We have often heard the expression “this phone is 3G”. We have also heard the terms GSM, GPRS, HSDPA. Even current phones allow you to configure whether a phone operates in 2G or 3G mode. But… what do all these acronyms mean?
These terms refer to standard digital mobile telephony systems. These standards are adopted by operator companies and phone manufacturers. The letter “G” refers to generation. So 3G are third-generation phones. Each generation is, obviously, more modern than the previous one and internally it means that the phone transmits information with a new protocol, and more efficiently.
However, from the user’s point of view, which is what interests us most, the main differences between these standards are the speed and the number of services offered. Below is a summary of the different standards, with their main characteristics.
2G - GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)
- Year 1992.
- Speed 9.6 kbits/s
- Adds short message sending (SMS) to the voice service
2.5G - GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
- Year 2001.
- Speed 40 kbits/s
- Adds multimedia messaging service (MMS)
- Adds network applications for devices (WAP)
- Possibility to use the device as a USB modem
3G - UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)
- Year 2004
- Speed 510 kbits/s
- Adds video calling, Internet, streaming, navigation, etc…
3.5G - HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)
- Year 2006 - present
- Speed between 3.2 to 7.2 Mbits/s
- Broadband Internet services on mobile
4G
- Near future
- Speed 300 Mbits/s
- The first networks are beginning to be deployed
As a tip to save battery, it is good practice to keep the phone in 2G (GPRS) mode, which is more than enough for normal applications, such as voice calls, SMS messages, Facebook, Whatsapp… etc, and turn on 3G (HSPDA) mode only when we are going to make intensive use of the Internet, for example, to browse or watch a video on YouTube.
