Compare the Different Mobile Phone Standards

When people began to use cell phones, there were few industry-wide standards applying to cell phone technology. Without standards, it was difficult and expensive to make calls to people that were on another network. Today, cell phone providers use industry standards, which make it easier to use cell phones to make calls.

When the industry started, most cell phone standards were analog. Today, cell phone standards are mostly digital.

Note

Cell phone standards have not been adopted uniformly around the world. Some cell phones are capable of using multiple standards while others can use only one standard. As a result, some cell phones can operate in many countries while other cell phones can only be used locally.

The first generation (1G) of cell phones began service in the 1980s. First-generation phones primarily used analog standards, including Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT).

In an analog system, the voice information is sent by varying the radio signals used by the phone in the same pattern as the speakers' voices. Unfortunately, this means that interference and noise, which also vary the signal, cannot easily be separated from the voice in the signal. This limits the usefulness of analog systems.

Digital signals convert the speakers' voices into a digital signal that uses a chain of 1s and 0s. This degrades the signal a little, because 1s and 0s are not a faithful representation of your voice. However, the digital signal is robust. It can be fixed using error correction routines if there is interference. Also, digital signals can be compressed, making the systems much more efficient than analog systems.

In the 1990s, the second generation (2G) of cell phones was marked by a switch from analog to digital standards. Second-generation cell standards included Global System for Mobile (GSM), Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

Third-generation (3G) standards enable cell phones to go beyond simple voice and data communications. It is now common for cell phones to send and receive text, photos, and video. It is also common for 3G cell phones to access the Internet and to use the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Note

As 3G cell phone standards were being developed, extensions to the existing 2G standards were added. These transitional standards are known as 2.5G standards.

Fourth-generation (4G) standards have been championed by many users because of the availability of increased data rates. Higher data rates will allow users to download files, such as video and music, faster than what was available with standards of previous generations.

Table 6-6 shows more information about the different cell phone standards. Table 6-6 Cell Phone Standards

Generation Standard Name Features Used In

1G Nordic Mobile Replaced wired Saudi Arabia,

(Analog cell Telephone (NMT) telephones Scandinavia

phone standards introduced in the 1980s)

Advanced Mobile Replaced wired United States, New

Phone System (AMPS) telephones Zealand

Generation Standard Name Features Used In

Generation Standard Name Features Used In

2G (Digital cellular)	GSM communications	Digital-quality calls everywhere	Worldwide
	iDEN	Push-To-Talk service, North and South international roaming America, Philippines, Singapore, Saudi Arabia
2.5G (Digital cellular + packet network for data)	General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)	Data layer for GSM	Worldwide
	Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) CDMA2000 1xRTT/IS-2000	Unified Digital Data, Voice service	North and South America, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea
	EDGE (CDMA) Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution	Data upgrade to GPRS	Worldwide
3G (Simultaneous voice and data, with e-mail and instant messaging)	Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, also called 3GSM)	Advanced GSM phone system	Europe, Africa, Asia, U.S.
	1xEV-DO/IS-856 (Pronounced D-O)	Advanced CDMA telephone system	Worldwide
4G (Technologies that are "3G and beyond")	High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)	Advanced UMTS system for voice, high-speed data	Worldwide

New technologies that add multimedia and networking functionality can be bundled with cell phone standards. Table 6-7 lists common technologies that can be added to the cell phone bundle of services. Most cell phone providers charge extra for adding these features.

Table 6-7 Internet Standards

Table 6-7 Internet Standards

Internet Standard	Purpose
Short Message Service (SMS)	Used for text messaging
Multimedia Message Service	Used for sending and receiving photos and videos

Packet switching Used for accessing the Internet

Packet switching Used for accessing the Internet

Continue reading here: Identify Optimal Operating Environments

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