Are You Confused About 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA?
Friday, January 11th, 2008
The first mobile telephony networks were switched on in Saudi Arabia and Scandinavia in 1981, and now the mobile phone has become one of the world’s great success stories.
Most mobile phones today will either use, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, GPRS, EDGE or HSDPA communication technology.
I was asked by a friend the other day as to what the difference is between these communication technologies, and to be honest I wasn’t 100% sure on them all. So I decided to go on a journey and search the internet for the answer.
I am not sure if that was a good thing, what I thought was correct turned out to be wrong, or was it? As every communication related website seemed to give a different answer.
However after several hours of searching, below is what seems to be the correct answer, but feel free to correct me, in the comments box.
I have tried to keep this simple as I can, as these communication technologies can get very complex.
We will start with :
2G, uses GSM networks which are good for text messages and voice calls, and are limited when it comes to sending and receiving data. GSM phones use a technology called CSD (Circuit Switched Data) to transfer data. CSD requires the phone to make a special connection to the network before it can transfer data (like making a voice call) which can take up to 30 seconds. Once connected, the data is sent or received and the user is billed for the time spent online. Data transfer is relatively slow: 14.4 kbps (kilobits per second) for GSM 1800 networks (Orange and T-Mobile) and 9.6 kbps for GSM 900 networks (Vodafone and O2).
2.5G offers higher data rates than 2G technology using GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) which is a method of enhancing 2G phones to enable them to send and receive data more rapidly. With a GPRS connection, the phone is “always on” and can transfer data immediately, and at higher speeds: typically 32 - 48 kbps. An additional benefit is that data can be transferred at the same time as making a voice call. GPRS is now available on most new phones.
2.5G also uses EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) or EGPRS and this provides data transfer rates significantly faster than GPRS, with speeds of up to 384kbps.
3G, the key characteristic of a 3G network is its ability to transfer large amounts of data at high speed of between 384kbps up to 2 Mbps, enabling applications like video calling, video downloads, web browsing, email, etc.
3.5G uses HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology and is the fastest network available at the moment which supports speeds of up to 3.6Mbps.
At least now you know the difference, and when you go to buy a new phone, you can ask the question, ‘what communication method does this phone use’?
As I wrote earlier if you feel any of the above information is incorrect let me know in the comments box.
Popularity: 15% [?]
