2G
| Mobile phone standards |
| 0G: ARP |
| 1G |
| 2G |
| 2.5G |
| 2.75G: EDGE |
| 3G |
| 3.5G |
| 4G |
2G (or 2-G) is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. It cannot normally transfer data, such as email or software, other than the digital voice call itself, and other basic ancillary data such as time and date. Nevertheless, SMS messaging is also available as a form of data transmission for some standards.
2G services are frequently referred as Personal Communications Service or PCS in the US.
2G technologies can be divided into TDMA-based and CDMA-based standards depending on the type of multiplexing used. The main 2G standards are:
- GSM (TDMA-based), originally from Europe but used worldwide
- IDEN (TDMA-based), proprietary network used by Nextel in the United States and Telus Mobility in Canada
- IS-136 aka D-AMPS, (TDMA-based, commonly referred as simply TDMA in the US), used in the Americas
- IS-95 aka cdmaOne, (CDMA-based, commonly referred as simply CDMA in the US), used in the Americas and parts of Asia
- PDC (TDMA-based), used exclusively in Japan
2.5G services are already available in many countries and 3G will be widely available in many countries during 2004. Work on 4G has already started although its scope is not clear yet.