Since 1G was introduced in the early 1980s, a new wireless mobile telecommunications technology has been released roughly every 10 years. All of them refer to the technology used by the mobile carrier and device itself. They have different speeds and features that improve on the previous generation. The next generation is 5G, which launched in 2020. 1G is analog technology, and the phones using it had poor battery life and voice quality, little security, and were prone to dropped calls. The maximum speed of 1G technology is 2.4 Kbps. The 2G telephone technology introduced call and text encryption, along with data services such as SMS, picture messages, and MMS. Although 2G replaced 1G and is superseded by later technology versions, it’s still used around the world. The maximum speed of 2G with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is 50 Kbps. The max theoretical speed is 384 Kbps with Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE). EDGE+ can get up to 1.3 Mbps. 2.5G introduced a new packet-switching technique that was more efficient than 2G technology. This led to 2.75G, which provided a theoretical threefold speed increase. AT&T was the first GSM network to support 2.75G with EDGE in the U.S. 2.5G and 2.75G were not defined formally as wireless standards. They served mostly as marketing tools to promote new cell phone features to the public. Like 2G, 3G evolved into the much faster 3.5G and 3.75G as more features were introduced to bring about 4G. The maximum speed of 3G was around 2 Mbps for non-moving devices and 384 Kbps in moving vehicles. The max speed of a 4G network when the device is moving is 100 Mbps. The speed is 1 Gbps for low-mobility communication such as when the caller is stationary or walking. Most current cell phone models support both 4G and 3G technologies. 5G promises significantly faster data rates, higher connection density, much lower latency, and energy savings, among other improvements. The anticipated theoretical speed of 5G connections is up to 20 Gbps per second. 2G networks are being closed down worldwide to save operational costs and use radio frequencies for new networks. For instance, AT&T and T-Mobile will phase out their 2G networks by 2022. As a result, some older devices will no longer be able to connect.
