Maarg Manthan · Topic 14.7

Evolution of Telecommunication and Mobile Generations (3G, 4G, VoLTE, 5G)

Science & Technology › IT, Telecommunications and Computers · Topic 14.7

Telecommunication began with the electric telegraph of Samuel Morse in 1837 and the telephone of Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, followed by radio, television, satellites and optical fibre. Mobile telephony has passed through generations. First generation, 1G, was analogue voice in the 1980s. Second generation, 2G, brought digital voice and text through GSM or CDMA in the 1990s. Third generation, 3G, added mobile internet at megabit speeds in the 2000s. Fourth generation, 4G, based on Long Term Evolution, gave all-IP broadband, and Voice over LTE, VoLTE, carries calls as data on the 4G network. Fifth generation, 5G, uses new radio with very high speed, very low delay and the ability to connect huge numbers of devices. India's first mobile call was made in Kolkata on 31 July 1995, and 5G services started on 1 October 2022.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Science & Technology · IT, Telecommunications and Computers

At a Glance

1G Analogue voice
2G Digital voice and SMS
3G Mobile internet
4G / LTE All-IP broadband
5G Speed, low latency, many devices
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Science & Technology: IT, Telecommunications and Computers

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the account of display technologies. It moves to the networks that connect devices, and it sets the base for the later topics on the internet, spectrum and smartphones. Previous topic: Display Technologies: Cathode Ray, LCD, LED, Plasma, OLED. Next topic: Internet, WWW, IP, URL, HTTP.

What Are the Mobile Generations?

Generation	Features
1G (1980s)	Analogue voice only, using systems such as AMPS. Poor quality, no security, large handsets
2G (1990s)	Digital voice and SMS using GSM or CDMA, with better quality and encryption. GPRS and EDGE (2.5G) added slow data
3G (2000s)	Mobile broadband using WCDMA or CDMA2000, speeds of a few megabits per second. Enabled video calls and app use
4G (2010s)	Long Term Evolution and LTE-Advanced, an all-IP network with speeds of tens to hundreds of megabits per second. Supports HD video and streaming
VoLTE	Voice over LTE carries calls over the 4G data network, giving clearer voice, faster call set-up and simultaneous data use
5G (2020s)	New Radio standard. Peak speed up to several gigabits per second, latency of a few milliseconds, support for up to a million devices per square kilometre
6G	Under research for around 2030, with terahertz bands and integrated sensing and AI

What Are the 5G Features and the Indian Milestones?

Enhanced mobile broadband: very fast speeds for video, augmented and virtual reality
Ultra-reliable low latency communication: delays of about 1 millisecond for remote surgery, autonomous vehicles and industrial control
Massive machine type communication: connecting sensors in the Internet of Things, as in Internet of Things (IoT)
Network slicing: dividing a network into virtual parts with different qualities for different uses
Standalone and non-standalone: 5G can run on a new core or be added on top of a 4G core
Spectrum bands: low band (for example 700 MHz) for coverage, mid band (3300 MHz) for balance and millimetre wave (26 GHz) for very high speed, as in National Optical Fibre Network and Spectrum Management
First call in India: 31 July 1995, between Jyoti Basu in Kolkata and Sukh Ram in Delhi on the Modi Telstra network
3G and 4G in India: 3G launched by BSNL and MTNL in 2008, with spectrum auctioned in 2010. 4G started with LTE launches from 2012, and Reliance Jio launched in September 2016 with free VoLTE

What Else Should You Remember?

5G in India: spectrum auction in August 2022, launch at the India Mobile Congress on 1 October 2022, and operators like Jio and Airtel rolled out services quickly in cities and towns
Indigenous 5G: the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India and IIT teams developed a 5G test bed, and a 5G core and radio are being made by Indian firms
Standards: generations are defined by the International Telecommunication Union, as IMT-2000 for 3G, IMT-Advanced for 4G and IMT-2020 for 5G
3GPP: the global body that writes mobile standards
Bharat 6G Vision: released in March 2023, with a plan to be among leaders in 6G
GSM and CDMA: two 2G standards, GSM using SIM cards and time division, CDMA using spread spectrum codes
SIM and IMEI: identity of user and device, as in VSAT, SIM, IMEI and WiMax Technologies
Latency: delay between sending and receiving a signal, important for real-time use
Health concerns: the radiation from mobile towers is non-ionising, and India follows exposure limits set by the Government that are stricter than international guidelines
Digital divide: 5G is mostly in cities, so rural access needs more investment
Wireline: fixed broadband and fibre remain important for backhaul
Internet speeds: average mobile speeds in India rose sharply after 5G

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match generation and feature: analogue, digital, broadband, low latency
Terms: VoLTE, LTE, latency
Dates: 1995 first call, 2008 3G, 2016 Jio, 2022 5G
Current affairs link: 6G vision and 5G rollout
Common errors: saying that 2G was analogue or VoLTE is a 3G feature

As an analytical point, each generation widened what mobile networks can do. 5G is expected to matter less for phones and more for industry, health and transport, if devices and applications develop.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Generations Features
India Dates
5G Use cases

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the internet, the World Wide Web, IP addresses, URLs and HTTP. Next topic: Internet, WWW, IP, URL, HTTP.

Key People and Terms

GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
LTE Long Term Evolution
VoLTE Voice over LTE
Latency Signal delay
Network slicing Virtual network parts
NR New Radio

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

First Indian mobile call: 31 July 1995.
5G launch in India: 1 October 2022.
VoLTE = voice over 4G data.
2G = digital; 1G = analogue.
Jio launched: September 2016.

Do Not Confuse With

4G and VoLTE Data network versus voice service on it
GSM and CDMA SIM-based time division versus code division
Speed and latency Data rate versus delay

Memory Hook

Analogue, digital, internet, broadband, billions of things; 1995 first call, 2022 5G.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for features of generations and Indian dates. These points help.

Evolution 1G to 5G
5G use Industry
India Rollout and 6G

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Trace the evolution of mobile generations and discuss the potential of 5G for India’s economy and the challenges in its rollout.”

How to Answer

Generations 1G to 5G.
5G Speed, latency, devices.
India Rollout, 6G vision.
Challenges Cost, rural gap.

GS Relevance

Prelims: features of each generation, VoLTE, 5G use cases, Indian dates. GS Paper 3: science and technology, telecommunication.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 4G and 5G?

4G is an all-IP broadband mobile network based on Long Term Evolution, with speeds of tens to hundreds of megabits per second. 5G uses a new radio standard and higher frequency bands to give much higher speeds of several gigabits per second, very low delay of a few milliseconds, and the ability to connect far more devices.

What is VoLTE?

Voice over LTE, or VoLTE, is a technology that carries voice calls as data packets over a 4G LTE network instead of using older 2G or 3G circuits. It gives clearer voice, faster call set-up and allows high-speed data use during a call. Reliance Jio launched India's first all-VoLTE network in 2016.

When was 5G launched in India?

5G services were launched in India on 1 October 2022 at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi. The spectrum had been auctioned in August 2022, and Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel began rolling out services in major cities soon after, expanding to towns and districts in the following months.

What was the first mobile call in India?

The first mobile phone call in India was made on 31 July 1995 from Kolkata to Delhi, between West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, using the network of Modi Telstra, a joint venture. Commercial mobile services then spread across cities over the next years.

What are the main use cases of 5G?

5G supports three main kinds of use: enhanced mobile broadband for very fast video and immersive media, ultra-reliable low latency communication for remote surgery, autonomous vehicles and factory control, and massive machine type communication for connecting large numbers of sensors in the Internet of Things.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 First generation mobile systems were analogue.

True

Voice only.

2 VoLTE is a feature of 3G networks.

False

It runs on 4G LTE.

3 5G services were launched in India on 1 October 2022.