Network specifications.

Of different mobile network generations. Comparison is based on access

technology, modulation techniques, architecture, data rate, frequency spectrum
and applications.

Shivam rishi
ARCHITECTURE/HARDWARE
Parameters 2G 2.5G 3G/UMTS/LTE 4G

Switching MSC MSC/SGSN-GGSN MSS-MGW/SGSN- Evolved packet

GGSN core

Circuit core domain MSC MSC MSS-MGW Evolved packet

core

Packet core - SGSN-GGSN SGSN-GGSN Evolved packet

domain core

Radio network and MS- BTS-BSC MS-BTS-BSC USERS-NodeB IP channel-eNodeB

components -RNC

Core PSTN PSTN PSTN/ISDN ISDN

Overlay network No yes Yes yes

Parameters 2G/2.5G 3G 3.5G/LTE 4G

Modulation GMSK QPSK/64-PSK OFDM OFDM

technique

Access technology TDMA/FDMA W-CDMA W-CDMA OFDMA

Data rate 9.6-30 Kbps(2G) 300-600 Kbps 3.1-73.5 100-1000 Mbps

20-130 Kbps(2.5G) Mbps(3.5G)
100-200
Mbps(LTE)

Applications Calling/WAP Video Calling VOLTE High speed internet

access/Voice over
4G
Access technology
Different access technologies enable multiple users to access same channel simultaneously.
Access technologies divide channel resources between consumers to enable multiple access
with minimal delay.
2G/2.5G access technology
2G networks use a combination of FDMA and TDMA in order to enable multiple access to the same
channel simultaneously. Each 2G frequency spectrum is divided into frequency bands of 200
KHz(FDMA) and each frequency band is divided in 8 time slots( TDMA) as shown in figure.
3G/LTE access technology
3G networks utilize CDMA (code division multiple access) for multiple user access. Two standards for
3G include CDMA2000 and UTMS. UTMS uses W-CDMA which stands for wide band code division
multiple access, it has higher spectral efficiency and bandwidth for users.

4G access technology/VOLTE network access

4G networks use OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) in order to cater for high bit
rate in 4G networks based on IP networks.
 Modulation techniques
Modulation techniques are used to send digital data over band pass channel

2G/2.5G 2.75(EDGE) 3G networks 4G/LTE networks

NETWORKS networks
3G networks 4G and LTE networks
GMSK(gaussian generally use use OFDM in which
minimum phase 8 phase key QPSK for data digital data is carried on
key shifting) to shifting transmission, multiple frequencies
facilitate GPRS however close to each other
transmission modulation is rather than a wideband
increased to 64- signal.
QAM when SNR is
high
DATA rate
Data rate determines the speed of any network, it is dependent on core and radio part of the network
architecture,

2G NETWORKS 2.75(EDGE) 3G networks 3.5G networks 4G/LTE

networks networks
9.6-30 kbps 300-600 kbps 3.1-73.5 Mbps
20-130 kbps LTE: 100-
200Mbps

4G(fully IP):
100-1000 Mbps
Frequency spectrum (Mhz)
Each iteration of mobile network generation utilize different frequency bands for transmission

2G NETWORKS 3G UMTS 4G/LTE networks

networks
GSM: 800, FDD: total 248 frequency
900,1800,19000 FDD: 850, bands
900,1700,2100,
CDMAOne: 1800 TDD: total 48 frequncy bands
450,800,1700,1900
TDD: 1900- Found in appendix technical
2100 data
Applications
Applications of a network are determined by architecture, speed, latency of the network.

2G NETWORKS 2.75(EDGE) 3G networks 3.5G/LTE 4G networks

networks networks
Voice calling Video calling Voice over 4G,
Voice Video calling broadband data
calling/WAP /VOLTE access, high
speeds