Mobile networking technology has evolved over the years from generation to generation. This is a type of technology which humans uses a mobile phone to perform communication-related tasks.
The type of communication task a human can perform have been growing since the first generation of mobile networking technology. This came to be because of human’s need to be sophisticated in their communication capabilities and reach while using a mobile phone.
1G Mobile Networking Technology
The 1G (First Generation) mobile networking technology have the basic voice capabilities useful for communication. It offers no means of transmitting data. 1G was launched by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979 and was at first only available in Tokyo. This mobile networking technology was used for several years before the introduction of its closest evolution.
2G Mobile Networking Technology
The 2G (Second Generation) mobile networking technology was launched in Finland in 1991 (and in the US in 1992) and it became the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM). 2G allows for improved voice quality, messaging and data communication. It also offered better coverage than 1G.
3G Mobile Networking Technology
The 3G (Third Generation) mobile networking technology was launched in Japan in 2001. 3G offered improved data communication speed. The improvement allows humans to not only communication via voice and messages but also through video chats. It also enabled faster web browsing and mobile TV streaming.
4G Mobile Networking Technology
The 4G (Fourth Generation) mobile networking technology was launched during the lasts months of the year 2009. It was basically an improvement on 3G. 4G offered higher data download speed. With 4G, you can download large files, stream high-quality videos, and play modern games on your mobile phone or devices. It was an indeed a huge evolution.
The improvement on 3G led to the need for new generations of mobile phones for 4G to work. Basically, 4G does not work on all mobile phones. Due to this, 3G was permanently switched off.
5G Mobile Networking Technology
The 5G (Fifth Generation) mobile networking technology was introduced in South Korea in 2019. 4G was ground breaking. However, 5G offered between 20 and 200 times speed than 4G. With 5G, you can download ultra high definition videos and access the internet at lightning-fast speeds.
5G also opened up a new era of machine connectivity. This capability is still being fully explored. Few examples are autonomous vehicles, augmented reality, smart cities, artificial intelligence, smart homes etc.
6G Mobile Networking Technology
The 6th (Sixth Generation) mobile networking technology is currently being developed. Experts (basically Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and Huawei) are already laying the groundwork. The 6th mobile networking technology could bring a world where smartphones and other mobile devices becomes less relevant. You could control machines with your mind instead of fully using a mobile device. The internet could also be thousand times faster than it is today. Likewise, 6G could underpin things like remote surgery, immersive reality, and real-time communication between machines and the human brain.
6G could become the means for sending data at ultra-high frequencies using technologies such as edge computing. The goal of 6G is to eradicate delays in data/information transmission.
Examples of where 6G will have huge usability is advanced artificial intelligence technologies, smart censors, virtual reality, next generation augmented reality glasses etc.
