Developers began work on third generation (3G) technology which made use of
packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission – enabling
speeds of up to three megabytes per second compared to 2G speeds of 240
kilobytes per second.
On 3G networks, mobile television and highspeed browsing finally became a
reality. The launch of Apple Inc’s first iPhone in 2007 saw mobile applications
(often referred to as “apps”) gain mainstream popularity.
As with most technology, development on mobile browsing continues
constantly. Several 3G networks are already struggling to support the increasing
number and demands of users. As of the writing of this book the next step for
consumers and developers is 4G technologies, allowing for transfer speeds of
up to 100 gigabytes per second. Although available in some countries, 4G is yet
to spread globally.
The top level domain name .mobi was launched in 2006 specifically for mobile
websites.