Everyone's talking about 5G, the latest generation of mobile network technology. Promising faster download speeds than ever before, and a more reliable connection with record-breaking latency times, it's set to transform smartphone data as we know it.
But how did smartphone data get to this point? Discover the technology that paved the way for ultra-fast 5G below.
1G - The First Mobile Network
1G is the first generation of mobile network and the first ever form of wireless technology. It was first created in the USA in 1979, but not available internationally until the early 1980s.
1G is a form of analog technology, which means it only has the capacity to support voice calls and there’s no internet connection available. The frequency operates on narrow bands and the maximum speed of 1G technology is 2.4Kbps - meaning the phones are slow, with poor battery life and voice quality, and calls are prone to be drop too.
It may seem basic now, but in the 1980s, 1G was revolutionary technology.
2G - From Analogue to Digital
Mobile technology got a major upgrade with the introduction of 2G in 1993. 2G added a host of benefits and upgrades from 1G, the major one being that it took phones from analog to digital communication.
This switch to digital communication means battery lives lasted longer, and multimedia systems such as SMS text messages, MMS multimedia messages and picture messages were available for the first time. Call and text encryption that added privacy to data and voice calls were also a new feature of 2G, paving the way for better mobile security.
The maximum speed 2G operates on is 14.4Kbps, a significant improvement upon the 2.4Kbps maximum of 1G. The bandwidth also switches from analog to 25Mhz, making browsing the web and downloading data possible for the first time.
3G - Web Browsing Arrives
3G was established in 2001, with a wide range of enhancements and benefits. The term “mobile broadband” was first introduced with 3G technology, as it completely revolutionised the mobile data offering.
Web browsing, enhanced audio and visual streaming and global roaming were all first available with 3G. Plus, the technology made video conferencing, IPTV (watching TV through an internet connection) and GPS possible for the first time, proving how far mobile technology has come since 1G and 2G.
The maximum speed for 3G technology is 3.1Mbps – that’s a great deal faster than 2G. These improvements mean users can browse the web and download and upload data at higher speeds, with a connection that is far more reliable in comparison to its predecessors.
4G - Enabling Streaming and Downloading
Improving speeds, security and connection even further, 4G was first introduced in 2009 and is still widely used today.
4G supports web browsing, video conferencing, apps, mobile TVs and streaming media as 3G does, but it’s also capable of handling applications that need better speeds and connection, such as gaming, streaming media in high resolution and wearable tech including fitness trackers.
With a maximum speed of 300Mbps, you can download and upload media faster with 4G, and latency is considerably reduced too - with a 50 second latency time for faster responses and less buffering time when streaming media. What’s more, frequencies are emitted on ultra-wide bands, as opposed to the narrower bands used with 2G and 3G, meaning 4G has more capacity for data than its predecessors.
5G - The Super-Fast Next Generation
The fifth generation of mobile technology, 5G was introduced in 2019 and again comes with a whole host of improvements and upgrades from earlier mobile technologies.
Increased speed is perhaps the biggest change we see with 5G. As discussed earlier, 4G networks offer maximum download speeds of 300Mbps, but with 5G these reach up to 10Gbps – meaning you can stream media, download and upload data and play games on the go faster than ever before.
Higher frequencies between 30 and 300GHz and larger bandwidths mean an even greater capacity for data, while connection is improved and buffering and lagging are reduced.
It’s not only mobile phones that are improved with 5G. Using a 5G network means greater potential for the IoT (Internet of Things). IoT refers to all devices that are connected to one network and will be used across many different businesses and industries, including cars, healthcare, logistics and retail. Whereas earlier networks can’t support this much tech at once, 5G, along with the better connectivity, higher capacity and improved speeds, can. 5G is also playing a critical role to the development and introduction of self-driving cars, smart home appliances and remote healthcare and surgeries.
Want to know more about 5G? We'll take you through the basics in our Introduction to 5G and How Fast is 5G guides. If you’d like to get your hands on a 5G-ready phone, take a look at our contact, upgrade and SIM-free deals, at Mobiles.co.uk today.
"Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, 5G ni ""kizazi kipya cha teknolojia ya mtandao wa rununu.""" Kuahidi kasi ya kupakua kuliko hapo awali, na uhusiano wa kuaminika zaidi na nyakati za latency za rekodi, imewekwa kubadilisha data ya simu ya rununu kama tunavyoijua. Lakini ni kwa nini data za simu za mkononi zimepita hatua hii? Utafiti wa teknolojia ya 5G ulifungua njia kwa 5G ya haraka zaidi 1G - Mtandao wa kwanza wa simu za mkononi (Mobility Network) ni aina ya kwanza ya mtandao wa simu za mkononi na aina ya kwanza ya teknolojia ya wireless. Ilianzishwa nchini Marekani mwaka 1979, lakini haikupatikana kimataifa hadi mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1980. 1G ni aina ya teknolojia ya analog, ambayo ina maana tu ina uwezo wa kusaidia wito wa sauti na hakuna uhusiano wa mtandao inapatikana. Uwezo wa simu za 1G ni wa 2.4kbps, na simu hizo zina kasi ya chini, na zina uwezo wa kuendesha kwa muda mrefu, na zina uwezo wa kuondoa sauti. Ingawa sasa inaweza kuonekana kuwa rahisi, katika miaka ya 1980, 1G ilikuwa teknolojia ya mapinduzi. Analog hadi Digital Mobile ni teknolojia ya simu ya mkononi ya 2G ambayo ilitengenezwa mnamo 1993. 2G inaongeza faida nyingi na uboreshaji kutoka kwa 1G, moja kuu ikiwa ni kwamba ilichukua simu kutoka kwa mawasiliano ya analog hadi dijiti. Uhamisho huu kwa mawasiliano ya dijiti unamaanisha maisha ya betri yaliendelea kwa muda mrefu, na mifumo ya multimedia kama vile ujumbe wa maandishi ya SMS, ujumbe wa multimedia wa MMS na ujumbe wa picha zilipatikana kwa mara ya kwanza. Kufunga simu na maandishi ambayo iliongeza faragha kwa simu za data na sauti pia ilikuwa kipengele kipya cha 2G, ikisababisha usalama bora wa simu. Kasi ya juu ya 2G ni 14.4kbps, ambayo ni uboreshaji mkubwa juu ya 2.4kbps ya 1G. Bandwidth ya mtandao inabadilika kutoka analog hadi 25MHz, na kufanya kuvinjari mtandao na kupakua data iwezekanavyo kwa mara ya kwanza. 3G - Web Browsing Arrives 3G ilianzishwa mwaka 2001, na mbalimbali ya maboresho na faida. "Jina ""mobile broadband"" lilitumiwa kwa mara ya kwanza katika teknolojia ya 3G, ambayo ilibadilisha kabisa huduma ya data ya simu." Kwa mfano, kuvinjari mtandao, kusambaza sauti na picha, na kusafiri ulimwenguni kote kwa simu za mkononi (GPS) zilikuwa zinapatikana kwa mara ya kwanza kwa 3G. Pia, teknolojia hiyo ilifanya video conferencing, IPTV (kuangalia TV kupitia muunganisho wa mtandao) na GPS iwezekanavyo kwa mara ya kwanza, ikithibitisha ni mbali gani teknolojia ya rununu imekuja tangu 1G na 2G. Kasi ya juu ya teknolojia ya 3G ni 3.1Mbps, ambayo ni kasi zaidi kuliko 2G. Kuboresha hii ina maana watumiaji wanaweza kuvinjari mtandao na kupakua na kupakia data kwa kasi ya juu, na uhusiano ambao ni wa kuaminika zaidi ikilinganishwa na watangulizi wake. 4G - Kuwezesha Streaming na Downloading Kuongeza kasi, usalama na uhusiano zaidi, 4G ilianzishwa kwanza mnamo 2009 na bado inatumiwa sana leo. 4G inasaidia kuvinjari wavuti, mikutano ya video, programu, TV za rununu na vyombo vya habari vya utiririshaji kama 3G inavyofanya, lakini pia ina uwezo wa kushughulikia maombi ambayo yanahitaji kasi bora na muunganisho, kama vile michezo ya kubahatisha, vyombo vya habari vya utiririshaji katika azimio la juu na teknolojia inayoweza kuvaliwa ikiwa ni pamoja na wafuatiliaji wa mazoezi. Kwa kasi ya juu ya 300Mbps, unaweza kupakua na kupakia media kwa kasi zaidi na 4G, na latency imepunguzwa sana pia - na wakati wa latency wa sekunde 50 kwa majibu ya haraka na muda mdogo wa buffering wakati wa kusambaza media. Kwa kuongezea, masafa hutolewa kwenye bendi za ultra-upana, kinyume na bendi nyembamba zinazotumiwa na 2G na 3G, ikimaanisha 4G ina uwezo zaidi wa data kuliko watangulizi wake. 5G - Super-Fast Next Generation - kizazi cha tano cha teknolojia ya simu, 5G ilianzishwa mnamo 2019 na tena inakuja na idadi kubwa ya maboresho na uboreshaji kutoka kwa teknolojia za zamani za simu. Kuongeza kasi ya 5G ni moja ya mabadiliko makubwa ambayo tunayoona katika teknolojia ya 5G. Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo awali, mitandao ya 4G hutoa kasi ya juu ya kupakua ya 300Mbps, lakini na 5G hizi hufikia hadi 10Gbps - ikimaanisha unaweza kusambaza vyombo vya habari, kupakua na kupakia data na kucheza michezo ukiwa unakwenda haraka kuliko hapo awali. Kwa sababu ya frequency ya juu ya 30GHz na bandwidth kubwa, uwezo wa data unazidi kuwa bora, na kuunganisha kunaweza kupunguzwa. Si simu za mkononi tu ambazo zimeboreshwa na 5G. Kwa sababu ya kuunganishwa kwa 5G, kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa kupanua uwezo wa Internet of Things (IoT). IoT inahusu vifaa vyote vilivyounganishwa kwenye mtandao mmoja na vitatumika katika biashara na viwanda vingi tofauti, pamoja na magari, huduma za afya, vifaa na rejareja. Ingawa mitandao ya zamani haiwezi kuunga mkono teknolojia nyingi mara moja, 5G, pamoja na muunganisho bora, uwezo wa juu na kasi iliyoimarishwa, inaweza. 5G pia ina jukumu muhimu katika maendeleo na kuanzishwa kwa magari ya kuendesha gari, vifaa vya nyumbani vya akili, huduma za afya na upasuaji wa mbali. Je, unataka kujua zaidi kuhusu 5G? Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya kutegemea mwongozo huu, tunakuambia juu ya jinsi ya kuanzisha 5G na jinsi ya kuifanya iwe rahisi. Ikiwa unataka kupata simu ya 5G, angalia mikataba yetu ya mawasiliano, kuboresha na SIM-free, kwenye Mobiles.co.uk leo.