All Smartphones today have the ability to capture multiple frequency bands for multiple coverage.
In this article we will talking about 2G and 3G Network And when do you use it on your phone?.
Qualcomm, Nokia and Ericsson played a major role in the invention of the first two Generations 2G and 3G Mobile Network.
(G: Mean Generation).
2G Mobile Networ & Services:
The second generation network was introduced in 1991. It is the successor to 1G, which was known for the large size of its phones and only worked on phone calls because it works with analog technology.
The second generation Network 2G came with new features (Call, SMS, MMS) especially after the coming of digital technology.
We all remember those small phones that used to work on calls and SMS, the most famous of which are Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson phones, all of which were working on the second generation 2G.
Characteristics and Features of The Second Generation 2G :
- First Mobile Network Technology of Seconde Generation marketed under the GSM Standard or Global System for Mobile Communications.
- Working frequency band of 2G is around 900 -1800MHz.
- Antennas have become invisible on second generation phones (printed patch antenna) still work full in all smartphone today.
- Wide Network Coverage : the coverage of this network is assured in almost all areas because of its seniority. these frequency band allows a long range of network coverage up to 35Km.
- Phones do not consume much power, which made the Battery last for several days (It is the most important feature in old phones).
- Data Service: Call, SMS (Short Message Service), MMS (Multimedia Message Service) data rate: less than 10 kbit/s.
- 2G is upgraded to 2.5G , called GPRS (General Packet Radio Service):
- The Next upgrade of 2G is 2.75G know as EDGE ( Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) wich data rate is increased to 384 Kbit/s, thus opening the door to multimedia applications.
Is the 2G Mobile Network still useful in in 2022?
Recently, many countries abandoned the second generation network 2G and replaced it with the third generation 3G , especially with the advent of the Fifth generation 5G .
List of Countries that have abandoned the 2G Network:
It is not easy to drop the support of the second generation network coverage, because it is related to the number of users who have old phones that only work on the second generation network. Not only that, because there are other tools that work on this network, such as GPS Traker which works on the GPRS (2G) network ... the same thing for computer diskettes which have disappeared with the arrival of flash disks.
List of countries that have abandoned or are in the process of abandoning 2G support:
As these countries have abandoned the second generation services, this is due to the presence of defects in them, we will mention some of them.
The 2 Big Disadvantages of the 2G network That did several countries abandon their services? :
- The biggest flaw of the second generation network is its low throughput, Current applications need the Internet at a high throughput speed to perform well (like GPS Tracker with 3G works better than with 2G 'GPRS').
- Interruption of call, especially when moving from one place to another , For example : when you are traveling by car to another region and you are on the phone with someone ,When you leave this area, the percentage of network on your phone will gradually decrease until the call is disconnected and you reconnect again,This phenomenon is called Hard handover.
This phenomenon has been corrected in the 3G network by soft handover where the call stays connected and shifts gradually without interruption.
On the other hand, a new mechanism has been invented in the third generation network 3G ( UMTS) , which allows far-reaching coverage by frequency 900 Mhz called U900.
3G Mobile Network & Services:
The Third Generation 3G Mobile Network was introduced in 2000, It is the successor to 2G ,Came to correct the defects of the Second Generation .
the phone call is improving, as well as for the speed of the internet which opens the way to new applications and services known today like Video Call and the arrival of the front camera ( selfie ).
Characteristics and Features of The Second Generation 3G :
- First mobile Broadband : speeds from 384 Kbit/s to 2 Mbit/s.
- UMTS is umbrella name of 3G defined by 3GPP.
- Working frequency band of 3G is 900MHz or 2100MHz , Note that 3G coverage at 900MHz called U900 allows long-range coverage.
- The 3G network allows several services, including the Internet, phone calls and SMS.
- Note in your phone if you have connected in 4G to the Internet and suddenly you receive a call, you will notice that the network of your phone automatically switches to 3G or 2G.
- 3G coverage is almost available worldwide and will gradually replace 2G.
- 3G (UMTS) is upgraded to HSPA and HSPA+ to increase internet speed especially with the huge demand for connectivity with the arrival of android and iOS (Apple) smartphones where users use mobile applications a lot like video Games.
Is the 3G Mobile Network still useful in in 2022?
No! , The 3G network remains functional in some countries in 2022 especially for telephone calls and SMS as well as other applications such as GPS tracker , But several countries choose to shutdown the 3G Network and replace it with the 4G network using VoLTE technology (Voice over LTE ) witch is 3 times more voice and data capacity than older 3G UMTS and up to 6 times more than 2G GSM!.
List of countries that have Shut Down 3G Network 2022 or in Process:
|
Country |
Shutdown Year |
|
Australia |
2024 |
|
Canada |
End 2025 |
|
China |
since 2016 |
|
Czech Republic |
End 2021 |
|
Germany |
2021 |
|
Greece |
End 2022 |
|
India |
2020-2021 |
|
Italy |
2021-2022 |
|
Japan |
2022-2026 |
|
Malaysia |
End 2021 |
|
Netherlands |
End 2021 |
|
Norway |
End 2021 |
|
South Korea |
2012-2021 |
|
Taiwan |
2017-2018 |
|
United States |
2022 |
|
Puerto Rico |
2022 |
|
US Virgin Islands |
2022 |
References :Wikipedia
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