True
mobile technology has been around for roughly 20 years
now. However, there is still a very high level of
innovation in what should be a very mature market.
The history (leading up to today) of mobile communication
can be broken down into three generations of innovation.
Today we are approaching the third generation (3G),
but as you will see, the lines between wireless and
mobility are beginning to blur making the future generation
of technology very interesting.
1G:
(Cellular Analog) The true origins of
mobile communications begin in analog cellular systems.
In these systems, a series of cell towers would cover
an area allowing the user to move between cells while
being allocated a certain sliver of the spectrum to
complete the call. These types of phones and communications
systems have be known as the first generation systems
or 1G.
2G:
(small bandwidth digital)For this examination,
however, we will focus only on the digital transmission
standards that work on the RF spectrum. These new
systems have become known as 2G and 3G systems. Second
Generation (2G) systems are what we use most frequently
today. They are categorized as systems that are digital
in nature, have the ability to transfer data as well
as voice, but are still a too low a bandwidth to make
high levels of data transfer a very practical option.
Some innovations have been made within the 2G space
allowing for broader bandwidth capabilities such as
always-on access and Multimedia transfers. Since these
are still relatively small leaps in bandwidth they
have been classified as 2.5G
3G: (Medium-High Bandwidth Digital)
Third Generation (3G) mobile technologies are characterized
as devices with relatively high bandwidth data capabilities.
(2Mbps fixed, 384kbps urban/pedestrian, 144Kbps wide
area network). These are supposed to have very large
capacity for full video and audio messaging. However,
it does not approach the bandwidth levels of Wi-Fi
or WiMax, meaning that it’s hold on the mobile
market may be very short lived if manufacturers decide
to conform to the higher wireless standards.
