Every new generation yields new technological advancements, which have been vital
in the development of mobile phone technology and communication. Briefly, the second
generation (2G) introduced the use of digital transmission and the number of cellular sites
drastically increased, which lead to smaller and less bulky phones due to advancements in
battery technology and more energy-efficient electronics. This generation also introduced
SMS (short message service) text messaging and the ability to access and download
media, such as ring tones. Further, the third generation network saw innovations in
networking and data transfer that allowed for faster network connection times, faster data
transfer rates and connection speeds, and better quality of service over the network.
These innovations allowed for Internet browsing and the real-time streaming of
multimedia content, such as audio and video. Currently, a fourth generation network has
been introduced, however it is still very early in its conception and is not in widespread
use. The 4G network is emerging because the widely used 3G network is reaching its
capacity for networking due to the large number of users on the network and streaming
applications that are bandwidth-intensive. The fourth generation network eliminates
circuit switching and utilizes a “multi-spectrum/multi-antennae” arrangement and an “allIP”
packet switched network to increase network performance, quality and bandwidth.
[6] 3G, and the promising 4G, networking innovations and advances have caused mobile
phones to gain popularity and ubiquity. The wide spread use and promise of these
networks have motivated mobile phone manufacturers to develop better hardware,
software, and user interfaces for this platform