2g network concerns with the second generation wireless
telecommunication technology. The 2g technology uses digital radio signals,
while its predecessor, 1G, was based on analog radio signals.
What the
market needs today is the 2g wireless technology, capable of servicing complex
commercial relationships and second generation of b-to-b ecommerce systems all
across the world. For the future of e-commerce, strategic buying and selling
where the action is, there is a growing need to develop dynamic commercial
relationships. 2g technologies focus just on that – to unleash the potential of
the Internet to transform commercial relationships. 2G mobile technologies
allows much greater access enabling different mobile phone networks to offer
services like text messages, picture messages and MMS.
About
2G Technology Capacity
The recent technological developments have made
it possible for operators to get more value out of 2G technology. The last five
years have seen a lot of technological innovations taking place in 2G
technology, thus improving the 2g technology capacity. The prime focus of this
page is to shed light on the capacity in 2g technologies and the recent
developments in this area.
Some of the latest innovations have resulted in
delivery of a higher 2g technology system capacity, thus improving on its
efficiency and working. Many technological developments have been initiated to
increase the capacity of 2g technology, widening the bandwidth of the networks.
This also enables the operators to offer new services in these platforms.
The 2g technology capacity between the handsets
and the towers can be increased in two ways, by using digital signals.
First, through the use of various codecs the
digital voice data can be condensed and multiplexed much more successfully than
analog voice encodings. This improves the 2g technology capacity and allows
more calls to be packed into the same amount of radio bandwidth.
The second way to increase the capacity of 2g
technology is to focus on the cells. As the digital systems are designed to
emit less radio power from the handsets, it means that the cells could be
smaller. Smaller cells mean that more cells could be placed in the same amount
of space. This also made the related equipment to get less expensive.
What Is 2G Technology?
2g
technologies are based on what type of multiplexing is employed, for instance,
the procedure of merging multiple digital data streams into one signal.
Classified by whether they are based on time division multiple access (TDMA) or
code division multiple access (CDMA), the 2G standards may include the
following: Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (IDEN) or Global System for
Mobile communications (GSM), used worldwide. Digital Advanced Mobile Phone
System (D-AMPS) is used in North and South America, while Personal Digital
Cellular (PDC) is used in Japan.
2G
telecom networks were commercially launched in 1991 on the GSM standard in
Finland. The 2G systems were found to be considerably more efficient on the
spectrum, allowing far greater mobile phone penetration levels. Moreover, the
phone conversations were digitally encrypted.
Getting
on with the meaning of 2g technology, 2G makes use of a CODEC or
compression-decompression algorithm for compressing and to multiplex digital
voice data. Using this technology, it is possible for a 2G network to bundle
more calls per amount of bandwidth. As the data is transmitted through digital
signals, 2G also offers extra services such as SMS and e-mail. Moreover the
battery lasts longer due to the lower-powered radio signals. Digital voice
encoding, offering a feature of error checking, also improves the sound quality
by reducing dynamic and lowering the noise floor.
Although
2g technologies have much more benefits to offer over its predecessors, it has
a few disadvantages as well. The 2G's digital signals are very dependent on
location and proximity. A call made from far away may not allow the digital
signal to be strong enough to reach it. Moreover, the digital signals used in
2g technologies have a jagged, angular curve, which can fail completely under
unsuitable conditions.
How 2G Technology Works?
The 2G
technology or Second generation technology was launched in Finland in 1991.In
this article, we will focus on the working of 2g technologies and the
technology of 2g. The technology behind 2g is based on GSM or in other words
global system for communication.
Depending on the type of multiplexing used, the 2G technologies
are divided into TDMA-based (time division multiple access) and CDMA-based
standards (code division multiple access). While the TDMA allows for the
division of signal into time slots, the CDMA on the other hand allocates each
user a special code to communicate over a multiplex physical channel. TDMA
assigns each call a certain portion of time on a designated frequency and the
CDMA gives a unique code to each call, thus spreading it over the available
frequencies. The last part of each name, which is multiple access, simply means
that more than one user can make use of each cell.
The main
standards for technology behind 2g are:
GSM
TDMA-based, although it originated in Europe, this is used in almost all
countries on all the main continents. Accounting for more than 80% of all
subscribers around the world, CDMA2000 in the 450 MHz frequency is used by over
60 GSM operators.
IS-95
aka cdmaOne
CDMA-based, this technology of 2g is used in parts of America and
Asia. Used by about 17% of all subscribers globally, one sees many CDMA
operators migrating to GSM in countries like Mexico, India, Australia and South
Korea.
PDC
TDMA-based, this is used exclusively in Japan
iDEN
TDMA-based, this proprietary network is in use by Nextel in the United States
and Telus Mobility in Canada.
IS-136
aka D-AMPS
TDMA-based, it was once widespread in the America but today most
operators have migrated to GSM.
The
working of 2g technologies in GSM helped it to first establish international
roaming. This facilitated all the mobile subscribers to use their mobile phone
connections in many different countries across the world. Unlike 1G technology,
GSM technology is based on digital signals. This technology behind 2g is
advantageous to both the network operators and the users at the same time.
Disadvantages Of 2G Technologies
Although
the 2G technology is widespread and popular in use, there do exist some
disadvantages of 2g technologies, which you may not be familiar with. The
reason is that these drawbacks of 2g technology are often not well publicized.
Here are
the main disadvantages of 2g technologies:
Weaker
digital signal
Some areas which are less populated, if the digital signals are
weak, they will not be sufficient enough to reach a cell tower. This particular
problem is more often on 2G systems positioned on higher frequencies. For 2G
systems deployed on lower frequencies, this is not a problem. Regulations about
where 2G can be deployed may vary from country to country. However, this is
looked upon as one of the main disadvantage of 2g technology.
Angular
decay curve
One of the other disadvantages of 2g technologies is due to the
fact that the digital signal has jagged decay curve, unlike the Analog, which
has a smooth decay curve. Under unfavorable conditions, digital will have
occasional dropouts, and may fail completely if the conditions worsen.
Reduced
range of sound
The digital calls, although are free of static and background
noise, the use of lossy compression by the codec’s takes a toll and the range
of sound that they transmit is reduced. You may hear less of the tonality of
someone's voice conversing on a digital cellphone, which is one of the drawbacks
of 2g technology.
Some of
the other disadvantages of 2g technologies are that the pulse nature of TDMA
transmission used here often interferes with some electronics, like certain
audio amplifiers. Moreover, as the intellectual property is concerted among a
few industry members, it creates obstacles for new entrants. This in turn
limits the competition among phone manufacturers. Another disadvantage of 2g
technology is that GSM has a fixed maximum cell site range of 35 km, which is
imposed by technical limitations.
