rate went from a measly 10 kbps to an effective 64 kbps (using GSM technology). This fact, combined with the second generation using digital transmission schemes allowed many more users to send data through the network. Finally, encryption and error checking were introduced in 2G networks, which boosted network performance, reliability, and consumer confidence. Neither 1G networks nor 2G networks had official standards to comply to worldwide.

Now that we have the basics of earlier networks, let’s talk a little bit about 3G. Between 2G and 3G there was another speed bump. According to International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) International Mobile Telecommunications for the year 2000 (IMT-2000), a standard 144 kbps data rate should be provided to users moving at a high rate of speed and 384 kbps should be delivered to anyone who is standing or moving slowly. One of the biggest technological advances for the 3G networks was the ability to reliably connect to the internet. The connection to the internet and significantly higher data rates allow 3G networks to provide consumers with a very effective, reliable connection to not only cellular service, but any information or web service that one could desire.

In summary, cellular networks have come a very long way since the 1970’s. Cell phones started out as bulky, unreliable devices and have evolved to be pocket computers with high-speed internet access thanks to 3G. If a 3G connection were available everywhere in the world, modern cellular networks may be as reliable as landline telephones. The truth is, if you actually have access to a 3G network it is almost as fast and wonderful as advertised.