The Revolution in Mobile Technology: The Journey from 1G to 6G
From bulky phones that were only used to make calls to smart smartphones that connect everything, mobile technology has undergone a spectacular revolution. The journey from 1G to 6G is a story of the continuous development of technology, of the leaps that have completely changed our lives.
The advent of mobile technology has created a new breakthrough for humanity, changing human history. Mobile technology has allowed people to communicate with each other anytime, anywhere quickly, while improving access to emergency services and health care on a global scale.
In general, cellular technology allows mobile devices to operate through mobile base stations (BTS). Unlike landline phones, cell phones and many other wireless devices use radio waves to transmit the user's voice (or text or mobile data) to a nearby BTS, which relays the information to the person needing to communicate.
Nowadays, mobile phones have become an indispensable part of human life to erase all the limitations of distance. People can interact with each other and hear each other's voice and image directly through smartphones.
1970 - 1980: The first generation mobile phone (1G) using analog technology was born.
In 1973, the American phone manufacturer Motorola created the world's first mobile phone called the DynaTAC 8000X. This was the first real mobile phone and it revolutionized the way people communicate today. Before the DynaTAC 8000X was invented, mobile phones were very large, bulky and were only available to customers who communicated via car phones.
At 10 inches long and weighing 2.5 pounds, largely due to its massive battery, the DynaTAC 8000X was four to five times heavier than a modern cell phone. The DynaTAC 8000X retailed for about $11,000 in today's dollars and had a battery life of about half an hour.
Although the DynaTAC 8000X was first introduced to the public in 1973, it was not officially released to the market until 1983. Although it was a commercial success, it was quickly replaced by smaller and more affordable cell phones.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X played a major role in the evolution of mobile technology. It paved the way for the smaller, more affordable mobile phones we use today, and it changed the way we communicate forever.
These first mobile phones ran on what we now call first generation (1G), or first generation mobile technology. 1G technology allowed users to make low-quality mobile phone calls, did not support digital data, and had low security. 1G mobile network speeds were not actually measured in terms of data transfer speeds, but instead in terms of the ability to transmit voice between mobile phones.
1990s: Second generation (2G) mobile phones are born
The second generation (2G) of mobile networks appeared in early 1991, moving from analog to digital technology. 2G provided better call quality, higher security, and allowed users to send SMS messages. This was also the period of explosion of mobile devices, making them an indispensable part of everyday life.
As a revolutionary and completely different generation of mobile communication compared to the first generation, 2G networks use digital signals instead of the analog signals of the 1G generation and were first applied in Finland. Therefore, it is not surprising that most of the 2G phones used in the world at that time were the “legendary” Nokia phones, which were popular for a long time until they were completely replaced by smartphones.
2G networks brought mobile users three advanced benefits over a long period of time: digital data encryption, wider connection range than 1G, and especially the appearance of SMS text messages.
Also during this period, people began to see small cell phones that fit in the palm of their hands, with a variety of designs,... Up to now, the 2G network is still being used as a communication method to serve the calling and texting needs of some users, especially the elderly in rural and mountainous areas.
2G network data speeds typically range from 9.6 Kbps to 14.4 Kbps. Many countries around the world have now discontinued 2G networks in favor of newer, more efficient mobile technologies.
In Vietnam, according to the roadmap of the Ministry of Information and Communications, from September 16, network operators will stop providing services to terminal devices that only support GSM standards (2G only), meaning that subscribers using 2G technology will no longer be provided with services, except in cases of providing services to subscriber terminal devices connected to the GSM network for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data between devices (M2M) or providing services in the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos, and DK platforms. And by September 15, 2026, the 2G network will be completely turned off.
Early 2000s: Third generation (3G) mobile technology is born
3G serves as the third generation of mobile communications, which is much more advanced than the previous generations. It allows mobile users to transmit both voice and non-voice data.
3G provided higher speeds and more capacity to support more calls. Base stations could handle more calls without being overloaded, meaning better signal quality. 3G mobile networks were a breakthrough in providing high-speed Internet access on mobile phones and opened the door to a range of new applications such as accessing email, watching videos, listening to music online and sharing photos.
However, many telecommunications service providers around the world have fallen into financial difficulties due to having to spend a large amount of money to auction frequency spectrum for 3G, and this has delayed the commercial deployment of 3G in many countries except Japan and South Korea, where the development of telecommunications infrastructure is a top priority.
And Japan was the first country to widely commercialize 3G, pioneered by mobile network operator NTT DoCoMo. By 2005, about 40% of subscribers in Japan were 3G subscribers, and the 2G network gradually faded into oblivion in Japan's technological subconscious.
3G provides data speeds of at least 384 Kbps while moving and up to 2 Mbps when stationary. 3G networks enable faster Internet access, supporting multimedia services such as video calling, online TV and application downloads.
However, many countries in the world have now stopped using this technology due to limitations in data transmission speed. The Ministry of Information and Communications has also issued a roadmap that from September 2028, Vietnam will turn off 3G mobile waves.
Late 2000s: The birth of 4G mobile technology that many of us are using today
The fourth generation (4G) mobile network officially launched in late 2009 in Sweden, providing much faster data transmission speeds than 3G. 4G helps users experience better online services such as watching high-quality videos, making video calls and playing online games smoothly by supporting a minimum speed of 100 Mbps while moving and up to 1 Gbps when stationary.
Another exciting improvement that 4G brings is low latency video streaming. This is said to be a significant leap forward in mobile communications when it comes to making high quality mobile video calls.
In addition, 4G networks have allowed people to work remotely more effectively, with the ability to access data and applications from anywhere with a 4G signal. Promoting the popularity of social networking applications, helping people connect, share information and maintain relationships online.
In addition, 4G also provides a platform for the strong development of mobile e-commerce, helping consumers shop online and conduct transactions via mobile phones; supporting the development of mobile health applications, helping people monitor their health and take advantage of remote medical services; supporting distance education through quick access to online educational resources.
2019 marks a new turning point in mobile communications when the first 5G network is born.
5G, or the 5th generation mobile network, is currently one of the most popular technology trends in recent times. This is also the latest mobile network that is being commercially deployed in many countries around the world.
5G networks were officially launched commercially in the Korean market in April 2019. According to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report published in June 2024, the number of global 5G subscribers reached 1.7 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2024 and is forecast to become the dominant technology by 2029 with 5.6 billion subscribers.
Currently, many countries around the world are investing in 5G to create opportunities for people, businesses and society. According to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), as of the end of March 2024, 585 operators in 175 countries/territories were investing in 5G networks, through trials or planning or actual deployments, of which 153 operators in 71 countries/territories had deployed 3GPP-compliant 5G commercial services through public mobile networks or fixed wireless access.
It must be said that, with theoretical speeds of up to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second), 5G technology is and will bring users super-fast service experiences, dozens of times faster than current 4G network speeds; extremely low latency (about 1 millisecond) and providing a large number of connections, capable of connecting up to 1 million devices per km.2With its outstanding advantages, 5G allows artificial intelligence (AI) to receive and process more information at the same time. This will help complete the automated production system with higher precision and productivity.
5G mobile technology helps support the connection of billions of devices as the world enters the era of Internet of Things (IoT), data is stored on cloud computing infrastructure, helping to reduce usage costs and support rapid digital transformation. The outstanding features of 5G are expected to rapidly promote the digital transformation process, leading to the formation of digital government and digital economy models.
6G Mobile Network: Expected to Launch in 2030
Cyclically, each new generation of mobile networks is typically deployed every 10 years. If the development of 6G mobile networks follows this cycle, we could experience the world's first commercial 6G networks around 2030.
Although 5G connectivity is not yet available globally, even in developed countries around the world, planning and research for the next generation of mobile, 6G, is already underway by many countries and international organizations.
Some predictions about the 6G network vision hope for the completion of the 6G standard and earlier commercialization in countries that have deployed 5G networks early, such as South Korea, China, and the United States. Humans and machines will be the main users of the 6G network and will be characterized by the provision of advanced services such as augmented reality, digital twins, etc.
The 6G technology market is expected to enable major improvements in imaging, presence technology, and precise location recognition. Combined with AI technology, 6G computing infrastructure will be able to determine the best place to perform computing, including making decisions about data storage, processing, and sharing.
Although the technical requirements for the sixth generation of mobile communication systems (IMT-2030/6G) have not yet been finalized, some studies have shown that theoretical downlink data rates could reach 1 Tbps (Terabit per second) (1 Tbps equals 1,000 Gbps), with latency measured in microseconds. If 6G gets close to these numbers in practice, it will enable much wider coverage and greater efficiency than 5G networks.
In short, mobile technology has been playing an important role in modern life, connecting people and changing the way we work, learn, entertain and interact with the world around us. With continuous development, mobile technology promises to bring even more wonders in the future.
