2G vs 3G vs 4G . . . What's it all mean?

Being curious about the new 4G network that is being boasted over the airwaves by Sprint, I decided to do a little research about the differences of the G-World and what it means. It's really pretty simple when you know the basic history of the words and the types of networks they refer to.

1st generation (1G) refers to the Analog System which was the first in wireless telecommunications. This network was not capable of handling the overwhelming response to the many users of cell phones today.

2nd-generation (2G) referred to the new world of Digital wireless telecommunications. This type of network allows more users simultaneous access to the network. Along with 2G networks came the age of cell phones that were capable of sending data as well as voice.

3rd generation (3G) generally refers to higher data speeds, always-on data and even greater voice capacity than previous generations. This type of network has helped increase productivity in the work force and allows users to do even more multi-tasking.

4th generation (4G) is somewhat vague and suggests even higher data speeds. These types of networks are more data-centric and based on standard Internet technologies. Often voice services are provided through a special form of VoIP.

If you are using your cell service to meet the demands of remote worker solutions, then most likely you've already experienced the improvements that 3G networks bring with regards to data speeds. The 4G systems through the use of WiMAX boast speeds in the 3 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up range. Once the 4G systems in wide spread usage, we can only hope that it will benefit small business telecommunications as much if not greater than the move to 3G did.

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