With the upcoming widespread implementation of 5G, people seem to be more excited than ever. Some are looking forward to faster Internet speed and a greater degree of safety that 5G promises, while others are a bit fearful of this type of network and even have theories that connect it to microchipping, Bill Gates, and COVID-19. But, would it surprise you to know that this wave of excitement is nothing new? Every step in Internet development, be it 2G 3G 4G 5G has had its share of hopes and fears.
So, to give you an idea of what the Internet has gone through, we are going to take a closer look at its history.
The timeline of 2G 3G 4G 5G
Before we hop into the development of the Internet, let’s go over the basics first.
The G in 2G 3G 4G 5G stands for generation.
Later on, we will explore how much has changed between each generation.
But, for now, just keep in mind the meaning of the G.
The second thing to note is that there is no such thing as 1G Internet.
Sure, you can draw some distinction between the early stages of 2G and the later phase, prior to 3G.
But, for the sake of this article, you should keep in mind that 1G falls into 2G. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s start our timeline.
2G – 1980 to 2003
The era of 2G is the longest one in Internet history. From 1980 to 2003, 2G was implemented and developed.
During that time. there were quite a few advancements, but none of them were large enough to be considered as the next generation.
Among the more notable advancements are:
- GSM – Global Systems for Mobile Communication allowed data transfer along with voice communication. The speed of transfer was 30-35 kbps, which is laughable by today’s standards. But, once you consider the state of the IT at that time, you will easily see that the invention of GSM can be considered as the transition from 1G to 2G.
- GPRS – General Packet Radio Service brought a couple of much-needed improvements that brought up the transfer speed up to 110 kbps.
- EDGE – Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution is the final significant advancement in 2G. This was due to an increase in speed (135 kbps) and a larger degree in network stability. Some people even consider the EDGE as the start of the 2.9G period, as 3G was soon to come.
Most changes in 2G were simple improvements in efficiency and technology.
3G – 2003 to 2009
The interesting thing about 3G is that it was also based on EDGE technology along with CDMA2000.
This was due to the fact that EDGE could provide the necessary framework that CDMA2000 could later develop into a full-fledged new generation of the Internet.
The biggest advancement was the ability to efficiently communicate on multiple channels, thus improving the overall speed and stability.
3G speed could go as high as 2mbps.
Because of this, we were able to see a substantial increase in online gaming. Furthermore, smartphones were able to communicate faster and utilize services like:
- Video streaming
- Faster and safer web browsing
- Send/receive large emails
Games were always influenced by IT, all throughout 2G 3G 4G and 5G.
4G – 2009 to 2020
For a while, 3G was enough.
It was safe, stable, and provided a decent speed.
But, as the technology advanced and various programs became more demanding and sophisticated, there was a definite need for faster Internet. Well, this is where 4G came into the picture.
To keep up with the growing demands, the 4G network had to be MAGIC.
Mobile multimedia, Anywhere anytime, Global mobility support, Integrated wireless solution, Customized personal service.
The International Telecommunication Union originally demanded these Internet requirements, along with numerous others that we more complicated.
Luckily, the new generation of the Internet was developed with LifeWire.
Due to safety and efficiency, mobile networks had to use Internet Protocol for data traffic and a minimum data rate of 100 Mbps.
Not long after 4G was instated, came 4G LTE. Long Term Evolution is the next step in 4G where the creators simplified it and made it easier to maintain and improve.
The result was a definite increase in the speed and efficiency of the entire network.
5G
So far, 5G is still in development. Some countries have instated it, and have even developed full 5G networks.
But, in order for 5G to become commonplace, we will still have to wait a year or two.
Among the things we can expect are a great increase in speed (average will go from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps) along with lower power requirements.
This should make the Internet available to a large number of devices, and we might even see new technologies like AI flourish from it.
Final thoughts about Internet development
As far as technologies go, the Internet is still pretty new.
Sure, it has been around for the past 40 years, whether it has been 2G 3G 4G or 5G.
And we’ve become so accustomed to it that a lot of us cannot imagine our daily lives without it.
But, keep in mind that, compared to other technologies, the Internet is still in its early development (as weird as that may sound).
Mere 20 years ago we couldn’t imaging having full streaming service or Internet that was as fast as it is today.
Numerous industries like Netflix, eSports, Uber, couldn’t function without the Internet.
Hight tech navigation tools for international ships and even Customer Relationship Management tools custom-made for movers wouldn’t be possible without fast and reliable Internet.
So, we can only dream what the future will hold once 5G becomes commonplace.
We’ve yet to see what 5G has in store for us.
Another thing to note is that every new generation of the Internet was hard to predict in its early stages.
As time went on, all of them further developed, stabilized, and enhanced along with ethernet.
Some of them even had upgraded versions like 2.9G and 4G LTE.
So, if 5G has some issues in the first couple of months, don’t worry.
We wouldn’t be surprised if there were a 5.5G network a couple of months down the road.
