1.3 Overview of Cellular Network Generations and Features Flashcards
What do mobile phones connect through?
Mobile phones connect through a cellular network, which divides geographical areas into ‘cells’ with antennas at the edges to ensure consistent connectivity.
What are 2G Networks?
Networks that provide basic mobile communication services.
What does GSM stand for?
Global System for Mobile Communications - a widely adopted standard (90% of the market), especially in Europe and the U.S.
Used by AT&T and T-Mobile. It uses SIM cards and multiplexing to share the frequency among users.
What is CDMA?
Code Division Multiple Access - Used primarily by Verizon and Sprint in the U.S., this standard assigns a unique code to each conversation.
When were 3G Networks introduced?
Introduced in 1998, these offered faster speeds (up to several Mbps), enabling new features like GPS, video streaming, and mobile TV.
What is 4G LTE?
Long-Term Evolution - This converged standard united GSM and CDMA networks, providing higher speeds (up to 150 Mbps) and introduced LTE Advanced, which doubled throughput to 300 Mbps.
What are 5G Networks?
The latest mobile communication technology, with speeds eventually reaching up to 10 Gbps, supports more data-intensive applications, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and large file transfers.
What are PRL updates?
Preferred Roaming List Updates - Updates help phones identify nearby towers and are updated over the air (OTA).
What are Wi-Fi hotspots?
Mobile phones can be used as Wi-Fi hotspots, routing cellular network data to other devices via 802.11 (Wi-Fi).
Providers may charge extra for this feature.
What is LTE Advanced?
An enhancement of 4G LTE that doubles throughput to 300 Mbps.
What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
A network of interconnected devices that communicate and exchange data.
What is multiplexing?
A method used in GSM to share the frequency among multiple users.
What are SIM cards?
Subscriber Identity Module cards used in GSM networks to authenticate users.
What is the speed of 3G Networks?
Faster data speeds up to several Mbps.
What are the challenges of 3G Networks?
The division between GSM and CDMA made it difficult for users to switch between networks.
