Evolution of Mobile Communications: from 1G to 4G

Vasco Pereira and Tiago Sousa

Department of Informatics Engineering of the University of Coimbra
{vasco,tmas}@dei.uc.pt

Abstract
Today, mobile communications play a central role in the voice/data network arena. With the deployment
of mass scale 3G just around the corner, new directions are already being researched. In this paper we
address the evolution of mobile communications, from its first generation, 1G, to the latest 3G and give a
glimpse of foreseeable future of 4G.

1. Introduction
From the early analog mobile generation (1G) to the last implemented third generation (3G) the
paradigm has changed. The new mobile generations do not pretend to improve the voice communication
experience but try to give the user access to a new global communication reality. The aim is to reach
communication ubiquity (every time, everywhere) and to provide users with a new set of services.
The growth of the number of mobile subscribers over the last years led to a saturation of voice-oriented
wireless telephony. From a number of 214 million subscribers in 1997 to 1.162 millions in 2002 [1], it is
predicted that by 2010 there will be 1700 million subscribers worldwide [2] (see Figure 1). It is now time to
explore new demands and to find new ways to extend the mobile concept. The first steps have already been
taken by the 2.5G, which gave users access to a data network (e.g. Internet access, MMS - Multimedia
Message Service). However, users and applications demanded more communication power. As a response
to this demand a new generation with new standards has been developed - 3G. In spite of the big initial
euphoria that evolved this technology, only one 3G network exists in commercial use today. This network
has been deployed in Japan in 2001 using international standard IMT-2000, with great success.

Figure 1 – Evolution of mobile and fixed subscribers [3]

In the last years, benefiting from 3G constant delays, many new mobile technologies were deployed
with great success (e.g. Wi-Fi). Now, all this new technologies (e.g. UMTS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) claim for a
convergence that can only be achieved by a new mobile generation. This new mobile generation to be
deployed must work with many mobile technologies while being transparent to the final user.
2. The first mobile generations (1G to 2.5G)
The first operational cellular communication system was deployed in the Norway in 1981 and was
followed by similar systems in the US and UK. These first generation systems provided voice
transmissions by using frequencies around 900 MHz and analogue modulation.
The second generation (2G) of the wireless mobile network was based on low-band digital data
signaling. The most popular 2G wireless technology is known as Global Systems for Mobile
Communications (GSM). The first GSM systems used a 25MHz frequency spectrum in the 900MHz band.
FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), which is a standard that lets multiple users access a group of
radio frequency bands and eliminates interference of message traffic, is used to split the available 25MHz
of bandwidth into 124 carrier frequencies of 200 kHz each. Each frequency is then divided using a TDMA
(Time Division Multiple Access) scheme into eight timeslots and allows eight simultaneous calls on the
same frequency. This protocol allows large numbers of users to access one radio frequency by allocating
time slots to multiple voice or data calls. TDMA breaks down data transmission, such as a phone
conversation, into fragments and transmits each fragment in a short burst, assigning each fragment a time
slot. With a cell phone, the caller does not detect this fragmentation.
Today, GSM systems operate in the 900MHz and 1.8 GHz bands throughout the world with the
exception of the Americas where they operate in the 1.9 GHz band. Within Europe, the GSM technology
made possible the seamless roaming across all countries.
While GSM technology was developed in Europe, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology
was developed in North America. CDMA uses spread spectrum technology to break up speech into small,
digitized segments and encodes them to identify each call. CDMA distinguishes between multiple
transmissions carried simultaneously on a single wireless signal. It carries the transmissions on that signal,
freeing network room for the wireless carrier and providing interference-free calls for the user. Several
versions of the standard are still under development. CDMA promises to open up network capacity for
wireless carriers and improve the quality of wireless messages and users' access to the wireless airwaves.
Whereas CDMA breaks down calls on a signal by codes, TDMA breaks them down by time. The result in
both cases is an increased network capacity for the wireless carrier and a lack of interference for the caller.
While GSM and other TDMA-based systems have become the dominant 2G wirelesses technologies,
CDMA technology are recognized as providing clearer voice quality with less background noise, fewer
dropped calls, enhanced security, greater reliability and greater network capacity.
The Second Generation (2G) wireless networks mentioned above are also mostly based on circuit-
switched technology, are digital and expand the range of applications to more advanced voice services. 2G
wireless technologies can handle some data capabilities such as fax and short message service at the data
rate of up to 9.6 kbps, but it is not suitable for web browsing and multimedia applications.
So-called ‘2.5G’ systems recently introduced enhance the data capacity of GSM and mitigate some of its
limitations. These systems add packet data capability to GSM networks, and the most important
technologies are GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). WAP
defines how Web pages and similar data can be passed over limited bandwidth wireless channels to small
screens being built into new mobile telephones. At the next lower layer, GPRS defines how to add IP
support to the existing GSM infrastructure. GPRS provides both a means to aggregate radio channels for
higher data bandwidth and the additional servers required to off-load packet traffic from existing GSM
circuits. It supplements today's Circuit Switched Data and Short Message Service. GPRS is not related to
GPS (the Global Positioning System), a similar acronym that is often used in mobile contexts. Theoretical
maximum speeds of up to 171.2 kilobits per second (kbps) are achievable with GPRS using all eight
timeslots at the same time. This is about ten times as fast as current Circuit Switched Data services on GSM
networks. However, it should be noted that it is unlikely that a network operator will allow all timeslots to
be used by a single GPRS user. Additionally, the initial GPRS terminals (phones or modems) are only
supporting only one to four timeslots. The bandwidth available to a GPRS user will therefore be limited.
All these wireless technologies are summarized in Table 1.
 Table 1 – Transport Technologies [4]

Transport Description Typical Use / Data Pros/cons

Technology Transmission Speed

Low battery consumption, but

Time Division Multiple Access Voice and data Up to
TDMA is 2G technology 9.6kbps
transmission is one-way, and its speed
pales next to 3G technologies

Voice and data. This

Popular around the globe. Worldwide
European system uses the
roaming in about 180 countries, but
Global System for Mobile 900MHz and 1.8GHz
GSM's short messaging service (GSM-
GSM Communications is a 2G digital frequencies. In the United
SMS) only transmits one-way, and can
cell phone technology States it operates in the
only deliver messages up to 160
1.9GHz PCS band up to
characters long
9.6kbps
Data Up to 115kbps; the
General Packet Radio Service is
AT&T Wireless GPRS Messages not limited to 160 characters,
GPRS a 2.5G network that supports
network will transmit data like GSM SMS
data packets
at 40kbps to 60kbps
Enhanced Data GSM May be temporary solution for
EDGE Environment is a 3G digital Data Up to 384kbps operators unable to get W-CDMA
network licenses
Code Division Multiple Access Although behind TDMA in number of
is a 2G technology developed subscribers, this fast-growing
CDMA by Qualcomm that is technology has more capacity than
transitioning to 3G TDMA
Wideband CDMA (also known
as Universal Mobile Voice and data. UMTS is
Likely to be dominant outside the
Telecommunications System- being designed to offer
United States, and therefore good for
UMTS) is 3G technology. On speeds of at least 144kbps
roaming globally. Commitments from
W-CDMA November 6, 2002, NTT to users in fast-moving
U.S. operators are currently lacking,
(UMTS) DoCoMo, Ericsson, Nokia, and vehicles
though AT&T Wireless performed
Siemens agreed on licensing Up to 2Mbps initially. Up
UMTS tests in 2002. Primarily to be
arrangements for W-CDMA, to 10Mbps by 2005,
implemented in Asia-Pacific region
which should set a benchmark according to designers
for royalty rates

Proponents say migration from TDMA

is simpler with CDMA2000 than W-
CDMA2000 A 3G technology, 1xRTT is the Voice and data Up to
CDMA, and that spectrum use is more
1xRTT first phase of CDMA2000 144kbps
efficient. But W-CDMA will likely be
more common in Europe

CDMA2000 Delivers data on a separate

Data Up to 2.4Mbps (see CDMA2000 1xRTT above)
1xEV-DO channel
CDMA2000 Integrates voice and data on the Voice and data Up to
(see CDMA2000 1xRTT above)
1xEV-DV same channel 2.4Mbps

Meanwhile, developers are focusing on the much-hyped third generation (3G) of wireless systems.

3. Third mobile generation networks (3G)

All 2G wireless systems are voice-centric. GSM includes short message service (SMS), enabling text
messages of up to 160 characters to be sent, received and viewed on the handset. Most 2G systems also
support some data over their voice paths, but at painfully slow speeds usually 9.6 Kb/s or 14.4 Kb/s. So in
the world of 2G, voice remains king while data is already dominant in wireline communications. And, fixed
or wireless, all are affected by the rapid growth of the Internet.
Planning for 3G started in the 1980s. Initial plans focused on multimedia applications such as
videoconferencing for mobile phones. When it became clear that the real killer application was the Internet,
3G thinking had to evolve. As personal wireless handsets become more common than fixed telephones, it is
clear that personal wireless Internet access will follow and users will want broadband Internet access
wherever they go.
Today's 3G specifications call for 144 Kb/s while the user is on the move in an automobile or train, 384
Kb/s for pedestrians, and ups to 2 Mb/s for stationary users. That is a big step up from 2G bandwidth using
8 to 13 Kb/s per channel to transport speech signals.
The second key issue for 3G wireless is that users will want to roam worldwide and stay connected.
Today, GSM leads in global roaming. Because of the pervasiveness of GSM, users can get comprehensive
coverage in Europe, parts of Asia and some U.S. coverage. A key goal of 3G is to make this roaming
capacity universal.
A third issue for 3G systems is capacity. As wireless usage continues to expand, existing systems are
reaching limits. Cells can be made smaller, permitting frequency reuse, but only to a point. The next step is
new technology and new bandwidth.
International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) is the official International
Telecommunication Union name for 3G and is an initiative intended to provide wireless access to global
telecommunication infrastructure through both satellite and terrestrial systems, serving fixed and mobile
phone users via both public and private telephone networks. GSM proponents put forward the universal
mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), an evolution of GSM, as the road to IMT-2000. Alternate
schemes have come from the U.S., Japan and Korea. Each scheme typically involves multiple radio
transmission techniques in order to handle evolution from 2G. Agreeing on frequency bands for IMT-2000
has been more difficult and the consensus included five different radio standards and three widely different
frequency bands. They are now all part of IMT-2000. To roam anywhere in this "unified" 3G system, users
will likely need a quintuple-mode phone able to operate in an 800/900 MHz band, a 1.7 to 1.9 GHz band
and a 2.5 to 2.69 GHz band.
Third-generation wireless also requires new infrastructure. There are two mobility infrastructures in
wide use. GSM has the mobile access protocol, GSM-MAP. The North American infrastructure uses the
IS-41 mobility protocol. These protocol sets define the messages passed between home location registers
and visitor location registers when locating a subscriber and the messages needed to deal with hand-offs as
a subscriber moves from cell to cell. 3G proponents have agreed on an evolution path so that existing
operators, running on either a GSM-MAP or an IS-41 infrastructure, can interoperate. But the rest of the
landline infrastructure to support IMT-2000 will be in flux in the near future. The IMT-2000 family is
illustrated in figure 3.

Interface
for Internetworking

IMT-2000 GSM ANSI-41 IP-Network

Core Network (MAP) (IS-634)
ITU-T

Initial UMTS Flexible assignment of

(R99 w/ FDD) Core Network and Radio Access

IMT-DS IMT-TC IMT-MC IMT-SC IMT-FT

(Direct Spread) (Time Code) (Multi (Single Carrier) (Freq. Time)
IMT-2000 UTRA TDD Carrier)
Radio Access UTRA FDD (TD-CDMA); UWC-136 DECT
ITU-R (W-CDMA) TD-SCDMA cdma2000 (EDGE)
3GPP 3GPP 3GPP2 UWCC/3GPP ETSI

Figure 2 – IMT-2000 family [5]

 As show in table 1, UMTS use the radio technology called W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access). W-CDMA is characterized by the use of a wider band than CDMA. W-CDMA has
additional advantages of high transfer rate, and increased system capacity and communication quality by
statistical multiplexing. W-CDMA utilizes efficiently the radio spectrum to provide a maximum data rate of
2 Mbps.
With the advent of mobile Internet access, suddenly the circuit-based backhaul network from the base
station and back has to significantly change. 3G systems are IP-centric and will justify an all-IP
infrastructure.
There will be no flip to 3G, but rather an evolution and, because of the practical need to re-use the
existing infrastructure and to take advantage of new frequency bands as they become available, that
evolution will look a bit different depending on where you are. The very definition of 3G is now an
umbrella, not a single standard, however, the industry is moving in the right direction towards a worldwide,
converged, network. Meanwhile, ever-improving DSPs will allow multi-mode, multi-band telephones that
solve the problem of diverse radio interfaces and numerous frequency bands. When one handset provides
voice and data anywhere in the world, that will be 3G no matter what is running behind the scenes.

4. Future mobile generation networks (4G)

The objective of the 3G was to develop a new protocol and new technologies to further enhance the
mobile experience. In contrast, the new 4G framework to be established will try to accomplish new levels
of user experience and multi-service capacity by also integrating all the mobile technologies that exist (e.g.
GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications, GPRS - General Packet Radio Service, IMT-2000 -
International Mobile Communications, Wi-Fi - Wireless Fidelity, Bluetooth).
In spite of different approaches, each resulting from different visions of the future platform currently
under investigation, the main objectives of 4G networks can be stated in the following properties:
• Ubiquity;
• Multi-service platform;
• Low bit cost;

Ubiquity means that this new mobile networks must be available to the user, any time, anywhere. To
accomplish this objective services and technologies must be standardized in a worldwide scale.
Furthermore the services to be implemented should be available not only to humans as have been the rule
in previous systems, but also to everything that needs to communicate. In this new world we can find
transmitters in our phone to enable voice and data communications (e.g. high bandwidth Internet access,
multimedia transmissions), in our wrist, to monitor our vital signs, in the packages we send, so that we
always know their location, in cars, to always have their location and receive alerts about an accident, in
remote monitor/control devices, in animals to track their state or location, or even in plants. Based on this
view, NTT DoCoMo, that has already a wide base of 3G mobile users, estimates the number of mobile
communication terminals to grow in Japan from the actual 82.2 million to more than 500 million units by
2010. [6]

A multi-service platform is an essential property of the new mobile generation, not only because it is
the main reason for user transition, but also because it will give telecommunication operators access to new
levels of traffic. Voice will loose its weight in the overall user bill with the raise of more and more data
services.

Low-bit cost is an essential requirement in a scenario where high volumes of data are being transmitted
over the mobile network. With the actual price per bit, the market for the new high demanding applications,
which transmit high volumes of data (e.g. video), is not possible to be established. According to [6] cost per
bit should be between 1/10 and 1/100 of 3G systems.

To achieve the proposed goals, a very flexible network that aggregates various radio access
technologies, must be created. This network must provide high bandwidth, from 50-100 Mbps for high
mobility users, to 1Gbps for low mobility users, technologies that permit fast handoffs, an efficient delivery
system over the different wireless technologies available, a method of choosing the wireless access from
the available ones. Also necessary is a QoS framework that enables fair and efficient medium sharing
among users with different QoS requirements, supporting the different priorities of the services to be
deployed. The core of this network should be based in Internet Protocol version 6 – IPv6, the probable
convergence platform of future services (IPv4 does not provide a suitable number of Internet addresses).
The network should also offer sufficient reliability by implementing a fault-tolerant architecture and failure
recovering protocols.

4.1. Migrating to 4G
The fact that 4G mobile networks intend to integrate almost every wireless standard already in use,
enabling its simultaneous use and interconnection poses many questions not yet answered. The research
areas that present key challenges to migrate current systems to 4G are many but can be summarized in the
following: Mobile Station, System and Service. [7]
To be able to use 4G mobile networks a new type of mobile terminals must be conceived. The terminals
to be adopted must adapt seamless to multiple wireless networks, each with different protocols and
technologies. Auto reconfiguration will also be needed so that terminals can adapt to the different services
available. This adaptation may imply that it must download automatically configuration software from
networks in range. Moreover terminals must be able to choose from all the available wireless networks the
one to use with a specific service. To do this it must be aware of specifications of all the networks in terms
of bandwidth, QoS supported, costs and respect to user preferences.
Terminal mobility will be a key factor to the success of 4G networks. Terminals must be able to provide
wireless services anytime, everywhere. This implies that roaming between different networks must be
automatic and transparent to the user. There are two major issues in terminal mobility, location
management and handoff management [7]. Location management deals with tracking user mobility, and
handling information about original, current and (if possible) future cells. Moreover it must deal with
authentication issues and QoS assurances. Handoff management primary objective is to maintain the
communications while the terminal crosses wireless network boundaries. In addition, 4G networks, in
opposition to the other mobile generations, must deal with vertical and horizontal handoffs, i.e., a 4G
mobile client may move between different types of wireless networks (e.g. GSM and Wi-Fi) and between
cells of the same wireless network (e.g. moving between adjacent GSM cells). Furthermore, many of the
services available in this new mobile generation like videoconference have restrict time constraints and
QoS needs that must not be perceptible affected by handoffs. To avoid these problems new algorithms must
be researched and a prevision of user mobility will be necessary, so as to avoid broadcasting at the same
time to all adjacent antennas what would waste unnecessary resources. Another major problem relates to
security, since 4G pretends to join many different types of mobile technologies. As each standard has its
own security scheme, the key to 4G systems is to be highly flexible.
Services also pose many questions as 4G users may have different operators to different services and,
even if they have the same operator, they can access data using different network technologies. Actual
billing using flat rates, time or cost per bit fares, may not be suitable to the new range of services. At the
same time it is necessary that the bill is well understood by operator and client. A broker system would be
advisable to facilitate the interaction between the user and the different service providers.
Another challenge is to know, at each time, where the user is and how he can be contacted. This is very
important to mobility management. A user must be able to be reached wherever he is, no matter the kind of
terminal that is being used. This can be achieved in various ways one of the most popular being the use of a
mobile-agent infrastructure. In this framework, each user has a unique identifier served by personal mobile
agents that make the link from users to Internet.

5. Conclusion
In this paper we present the evolution of mobile communications through all its generations. From the
initial speech vocation to an IP-based data network, several steps were made. From the analog voice centric
first generation to the digital second generation, the goal was to enhance the voice experience of a user, by
improving the quality of the communication while using more efficiently the installed capacity. At the
same time the enhanced mobility provided by seamless handover and the additional data communications
capacity (although very small) advanced and opened the doors to future developments. Some of the
developments was brought by generation 2.5 namely by GPRS, which improved data communications by
supporting IP in the GSM infrastructure. With the third generation the goal changed from voice-centric to
data-centric. Moreover total mobility became an objective to pursuit. In this generation it is possible to
combine voice, multimedia applications and mobility in a never experienced manner.
However, the global mobility, while an important objective, was never really reached. At the same time
new applications demand more bandwidth and lower costs. The newcomer fourth-generation tries to
address this problem by integrating all different wireless technologies.
In spite of all the evolving technologies the final success of new mobile generations will be dictated by
the new services and contents made available to users. These new applications must meet user expectations,
and give added value over existing offers.

6. References
[1] “Mobile cellular, subscribers per 100 people”, International Telecommunication Union Statistics, 2002
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance/cellular02.pdf

[2] Kim, Y., Jeong, B.J., Chung, J., Hwang, C., Ryu, J.S., Kim, K., Kim, Y.K., “Beyond 3G: Vision, Requirements, and
Enabling Technologies”, IEEE Communications Magazine, March 2003, pp. 120-124

[3] ITU-R PDNR WP8F, “Vision, Framework and Overall Objectives of the Future Development of IMT-2000 and
Systems beyond IMT-2000,” 2002.

[4] “2G – 3G Cellular Wireless data transport terminology”, Arc Electronics

www.arcelect.com/2G-3G_Cellular_Wireless.htm

[5] Schiller, J., “Mobile Communications”, slides

http://www.jochenschiller.de/

[6] Tachikawa, Keiji, “A perspective on the Evolution of Mobile Communications”, IEEE Communications Magazine,
October 2003, pp. 66-73

[7] Hui, Suk Yu, and Yeung, Kai Hau, “Challenges in the Migration to 4G Mobile Systems”, IEEE Communications
Magazine, December 2003, pp. 54-59