Let’s begin this blog with a challenge. Look around your immediate area. Feel in your pocket, open your purse, or notice what’s in your hand. We bet that majority of you have found a cell phone in your hand.

The timeline and history from 1G to 5G took over 40 years since the innovation of cellular technology. Since then, a lot has changed:

• Cell phones have become smaller.
• Download speed has increased.
• Text messages are almost gone.
• Surfing the internet over cell phones has become common.
• Posting on social media is trending.
• There is an app for nearly everything.

The timeline from Generation 1G to 5G couldn’t have happened in a blink. It is impossible without creating and enhancing each Generation of telecommunications leading to today. Roughly from the start, each technology has changed how we communicate and improved our way of life.

Diving into the pool of information, let us look at the timeline from 1G to 5G, briefly looking at each Generation to find what they had to offer.

Trip to Cellular Generation – 1G to 5G

First Generation (1G)

First Generation or 1G is something that came as the biggest revolution for that era. 1G was basically a network with voice call capabilities, launched in 1979 by Nippon telegraphs and telephones. The US enjoyed the first taste of 1G in March 1983. The first commercially used mobiles of this era are DynaTAC and Motorola. Unfortunately, 1G has a few issues – audibility was poor, coverage is not up to the mark, the download speed is so low, and there is no end-to-end encryption. All these led to the innovation of second Generation 2G.

Second Generation (2G)

This was the Nokia candy bar phone era, and it was the market leader at that time. As the 2G network evolved, the public began to adopt cellular technology. Phones have become the center of attraction and are available at affordable prices. It has become common for people to have a cellphone. 2G is currently phased out in the US, causing the shutdown of major companies T-Mobile and Verizon, the biggest organization in the past.

Third Generation (3G)

This was the age of smartphones. 3G opens the opportunity to browse the web, stream music, video streaming, and email on a mobile phone. Not only this, but video chatting was also possible. It has great speed as compared to the previous technologies.

Fourth Generation (4G)

This Generation represented a significant upgrade on 3G. In the 4G era, Apple, iPhone, and Samsung dominated and captured the cellphone market. The growing frequency of smartphones and people using 4G with full capacity led to the innovation of 5G technology.

Fifth Generation (5G)

In 2019, South Korea became the first to launch 5G technology. It has greater speed and can reduce the latency rate. High download speed has already made a 5G attraction to people. There are more advantages of 5G that will make it cellular networks leader around the globe.