5G is with us , but how did we get here ? Here is a quick history lesson
1983 1991
1998
1G Haven ’ t heard of it ? Well , it was a long time ago ( 1983 ) and it wasn ’ t called 1G until 2G came along . In fact , it was so early in the cycle of generational technology that the 1G moniker never really took off . Also 1G offered a forgettable 2.4kbps of analogue data load . Pathetic .
2G Known at the time as General Packet Radio Service ( GPRS ), 2G bumped up the speeds to 40kbps , enough to send SMS messages from device to device . More than that , and you were in for a long wait . Perhaps that ’ s why EDGE ( Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution was such an exciting upgrade to the 2G package . It afforded what , at the time , were described as “ blazing ” speeds . 384kpbs of blazing , that is .
3G It ’ s not a stretch to say that 3G was transformative for mobile communication . By today ’ s standards , it offered a plodding 1-8Mbps , but that was enough to get full-fat internet ( or , more likely , the newly minted and thankfully short-lived mobile ‘ optimised ’ version of it ) and crucially it meant your inbox could annoy you when you went on holiday . Previously , roaming email had been BlackBerry ’ s game . The iPhone 3G ( confusingly Apple ’ s second mobile phone ) came with email and Angry Birds . BlackBerry didn ’ t stand a chance .