What is 2G, 3G network? Can the phone make calls without 2G?

In the era of smart mobile devices such as phones and tablets , 3G is an indispensable function. So, what is 3G and the previous generation 2G?

Quick view

1. What is 2G network?

2. What is 3G technology and how did it come about?

3. Advantages and disadvantages of 3G mobile network compared to ADSL internet

4. Which devices support 3G?

To understand what 2G technology is, let's take a look at the history of the mobile network system.

The first generation mobile network system called 1G technology was considered the first basic wireless network in the world, at that time mobile device users could only listen and call . As the number of subscribers in the network increased, there was a need to increase the network capacity to ensure the quality of the call as well as to provide some additional services to the network.

To solve this problem, people have thought of digitizing mobile networks , and this has led to the introduction of 2nd generation mobile network systems or 2G technology.

1What is 2G network?

2G is an acronym for second generation mobile telecommunications technology that was first launched in Finland in 1991 .

The main features of 2G cellular connections are that they digitally encode conversations and messages (an improvement over analogue signals of 1G networks), providing various data services. for mobile phones.

Three outstanding features of 2G network compared to 2 predecessor technologies of 0G and 1G are:

Make a voice call with a signal encoded in a digital encrypted signal improving the speed and quality of the call.

Provides services such as text, picture and MMS (multimedia) messaging .

More efficient use of the radio frequency spectrum allows more users per frequency band .

Thus, the introduction of 2G has helped  to save time and costs  and importantly the wide range  of connections .

It can be understood that the 2G network only works to improve call speed  and quality , not decide whether the phone can hear or not. Even if the information about the 2G network is "dead" in Vietnam, according to many sources, is correct, the brick phone can still hear the call , just will no longer support texting .

WebTech360 has contacted Viettel about whether the 2G network will be cut off in Vietnam, the Viettel side still has no official information about this, so users can feel secure to use popular phone models. .

Back to 2G, since its inception, 2G has grown at a very rapid rate, being present in 140 countries and having a subscriber number of nearly 1 billion. At this time, the term GSM has a new meaning, which is Global System Mobile.

Currently, 2G has become the old network generation by replacing from 3G or 4G. However, 2G still has the ability to help users with popular phones, basic phones with basic and gentle internet connection.

2 What is 3G technology and how was it introduced?

3G is the term used to refer to the 3rd generation mobile communication systems (Third Generation). It allows mobile users to transmit both voice and data outside of voice (download data, send email, instant messages, pictures, audio, video clips ...).

The 3G system requires a radio access network that is completely different from a 2G system. The strength of this technology over 2G technology is that it allows transmitting and receiving high quality data, sound and images for both fixed line subscribers and moving subscribers at different speeds.

With 3G technology, providers can provide customers with multimedia services, such as high-quality music; quality video images and digital television; Global Positioning Services (GPS); E-mail, games, ...

The first country that brought 3G network into use widely was Japan and now around the world. Needless to say, we also know how important 3G mobile networks have become in our lives.

The most popular of the 3G network is the HSDPA (High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access) mobile network system , developed from 3G and is being provided by more than 166 operators in 75 countries.

It delivers up to 7.2Mbps (0.9MB / s) download speeds . Currently, almost all carriers in Vietnam provide 3G networks with this speed for users.

So what other options do we have to experience a higher and faster data transfer rate to match the increasing popularity of high-end technology devices?

The answer is quite possible because recently, Mobifone has applied new 3G technology for transfer speeds up to 42 Mbps (5.4MB / s) . For ease of visualization, you can imagine that instead of receiving signals from the first waves, the new technology makes the phone can receive 2-way wave once, doubling the bandwidth and enables speeds can theoretically reach up to 42 Mbps .

3 Pros and cons of 3G mobile network compared to ADSL internet

Advantages:

+ Can be used anywhere. Wherever there is phone reception, there is 3G internet.

+ Suitable for customers with low usage demand .

+ Very suitable for moving, traveling .

+ Satisfying online services : internet access, online applications, online teaching, online games ...

Defect:

Bandwidth sharing with other subscribers. When there are many subscribers accessing the same speed, the speed will be reduced .

+ The speed is not stable but depends on the subscriber location, 3G base station and the strength of the telephone signal (sometimes very low).

+ High cost . Because there is no package. You will have to pay a very high fee for hobbies like watching videos or listening to music.

4What devices support 3G?

Currently all smartphones and tablets support 3G connectivity with the common transfer rate of 7.2Mbps:

See more:

What is Bluetooth connection?

What is GPS?

What is NFC communication?

What is 5G network? What are the advantages over 4G? Trends used in the future like?