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Generations of Mobile Networks

Generations of mobile networks are a set of hardware and software advances that have been made with the advent of mobile telephony. If we want to introduce the generations of mobile phones since the creation of the first mobile network, we must start with the first generation of mobile phones or 1G.

Then, with the advancement of technology and increasing human needs, other generations of mobile networks emerged: the second generation of mobile (or 2G), the third generation of mobile (or 3G), the fourth generation of mobile (or 4G) And fifth-generation mobile (or 5G). Generations of mobile networks such as 2.5G, 2.75G, 3.5G, 3.75G, and 4.5G have also emerged, which we will discuss later. In this article, we do not discuss the zero generation mobile phone.

Today, not only for the general public but also for most engineering students, the radio communication system and general and practical terms such as cell phone generation have not been fully clarified. Since this field is very wide and each of the terms and standards can be introduced in a book, in this article, we have examined the generations of mobile networks to the extent required to teach SIM800 modules. This article aims to get acquainted with the terms and standards available on the “SIMCOM” site in the “Wireless Modules” section to understand better and make an informed choice of the desired module.

Define a few words and phrases related to mobile network generations

Before introducing the generations of mobile networks and familiarity with mobile networks, we considered it necessary to define a few words and phrases.

radio waves

Radiofrequency (RF) refers to frequencies in the range of 3 kHz to 300 GHz. Each radio communication device used by government institutions, companies and organizations, or the general public, uses a specific range. For example, the dedicated range of FM radio is between 87 MHz and 108 MHz, and FM radio transmitters are allowed to set the frequency of their channels in this range. Or the specific range of aviation radio navigation in the VHF band is between 108 MHz to 117.975 MHz.

Radio

A technology or device transmits sound, messages, or signals by radio waves.

Radio communication

Sending and receiving radio signals using various modulation methods is called radio communication.

BTS transceiver station or Base Transceiver Station

Every radio connection requires a set of hardware platforms to implement. One of the hardware platforms required by mobile network generations is BTS. BTS, which means transmitter and receiver base, consists of the following components: Transmitter, Receiver, Power Amplifier, Composer, Multiplexer, Antenna, Monitoring and Development Systems, the control unit, and the receiver unit are the baseband. In the image below, we see a BTS.

Mobile

Mobile in the word means “mobile,” and we also use this word in this article to mean “mobile” and not in the meaning of “mobile phone.”

Channel Access Methods

Channel access methods are methods of using shared bandwidth by multiple telecommunication systems. There are different types of channel access methods, and we will name three of them:

• FDMA (Frequency-Division Multiple Access) methods or multiple access with frequency division. In this method, the bandwidth allocated to telecommunication systems is divided into several parts, and each telecommunication system exchanges information within its frequency range. If we want to give an example to understand the FDMA method, it is that several people talk to each other simultaneously on channels with different frequency ranges.
• TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) methods or multiple access with time division. In this method, the common frequency range is assigned to a telecommunications system at any point in time. This moment is called the time slot, and each telecommunication system in its time slot exchanges information in that frequency range. If we want to explain the TDMA method in one example, it is that several people talk to each other through one channel at the same time, but at one point in time, the channel is given to one transmitter and receiver, and at another time the channel is It is up to the sender and the other receiver. The speed at which the channel is assigned to the transmitters and receivers is so high that the receiver (listener) does not realize that, at times, the channel does not have himself and the transmitter.
• CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) methods or multiple access with code sharing. In this method, the information of each transmitter is encoded, and the information of all transmitters is sent simultaneously by occupying the frequency range. On the receiver side, each receiver receives only information about its sender, depending on the type of encoding done on the information. If we want to give an example of the CDMA method, it is that in a group, everyone wants to talk to each other in pairs. In this case, the speaker and the listener must speak in their own language to understand each other and what others do not understand.

Mobile network generations, first-generation mobile or 1G

The first generation mobile network, or the first generation mobile phone is known as 1G (1st Generation), was analog. The first mobile (mobile) networking network was launched in the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark in the 1960s.

Was employed. The Scandinavian countries then launched the first mobile phone network, the Nordic Mobile Telephone (or NMT). Then the United States did the same. Using NMT in Scandinavia and the United States, Japan introduced its mobile system called HCMS and later established the NTT system with network connectivity.

Other analog networks were built, including AMPS in the United States, TACS in the United Kingdom, Radiocom 2000 in France, and RTMI in Italy. These were the first generation of mobile networks. Telephone communication in this generation can be modulated at a 150 MHz or higher frequency and sent to radio towers. The frequency allocation method was FDMA.

Mobile network generation, second-generation mobile, or 2G

The evolution of mobile network generations led to the digital generation of this type of network. This system brought more benefits such as higher data transfer speed, encrypted information, and an increased number of subscribers. In 1985, the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) was established in seventeen countries to design and develop a common standard for building a cellular network.

Initially, the goal was to standardize digital mobile telephony in general. This standard was called GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication). In 1987, thirteen European countries signed a memorandum of understanding called the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), following which all members were required to comply with the GSM standard. During these years, terrestrial and satellite mobile systems were integrated, resulting in various types of wireless access globally, including fixed telecommunications network services and mobile services. In the second generation of mobile phones, instead of using the FDMA method, TDMA and CDMA methods were used.

Mobile network generations, 2.5G and 2.75G mobile generations

As the development of second-generation cellular networks continued, a series of extensions, including GPRS and EDGE, was added to the second generation to enable the sending and receiving of information or data over the mobile network. These two standards are an added value to the GSM network, and to use these standards, no new hardware platform is required, and the same GSM antennas can be used with a series of updates.

Data is sent in packets in Generation 2.5, called General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Using GPRS, the ability to send video messages (MMS) and Internet services was added to cellular networks. These two capabilities led to the creation of a new generation called 2.5G. The initial speed in GPRS was very low. Its speed has increased over time, and today, the speed in download mode reaches 171 kbps.

Before the advent of the third generation mobile phone, another technology called EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evolution) or EGPRS (Enhanced GPRS) was introduced in 2003, which was unofficially named 2.75G due to its proximity to the third generation. Is. The purpose of this technology was to increase speed. One of the advantages of EDGE is that, like GPRS, it does not require a separate base station (central antenna) and is compatible with the same antennas of second-generation networks. This technology is abbreviated to Eon mobile phones. With this technology, a speed of 236.8 kbps can be achieved.

Mobile network generations, third-generation mobile or 3G

With the passage of time and increasing expectations and needs such as sending and receiving large multimedia files, using video conferencing, the need to receive information on the go, playing online games, and many other things, make the third-generation mobile phone with the approach Became multimedia.

Different technologies emerged in the third generation of mobile phones in different countries. UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) standard introduced in 2001 by the organization 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) was introduced more comprehensive than other competitors such as WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access).

In the third generation of mobile phones, download speeds of up to 42 Mbps are available. Security has increased in this generation, and Japan was the first country to use 3G extensively and commercially since 2001. 3G improvements over the previous generation can be summarized as follows:

• High-speed internet connection while on the move;
• Make video calls;
• Download video, the ability to receive video clips on mobile phones;
• Ability to receive TV images on mobile phones;
• Provide a variety of digital content on the mobile network platform.

Mobile network generations, 3.5G and 3.75G mobile generations

As the fourth generation progressed, new technologies were formed, called the 3.5G and 3.75G generations. Generation 3.5 is HSPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology that can reach a maximum speed of 7.2 Mbps. Generation 3.75 is HSPA + technology that can deliver a maximum speed of 84 Mbps. 3GPP provided both technologies. These two technologies are displayed with H and H + symbols on mobile phones.

Mobile network generations, fourth-generation mobile or 4G

In the fourth generation of mobile phones, the goal is to increase capacity, speed, quality of service, and areas covered and reduce costs. One of the standards offered for 4G is the LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard provided by 3GPP. Other standards in this generation include UBM (Ultra Mobile Broadband) and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), which are available for WIMAX in both WIMAX1 and WIMAX2 versions. These two standards are less popular than LTE.

The goal of 4G is to reach 100 Mbps on the go and 1 Gbps in standby mode, which is a significant difference compared to the previous generation. Another important feature of the fourth-generation mobile network is that voice calls must be sent as packets as data, called VoIP or VoLTE (Voice on LTE).

Mobile network generation, 4.5 generation mobile

From 4G to 5G, new technologies emerged, including LTE-A (LTE Advanced) and MIMO (Multiple Input – Multiple Output) which have better performance than 4G.

Over time, several versions of LTE emerged. Version 13 of LTE introduced two major technologies: eMTC (also known as LTE Cat-M1) and NB-IoT (Internet of Things). This standard uses the FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) method to access channels.

EMTC technology provides the most bandwidth and is suitable for instant messaging and mobile applications. NB-IoT technology focuses on very low transfer rates to make the device smaller and reduce manufacturing costs. This technology works in both 4G and 2G frequencies and is also suitable for sensors. The NB-IoT used only 200 kHz of bandwidth to achieve a few tens of kilobits per second transfer rate.

Mobile network generation, fifth-generation mobile, or 5G

The next generation of mobile networks is the fifth generation of mobile phones, or 5G, which is likely to become ubiquitous in the coming years. In the fifth generation of mobile phones, the transfer speed of 20 Gbps is targeted, which will be a significant increase. In addition to speeding up, new technologies to reduce power consumption during off-peak hours and improve support for machine-to-machine communications without human intervention (IoT) will cost less, consume less battery power, and be less than the fourth generation.

Conclusion

We conclude from the introduction of mobile network generations:

• Generations of mobile networks are a set of hardware and software advances that have been made with the advent of mobile telephony.
• Each radio communication device used by government institutions, companies and organizations, or the general public, uses a specific frequency range.
• Channel access methods are methods of using shared bandwidth by multiple telecommunication systems. There are different channel access methods, including FDMA, TDMA, and CDMA.
• Only the first generation was an analog mobile network. The second to fifth generations are all digital.
• Mobile networking first began in the 1960s in the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Later, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy built their own mobile networks.
• Established in 1985, the ETSI Institute of Seventeen European Countries seeks to design and develop a common standard for cellular networking. This standard was called GSM.
• In 1987, thirteen European countries signed a memorandum of understanding called the MoU, following which all members were required to comply with the GSM standard.
• Mobile network generations, including the second-generation mobile phone, the third-generation mobile phone, and the fourth-generation mobile phone, have made improvements called 5G, 2.75G, 3.5G, 3.75G, and 4.5G, respectively.
• 3GPP has been a collaboration between the Telecommunications Standards Association (ETSI) groups. Initially, 3GPP was in the third generation of mobile phones but has expanded to include 5G standards.
• An important feature of the fourth-generation mobile network is that voice calls must be sent as packets as data, called VoIP or VoLTE (Voice on LTE).
• The two advantages of 5G over 4G are: First: The average download speed at 4.5G is about 2 to 3 times faster than 4G. Second: Support for Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) technology.
• Version 13 of LTE introduced two important technologies called eMTC and NB-IoT.
• So In the fifth generation of mobile phones, the transfer speed of 20 Gbps is targeted, which will be a significant increase.