1G is the first generation cellular network that existed in 1980s.

It transfer data (only voice) in analog wave, it has limitation because there are no encryption, the sound quality is poor and the speed of transfer is only at 9.6kbps. 2G is the second one, improved by introducing the concept of digital modulation, which means converting the voice(only) into digital code(in your phone) and then into analog signals(imagine that it flys in the air). Being digital, they overcame some of the limitations of 1G, such as it omits the radio power from handsets making life more healthier, and it has enhanced privacy. 2.5G is a transition of 2G and 3G. In 2.5G, the most popular services like SMS (short messaging service), GPRS, EDGE, High Speed Circuit switched data, and more had been introduced. 3G is the current generation of mobile telecommunication standards. It allows simultaneous use of speech and data services and offers data rates of up to 2 Mbps, which provide servcies like video calls, mobile TV, mobile Internet and downloading. There are a bunch of technologies that fall under 3G, like WCDMA, EV-DO, and HSPA and others. In Telecommunications, 4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2008, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced (International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced) requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1 Gbit/s for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users) A 4G system is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure all-IP based mobile broadband solution to laptop computer wireless modems, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Facilities such as ultra-broadband Internet access, IP telephony, gaming services, and streamed multimedia may be provided to users.

PRE-4G technologies such as mobile WiMAX and Long term evolution (LTE) have been on the market since 2006 and 2009 respectively, and are often branded as 4G. The current versions of these technologies did not fulfill the original ITU-R requirements of data rates approximately up to 1 Gbit/s for 4G systems. Marketing materials use 4G as a description for LTE and MobileWiMAX in their current forms.

The Journey of G from 1 to 5 th Generation

Until the controversial spectrum scams were brought up in the lime light many were ignorant of what 1G, 2G or 3G stood for and all of a sudden a hike was found out amongst laymen so as to be knowledgeable about it. Still a number of people are unaware of 1G or 2G when the world has moved on to 4G. The telecommunication service in World had a great leap within a last few year. . 6 billion people own a mobile phones so we are going to analyze the various generations of cellular

systems as studied in the evolution of mobile communications from 1st generation to 5th generation .Now almost all the service providers as well as the customers seek for availing these 3G and 4G services. We can analyze that this could be due to increase in the telecoms customers day by day. In the present time, there are four generations in the mobile industry. These are respectively 1G the first generation, 2G the second generation, 3G the third generation, and then the 4G the forth generation. Ericson a Swedish company is launching this high tech featured mobile into the market. It is being first introduced in the Swedish Capital city, Stockholm.

Present Status of Telecommunication Services in Asian Countries

Now we are in the midst of 4G. In China, the 3G service came into existence only by last February. Therefore, that it may take time for exposing to other states. But we should also realize many other countries such as the Asian countries were using these services since last decade. Due to these reasons, we can hope that the 4G may enter within a few years. The 3G (Third Generation) had also reached India recently. There is no doubt that within a few years India will be the first in

What is 2G ?

Second Generation (2G) wireless cellular mobile services was a step ahead of First Generation( 1G) services by providing the facility of short message service(SMS) unlike 1G that had its prime focus on verbal communication. A typical 2G G.S.M network service ranges from 800/900MHz or 1800/1900 spectrum. The bandwidth of 2G is 30-200 KHz. Let us examine what these 3G & 4G have rather than that of 1G and 2G.

Analysis of 1G and 2G services

In 1G, Narrow band analogue wireless network is used, with this we can have the voice calls and can send text messages. These services are provided with circuit switching. Todays the usual call starts from the beginning pulse to rate to the final rate. Then in case of 2G Narrow Band Wireless Digital Network is used. It brings more clarity to the conversation and both these circuit-switching model. Both the 1G and 2G deals with voice calls and has to utilize the maximum bandwidth as well as a limited till sending messages i.e. SMS. The latest technologies such as GPRS, is not available in these generations. But the greatest disadvantage as concerned to 1G is that with this we could contact with in the premises of that particular nation, where as in case of 2G the roaming facility a semi-global facility is available.

2.5 Generation
In between 2G and 3G there is another generation called 2.5G. Firstly, this mid generation was introduced mainly for involving latest bandwidth technology with addition to the existing 2G generation. To be frank but this had not brought out any new evolution and so had not clicked to as much to that extend.

What is 3G Generation
But to overcome the limitations of 2G and 2.5G the 3G had been introduced. In this 3G Wide Brand Wireless Network is used with which the clarity increases and gives the perfection as like that of a real conversation. The data are sent through the technology called Packet Switching .Voice calls are interpreted through Circuit Switching. It is a highly sophisticated form of communication that has come up in the last decade. In addition to verbal communication it includes data services, access to television/video, categorizing it into triple play service. 3G operates at a range of 2100MHz and has a bandwidth of 15-20MHz. High speed internet service, video chatting are the assets of 3G.

How is 2G different from 3G?

In comparison to 2G customers will have to pay a relatively high license fee for 3G. The network construction and maintenance for 3G is much expensive than 2G. From the point of view of customers, expenditure will be excessively high if they make access to various facets of 3G.

What is Packet Switching

This is actually done by supplying various addressed packets, which will be interconnected to have the conversation. It is not necessary to create a new dedicated path for sending the data. It had been modified in such a way that the data can be send through any path; hence, this data will be received at a less time as compared to that of voice calls.

Packet Switching in Computer networks

The data packs are also used in computer that is when we connected with internet this data pack helps to download the web pages that is being displayed in the monitor. For a Data Pack it does not need any separate path for downloading or displaying any objects in the computer or any other equipment. This is due to the reason that by networking, separate paths are being created and after analyzing each, the data are being transferred to the correct access point

3G and 4G Featuress

Main 3G Services
With the help of 3G, we can access many new services too. One such service is the GLOBAL ROAMING. Another thing to be noted in case of 3G is that Wide Band Voice Channel that is by this the world has been contracted to a little village because a person can contact with other person located in any part of the world and can even send messages too. Then the point to be noted is that 3G gives clarity of voice as well can talk with out any disturbance. Not only these but also have entertainments such as Fast Communication, Internet, Mobile T.V, Video Conferencing, Video Calls, Multi Media Messaging Service (MMS), 3D gaming, Multi-Gaming etc are also available with 3G phones.

Main 4G Features
When It is still to estimate as to how many number of people have moved on from 2G to 3G , technology has come up with the latest of its type namely 4G.A successor of 2G and 3G, 4G promises a downloading speed of 100Mbps and is yet to shower its wonders on. then with the case of Fourth Generation that is 4G in addition to that of the services of 3G some additional features such as Multi-Media Newspapers, also to watch T.V programs with the clarity as to that of an ordinary T.V. In addition, we can send Data much faster that that of the previous generations.

What is the reason for delay in implementing 3G and 4G Mobile services?

It is very sad to say that the 3G services had only reached with in some towns of china, so that it may take time to reach to Other countries. Another major defect of this is that Wide Band Frequency Spectrum, which is needed for 3G, is lacking. Another reason for this is that it a cost bearing item especially for sending data. So for us it is a higher one which could be used only by upper classes. If it should be accepted among all customers, firstly it should be availed at a lower rate, for which the rate of spectrum should be declined. 1G The mobile voice communication from the first generation was introduced in 1980. These type of systems allow the transfer of data (voice only) through waves whose shape varied continuously. Such systems had severe limitations, because it is analog. The first generation cellular systems do not support any encryption of information (security issues), the sound quality is poor and transfer speed was around 9.6 Kbps. 2G The systems of second generation (2G) appeared around 1990, to remedy the limitations of mobile communication systems of the first generation (1G). The 2G systems are completely digital and have the main characteristics of security, robustness / reliability, efficient use of

spectrum and supports data transmission services for low bandwidth. The most popular 2G mobile technology is GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). 2.5G 2.5G mobile technology served as a transition between systems of second generation (2G) and third generation systems (3G). 2.5G systems have been introduced in some services, which are quite popular today, such as SMS (short messaging service), GPRS, EDGE or High Speed Circuit Switched Data. 3G The 3G mobile technology is designed to support a wide range of services, ranging from support for multimedia applications (video, audio, data) access to various services available on the Internet (WWW, email, e-commerce, etc.) . There are a set of technologies that fall within the 3G systems and we highlight the UMTS, WCDMA, EV-DO and HSPA (3.6 and 7.2). 4G 4G is the new generation of mobile communications that will improve the 3G systems and are involved in an early set of advantages that will equip the user experience of mobile services to the fixed fiber: greater speed, higher bandwidth, better coverage and higher network quality. Through 4G, users will have the opportunity to enjoy higher speeds of data transfer, as well as greater efficiency and performance in accessing services available on the Internet. Compared to 3G, mobile users can also, through 4G, benefit from improved efficiency of spectrum utilization and lower latency, taking advantage of mobility services previously only possible through the optical fiber or ADSL. Technologies such as WiMAX or Long term evolution (LTE) were introduced in 2006, and because its evolution, have been labeled 4G technologies.
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Analysis of 1g & 2g:

In 1G, narrow band analogue mobile network is used. This facilitates the voice calls and sending text messages. These services are provided with circuit switching. Today the usual call starts from the beginning pulse to rate to the final rate. Then in case of 2G Narrow Band Wireless Digital Network is used. It brings more clarity to the conversation and both these circuit-switching model. Both the 1G and 2G deals with voice calls and has to utilize the maximum bandwidth as well as a limited till sending messages i.e. SMS. The latest technologies such as GPRS, is not available in these generations. But the greatest disadvantage as concerned to 1G is that with this we could contact with in the premises of that particular nation, where as in case of 2G the roaming facility a semi-global facility is available.

1G networks (NMT, C-Nets, AMPS, TACS) are considered to be the first analog cellular systems, which started early 1980s. There were radio telephone systems even before that. 2G networks (GSM, CDMA, DAMPS) are the first digital cellular systems launched early 1990s.

Some of the advantages that 2G had over 1G are:

The lower powered radio signals require less battery power, so phones last much longer between charges, and batteries can be smaller. The digital voice encoding allowed digital error checking which could increase sound quality by increasing dynamic range and lowering the noise floor. The lower power emissions helped address health concerns. Going all-digital allowed for the introduction of digital data services, such as SMS and email. Greatly reduced fraud. With analog systems it was possible to have two or more cloned handsets that had the same phone number. Enhanced privacy. A key digital advantage not often mentioned is that digital cellular calls are much harder to eavesdrop on by use of radio scanners. While the security algorithms used have proved not to be as secure as initially advertised, 2G phones are immensely more private than 1G phones, which have no protection against eavesdropping.

The intermediate generation: In between 2G and 3G there is another generation called 2.5G. The intermediate mobile generation if we can call it that. Firstly, this mid generation was introduced mainly for involving latest bandwidth technology in addition to the existing 2G generation. But this had not brought out any new evolution and so had not became critical enough to be recognized as a standalone generation. Arrival of 3G: To overcome the shortcomings of 2G and 2.5G, the 3G had been introduced. In 3G Wide Brand Wireless

Network is used with which the clarity increases and gives the perfection similar to that of a real conversation. The data are sent through the technology called Packet Switching .Voice calls are interpreted through Circuit Switching. What is Packet Switching? This is actually done by supplying various addressed packets, which will be interconnected to have the conversation. It is not necessary to create a new dedicated path for sending the data. It had been modified in such a way that the data can be send through any path and hence this data will be received in less time as compared to that of voice calls. Main features of 3G Wireless Network: The features and services of 3G are as follows: 1. With the help of 3G, we can access many new services like global roaming. 2. 3G also have Wide Band Voice Channel, by this the world has been contracted to a little village because a person can contact with other person located in any part of the world and can even send messages too. 3. Then the point to be noted is that 3G gives clarity of voice as well can talk with out any disturbance. 4. In addition to that 3G also have entertainments such as Fast Communication, Internet, Mobile T.V, Video Conferencing, Video Calls, Multi Media Messaging Service (MMS), 3D gaming, Multi-Gaming etc are also available with 3G phones. 5. 3G networks (UMTS FDD and TDD, CDMA2000 1x EVDO, CDMA2000 3x, TDSCDMA, Arib WCDMA, EDGE, IMT-2000 DECT) are the latest cellular networks that have data rates 384 KB/s and more. 6. The bandwidth and location information available to 3G devices gives rise to applications not previously available to mobile phone users. Some of the applications are: o Mobile TV a provider redirects a TV channel directly to the subscribers phone where it can be watched. o Video on demand a provider sends a movie to the subscribers phone. o Video conferencing subscribers can see as well as talk to each other. o Tele-medicine a medical provider monitors or provides advice to the potentially isolated subscriber.

Location-based services a provider sends localized weather or traffic conditions to the phone, or the phone allows the subscriber to find nearby businesses or friends.

Main aspects of 4G Networks: The Forth Generation could be ready for implementation around 2012.

Then with the case of Fourth Generation that is 4G in addition to that of the services of 3G have some additional features such as Multi-Media Newspapers, You can also watch T.V programs with the clarity that of an ordinary T.V. In addition, we can send Data much faster that that of the previous generations A 4G cellular system must have target peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access, according to the ITU requirements. Scalable bandwidths up to at least 40 MHz should be provided. A 4G system is expected to provide a comprehensive and secure all-IP based solution where facilities such as IP telephony, ultra-broadband Internet access, gaming services and HDTV streamed multimedia may be provided to users. Although legacy systems are in place to adopt existing users, the infrastructure for 4G will be only packet-based (all-IP). Some proposals suggest having an open Internet platform. Technologies considered to be early 4G include: Flash-OFDM, the 802.16e mobile version of WiMax (also known as WiBro in South Korea), and HC-SDMA.

Indian market still awaits the full implementation of 3G and there are lot of issues relating to its availability. When 4G comes along it will also be seen whether it succeeds in the Indian context or not.
2g definition In the world of cell phones, 2G signifies second-generation wireless digital technology. Fully digital 2G networks replaced analog 1G, which originated in the 1980s. 2G networks saw their first commercial light of day on the GSM standard. GSM stands for global system for mobile communications.

2G on GSM standards were first used in commercial practice in 1991 by Radiolinja, which was a Finnish GSM operator founded on Sept. 19, 1988. Radiolinja is now part of Elisa, which was known in the 1990s as the Helsinki Telephone Company. 2.5g definition In the world of cell phones, 2.5G wireless technology is a stepping stone that bridged 2G to 3G wireless technology. While 2G and 3G have been formally defined as wireless standards, 2.5G has not been and was created only for the purposes of marketing. As an interim step from 2G to 3G, 2.5G saw some of the advances inherent in 3G networks (including packet-switched systems). The evolution from 2G to 3G ushered in faster and higher-capacity data transmission. 3g definition 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology. 3G supersedes 2G technology and precedes 4G technology. 2.5G was a temporary bridge between 2G and 3G. 3G technologies enabled faster data-transmission speeds, greater network capacity and more advanced network services. The first pre-commercial 3G network launched in May 2001 by NTT DoCoMo in Japan. The network was branded as FOMA. Following the first pre-commercial launch, NTT DoCoMo again made history with the first commercial launch of 3G in Japan on Oct. 1, 2001. 4g definition

4G wireless is the term used to describe the fourth-generation of wireless service. 4G is a step up from 3G, which is currently the most widespread, high-speed wireless service. 4G is only available in limited areas. While all 4G service is called "4G," the underlying technology is not the same. Sprint, for example, uses WiMax technology for its 4G network, while Verizon Wireless uses a technology called Long Term Evolution, or LTE. No matter what technology is behind it, 4G wireless is designed to deliver speed. On average, 4G wireless is supposed to be anywhere from four to ten times faster than today's 3G networks. Sprint says its 4G WiMax network can offer download speeds that are ten times faster than a 3G connection, with speeds that top out at 10 megabits per second. Verizon's LTE network, meanwhile, can deliver speeds between 5 mbps and 12 mbps. Also Known As: Fourth-generation wireless service

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51928525@N02/5781817056/lightbox/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/17/2g-3g-4g-and-everything-in-between-an-engadget-wirelessprim/