/ MOBILE PHONE GENERATIONS / By Hauwa Garko
Looking to begin a professional career in Telecommunications requires a basic understanding of the history and innovations of the Wireless Network.
Beyond just an interest in jobs in Telecoms, even basic activities such as buying a new phone present choices from smartphone features to 3G, 4G, and 5G network types.
Knowing the best option helps us make important purchase decisions, acquiring deep knowledge for successful pursuits in this field is also very crucial.
Nothing beats staying updated in the Tech world, so you are not left behind.
Let’s get started with the basics. What is a G?
The term G simply means Generation. Yes, Generation as in “a collective period of the birth and existence of” in this case, Mobile Wireless Networks Technology.
The word generation is used to distinguish between older and newer network technologies.
Every advancement in telecom technology is called a new generation, be it in data network capability or performance.
Each generation is a combination of telephone network standards which describes how the system is technically implemented successfully.
The speed of an internet connection of a mobile phone depends on the signal strength displayed on the signal bar in the top right corner of the device.
It appears in abbreviations as 2G, 4G, 5G, 3G and sometimes 6G in places currently testing like China.
The aim of Mobile Wireless Technology ultimately is to provide reliable, high-quality, and real-time communication.
Every new generation is regarded as a major jump towards achieving that aim.
Each Generation must meet a set of standards of requirements such as throughput, delays, etc. before it can officially use the term “G”.
There are institutions such as the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) in charge of standardizing each generation of Mobile Technology.
Around 400BC ago, on China’s famous Great Wall, fire beacons or drumbeats were used to pass on messages into the far distance, which was a type of communication at that time.
Shortly afterward came the Telegraph which was used in the 17th century before Alexander Graham bell invented and patented the Wired Telephone In 1876.
The difference between the 0G,1G,2G, 3G,4G,5G, and even 6G Wireless Mobile Generations are far and wide.
BUT FIRST, WHAT IS 0G?
OG means Zero Generation, also known as the Precellular era as it existed before other generations of Mobile Cellular Networks.
0G OVERVIEW
The invention of the Mobile Radio Telephone usually referred to as Zero Generation or 0G was in the 1940s shortly after World War II, pioneered by Motorola and Bells Systems before others caught on.
This invention was the big leap from Wired to Wireless communication.
This period is popularly referred to as the Pre-Cellular or Zero Generation era because it existed before the First Generation Wireless Cellular.
The primary users, in the beginning, were Loggers, Military Personnel, Realtors, Construction Foremen, Celebrities, and very wealthy folks who could afford it.
The high cost was mostly due to its limited access, and you needed a car to move it around.
DIVERSE TECHNOLOGIES USED IN THE ZERO GENERATION (0G):
- PPT (Push-To-Talk)
- MTS (Mobile Telephone System)
- IMTS (Improved Mobile Telephone Service)
- AMTS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System)
- MTD (Swedish abbreviation for Mobile Telephony System D)
- OLT (Norwegian for Ofentlig LandMobil Telefoni)
- Public Land Mobile Telephony
All the above technologies used Analog signals as Carriers and had a standard for Voice calls only.
Most Cities had a Central Antenna Tower with 25 Channels, Mobile Operators set up the calls once anyone dialed in so they could appropriately allocate available call channels.
Kind of like dialing a call center to make a connection request.
The Telephones were a big package combo and could not be carried around normally, so the Antennas, Receivers, and Transceivers were mounted in the boots/ trunks of cars while the Telephones were placed on the dashboard area for easy reach.
The choice of installations in cars made it easy for quick drives to the closest proximities to strong signals as Telephones must be within a 20 Km (kilometers) range of the Local Telephone Network to get signal connections.
Later, briefcase versions were created for more convenience and ease of movement.
The 0G technology provided Half Duplex Communication which meant only one person could speak at a time during a phone call while the other listened and vice versa.
Though not available to everyone, 0G was a great invention, it no doubt started the process of the Big Tech we enjoy today.
Telecommunications required another leap into the future, and 1G was launched.
Continue to 1G here.
