Cellular Evolution: 2G Thru 5G, And Beyond!

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The History and Future of Cellular Technology

The incredible pace of cellular technology evolution over the past decades has been near miraculous.

Coverage improved dramatically, data is vastly cheaper, and the wireless speeds possible with the latest devices rival landline broadband performance!

Best of all, this rapid pace of advancement shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, the tempo is only quickening as every carrier jockeys to take the lead in building next-generation 5G networks.

But just what on earth is 5G? Does it even matter how many Gs you have?!?

And what is 4G/LTE, for that matter - and what was it that came before?

Behind the scenes, the cellular world has an entire alphabet soup of technical standards and protocols, all designed to push more bits faster with each new generation.

The deeper technical details are more than most mortals should ever need to worry about.

But if you're interested in a high-level look into the evolution of cellular technologies and what to expect in the years ahead, this is the geek-level guide for you.

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Where We Have Been

Cellular technology has (so far) gone through four major generations and is currently in the fifth generation. New cellular generations come along roughly once every decade, but they also expand, improve, and iterate over their lifecycles.

Here's a look back at the old days, when even things like basic text messaging seemed exotic and new.

What Is a G?

Long ago, the carriers adopted “G” for “Generation” as a simple marketing shorthand. When you see terms like 3G, 4G, and 5G, that’s all they mean—3rd generation, 4th generation, etc.

Devices of a given generation are usually compatible with at least one or two prior generations, an essential trait since the cellular networks themselves are often very slow to get upgraded, and there is significant overlap between generations.

But the reverse is not true—a third-generation device will miss out entirely on all the speeds and technical advancements that have come with 4G technologies, and 4G/LTE technology devices cannot take advantage of the improvements of the new 5G networks. This is why upgrading your cellular devices regularly is beneficial so that you do not fall too far behind the technology curve.

Here’s a handy little infographic we created that will hopefully illustrate the evolution of cellular data technology standards a little better:

The changes between different generations of cellular technologies come down to redefining the rules of how towers and devices communicate with each other, which allows new gear to be developed under those new specifications.

Think of it like the 1960s, when the maximum highway length for a vehicle was 35'. These days that maximum length is 45', which results in larger vehicles transporting more commercial goods across the country, buses that move more people, and motorhomes with more luxuries.

In other words - evolving the standards to take advantage of newer technologies enables a whole new generation of more advanced devices that would have been impossible before.

The Olden Days – 1G, 2G, 3G

There used to be two competing and fundamentally very different wireless technologies: CDMA and GSM.

Sprint and Verizon in the USA used CDMA, and most of the rest of the world used GSM.

As the graphic above shows, Each of these two technologies had its own evolving and incompatible standards.

CDMA and GSM competed through the 3G era, but, like many technological standards battles, in the end, there could be only one...

The 4G Revolution

Early on in the 4G era, Sprint bet big on a 4G technology called WiMAX and rushed to be the first to bring next-generation 4G service to market.

Meanwhile, Verizon predicted that the future would be the next generation of GSM technology known as LTE (aka Long-Term Evolution) and began aggressively building out the first and largest 4G/LTE network in the United States.

AT&T was also GSM-based but lagged behind Verizon in promoting and deploying LTE.

Seeing the LTE writing on the wall, Sprint stopped expanding its 4G WiMAX network and changed direction to focus on LTE as well, effectively ending the standards battle - GSM and its successor 4G/LTE won the war.

LTE: One Unified Global Standard

LTE is a global technological 4G standard that is embraced by nearly every phone manufacturer and cellular network in the world.

Although all carriers use the same standardized technology, they still often use different and incompatible radio frequencies.

Even though LTE emerged as the global standard, this standard operates on cellular frequency bands that vary by country and carrier. A smartphone or cellular device isn't truly globally compatible unless it supports most cellular bands in use globally. 

Over the last decade, all the carriers in North America built robust LTE networks and have shut down their legacy 3G networks entirely to make room for 5G, which is rapidly expanding.

LTE to 5G Cellular Evolution Transition

The fifth generation of cellular networks, aka 5G, is quickly expanding, and all carriers are making significant advancements. 

Like 4G/LTE before it, 5G will grow in capability over time as new standards and iterative improvements are developed and phased in. 

However, LTE will remain a core cellular technology for many years to come, so, like previous generational transitions, the move from 4G to 5G will not be quick, and there will be a long overlap period. 

One different aspect of this transition is that 5G and LTE were designed from the start to coexist, which will make the transition more seamless.

If you still use LTE-only devices, check out our 5G Resource Center for the latest developments and recommendations, but 5G is now mainstream and there are few reasons to avoid upgrading.

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LTE-Advanced & Carrier Aggregation

Living up to its “Long Term Evolution” name, LTE networks were designed to continue to evolve with new capabilities and speeds while remaining compatible with earlier LTE devices.

These evolved capabilities are known as LTE Advanced or LTE-A.

The most significant feature that LTE Advanced provides is Carrier Aggregation, which lets an LTE-A radio combine multiple LTE channels from different discontiguous chunks of spectrum to create more bandwidth that can support even faster speeds.

Carrier aggregation is also a vital core technology of 5G networks.

Early LTE devices that supported carrier aggregation could combine two 20 MHz channels for a peak theoretical cellular speed of 300Mbps.

"LTE-Advanced Pro" takes this even further, supporting over ten data streams and pushing 4G cellular phones to deliver potential gigabit speeds.

Think of it like a 100-lane highway through the sky!

5G is building on LTE Advanced Pro with more carrier aggregation options, and new 5G standards are evolving like LTE did.

To learn more about cellular modem technology, including a deep dive into modem performance categories and generational capabilities, see our dedicated guide:

Cellular Modem Specifications

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Network Retirements & Refarming For the Future

Cellular spectrum is a limited resource.

If you think of cellular spectrum like prime Las Vegas real estate, one of the side effects of technological advancement is easier to understand: Every so often, you have to blow up an old hotel to build a bigger and better one in the same place.

The same is true for cellular networks. As carriers move to embrace newer generations of technology, they need to eventually shut down older networks to free up the cellular spectrum for new, more efficient networks and technology.

This process is called "refarming" the network.

The downside of refarming is that devices based on older technologies will become slower, have less coverage, and eventually become useless when the old network is entirely shut down. If you have a 1G, 2G, or 3G device, it is now useless since there are no longer those networks they can connect to.

But the upside is that newer technologies are faster and more efficient, making things (eventually) better for everyone.  But that means you will need to eventually upgrade your devices and technology to keep online.

The earlier generation cellular networks are almost entirely gone and rolled into LTE and 5G.

2G Shutdowns

T-Mobile is the only carrier that still utilizes a 2G network in the United States. It was originally announced the T-Mobile 2G network would be shut down in January 2023 and then April, 2024. The date is now set for Sep 1, 2024.  T-Mobile's 2G has been able to continue to exist even past 3G shutdowns because the remaining legacy 2G network uses only a few small slices of spectrum that aren't used for 3G, LTE, or 5G - and some legacy 2G systems like wireless home alarms have been slow to upgrade.

Verizon shut down its 2G network at the end of 2020, and AT&T shut down theirs in 2017. Sprint's 2G network was shut down in 2022 when T-Mobile shut down the Sprint 3G network after the two companies merged.

3G Shutdowns

All the major carriers have shut down their 3G networks, and older devices are now left behind in the dustbin of technological history. 3G may still be found in some small local and regional providers and in some other countries, but even where 3G remains, it is likely transitioning to newer technology.

At this point, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have all forced 3G-only and incompatible 4G devices that still require a 3G connection from their networks, and they refuse to activate any of these older devices.

Here is the history and a summary of each carrier's 3G shutdown, along with relevant links:

Verizon - December 31, 2022

• 3G was officially shut down on December 31, 2022.
• Here are Verizon's 3G/CDMA shutdown information and support articles:
  • Verizon CDMA Network Retirement Consumer Support Article
  • Verizon CDMA Network Retirement Business Support Article
  • Verizon List of Incompatible Devices.

AT&T - February 22nd, 2022

• 3G is officially gone as of February 22, 2022.
• Those considering the purchase of a used device or phone should ensure it is on one of AT&T's compatibility lists:
  • AT&T Phone and hotspot Whitelist
  • AT&T Unlocked Device Compatibility List
  • AT&T IoT Certified Devices List/Database
• Cricket (AT&T Prepaid Subsidiary) Shutdown information:

T-Mobile -  July 1, 2022

• Official T-Mobile Network Evolution Page - T-Mobile officially shut down its 3G network on July 1st, 2022. 
• Sprint
  • Sprint's 3G CDMA network was retired on May 31, 2022.
• T-Mobile customers can check compatibility with T-Mobile's IMEI Check tool. LTE devices and phones that are VoLTE compatible should continue to work after the shutdowns.

At this point, any devices from the pre-LTE era will not work on current networks.

Most 4G/LTE data-only devices weren't affected by the 3G shutdowns, but a few were because they utilize 3G for authentication. Some of these older 4G data devices required firmware updates to ensure compatibility.

On the other hand, many early 4G smartphones were impacted because they actually relied on 3G for voice calls. Only phones compatible with VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) are compatible after the 3G network shutdown - the carriers have kicked those devices off the network or forced users to upgrade.

Upcoming 4G Shutdowns

4G and LTE service will continue to be supported by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile into the foreseeable future - probably until the end of this decade at least.

However, on June 30th, 2022, T-Mobile shut down the Sprint 4G/LTE network and is using that spectrum for the T-Mobile 5G network.

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The 5G Present & Future

The 5G world is upon us, has evolved at a furious pace, and continues to do so.

5G is full of promise, confusion, and boastful marketing claims that may not square with reality. But 5G is the future.

Fifth-generation 5G cellular networks allow for much faster peak speeds and substantially lower network latency, enabling cellular networks to support vastly more connected devices.

The eventual goal of 5G networks will be to enable ridiculously fast peak cellular data rates of over 10 Gbps, with network latency as low as 1 ms.

This represents a 50x increase in network throughput and capacity compared to typical 4G/LTE networks – and will truly represent a significant generational shift when these technologies are fully deployed.

Delivering this impressive performance requires new radio technologies and chunks of wireless spectrum.

It's a new world with many confusing new specifications. Each carrier approaches its 5G deployment differently depending on its available spectrum, but eventually, 5G technology will be available on low, mid, and high band frequencies, each balancing range and speed. 

5G Phases

Just like LTE, 5G technology and performance advance with new specifications from the 3GPP, the organization that defines mobile broadband standards worldwide.

These standards include marketing names along with the specific specifications with numbered releases.  Here are the current ones:

• 5G Phase 1 - 3GPP Specification Release 15
  • Covers most 5G devices from 2018 through 2022.
• 5G Phase 2 - 3GPP Specification Release 16 & 17
  • Devices with this specification started coming out in late 2021.
• 5G Advanced - 3GPP Specification Release 18+
  • Expected on devices starting in 2025.

And, just like 4G/LTE went through many upgrades over the years, the technical standards defining 5G will continue to evolve - this list will grow over time.

For a full, deep dive into 5G technology, see our related guides: 

First, start with our overview guide:

5G Fundamentals

Next, we have a resource collection setup with all of our 5G news stories & guides that address different aspects of 5G:

5G Resource Center

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What Is Beyond 5G?

The 5G standard is designed to last a decade or more - well past 2030.

And like 4G/LTE before it, 5G is designed to evolve and advance in a compatible fashion over time, getting faster and more capable every year.

During the 2020s, carriers will slowly shift 4G capacity to 5G, dedicating those radio channels to 5G service or hybrid 4G/5G service.

And then, perhaps in the early 2030s, we'll start to see the process begin to repeat all over again, with a slow transition to 6G beginning...

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Reality Check: Speed And Capacity

Cellular companies love to brag about how fast their networks are.

But, once the connection is fast enough to stream HD video (around 5 Mbps), do most mobile users really need anything faster?

Faster and more responsive surfing is nice, but with data plan use restrictions (e.g., hotspot caps, video throttling) and potential overage charges, there are very real downsides to speeding down the information highway too quickly.

Why, then, are carriers so gung-ho about ever-faster networks?

The key is capacity.

The faster the network can serve you whatever you’ve asked for, the faster it can move on to serving the next person.

With only so much spectrum to go around and networks in many areas already oversaturated, more speed is almost a matter of survival. This is why the carriers were so eager to shut down 3G networks quickly - slower 3G data networks hog up more network airtime compared to LTE and 5G, so it costs carriers more to serve 3G data than it would to send the same data to 4G/LTE or 5G users.

In short, newer technology allows carriers to provide faster service for more people and devices simultaneously using the same spectrum.

Capacity and speeds have already hit their peak with what LTE can provide. Carriers want to transition to 5G quickly to provide more speed and capacity.

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Summary: 5G Is Here But Still Evolving

Cellular technology is not a fixed technology. It has been constantly evolving for over 40 years to accommodate increased demands on speed and capacity. As carriers each evolve their networks, consumers must keep their cellular devices current to maximize their access. 

Understanding the constant evolution is critical to balancing the cost of upgrading equipment and keeping technology current with your individual connectivity needs.