Knowing how mobile networks work is not usual unless you are a telecommunications lover. We usually learn how to use a phone and make calls, send messages and connect to our social profiles.
However, to make that possible, there is an arduous communication work behind that includes, of course, a mobile network, which is the channel through which all the information you exchange with the world.
Today we will see precisely what mobile networks are, how they work, what they are for and what exist, with their corresponding differentiating features .
Index:
What are mobile data networks and what are they for?
A mobile data network is the system required for communication between a control panel and the devices that connect to it (in this case, mobile phones) and also between exchanges .
This consists of visible and non-visible elements: antennas, radio waves, transmitters and receivers (found in communication towers or base stations), traffic generating devices, a network core and , of course, the mobile devices with which we communicate, which are the points at which information is opened, expanded or interpreted, reaching the final receiver ( the user).
Each network works on a geographic area, which is normally delimited in a grid with cells . In these stations are placed; This is usually done either at the vertex between several cells or in the center of each of them. This is decided based on the conditions of the place (physically) and the number of phones that will use the network.
How does a mobile data network really work?
We will begin by indicating that the network by itself is not able to fulfill its function towards the user. In addition to this, it is necessary to find switching telephone exchanges to connect to, and that are between the mobile network system and our telephone.
That said, it should be noted that communication between phones is made possible by sending and receiving radio signals , which have a low power. So that they can travel to nearby points, they exchange with the signals of nearby antennas (which connect with radio transmitters and receivers and which, in turn, are also connected to the other telephone networks) , being able, in this way, to “bounce” to move as far as necessary, carrying the message both on the same network and on a different one that the recipient of the message is using.
When we call from a mobile phone, it begins by studying the coverage in the area where it is located to check if there is sufficient strength to meet the needs of the call.
If there is a case where adequate coverage is available, there is a connection to the nearest telephone station, which is the one that truly establishes the call and provides support to keep it until One of the two participants in the conversation hangs up or until there is insufficient coverage at that base station.
Of course, the concept has developed a lot, coming into play the SMS sending , the MMS, the video calls and, of course, the internet access from mobile devices. This has obviously meant that the needs are different and that the networks have had to be modified according to them.
What types of mobile networks are there and what do the connection symbols mean?
Advances in telephony and communication in general have allowed us to use (and have used) several different mobile networks over the decades . These are the main mobile connection symbols :
GSM or 2G
The acronym meant, in the beginning, Group Special Mobile and, currently, Global System for Mobile Communication . It has also been known as the 2G network for being the second generation. This is the first system for entirely digital mobile phones . It was with this network that the use of these devices became accessible to all.
It offers very good results in voice communication but is not suitable for working with data , since the speed handled between the network and the device was, in the first instance, 900 bits per second . This is possible but becoming very slowly and never in combination with voice calls.
It uses the frequency bands GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900 . Although there are currently many others that we will see below, all phones are still compatible with at least one of those bands so that the user makes use of the 2G network at times when he does not need anything more elaborate.
GPRS
It is the acronym for General Packet Radio System . This network is the 2.5G network. Born to solve the problem of sending non-switched data network-phone , getting a speed of 56000 up to 144000 bits per second (network to mobile, conversely the 9600 were maintained).
This is ideal because when we connect to the internet, it is usual to receive much more data than we send, so maintaining a low speed in the telephone-network direction is adequate to not consume more battery than necessary. Its system consists in the use of several spaces that are not used when we do not use the voice , which multiplies the speed.
EDGE
The name means Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution . It is the unknown 2.75G network. It is a version of the previous one that does increase speed as we get closer to the antenna . We find a modulation of data that differs to achieve it.
UMTS or 3G
Although we know it as 3G , its name is UMTS, from Universal Mobile Telecommunication System . For society it is an absolute change: video calls are allowed and the data connection is given at 384000 bits per second .
The operation in terms of coverage prioritizes nearby devices , which now receive the bulk of the antenna’s resources, leaving those far away. Therefore, many more antennas (3-1) are necessary to offer the same coverage. As it is evident, the speed requires power and this, battery consumption, the main reason why we still find users that use only 2G .
HSPA
This network is the High Speed Packet Access , known as 3.5G. It stands out for exceeding even the speed of many ADSL services, with up to 14.4 MBit / s central-device .
Then, we find that there are two variants of this, which are the HSDPA and the HSUPA , which will improve the speed in this direction in reverse respectively, reaching 2 MBit / s in the case of the latter.
HSPA +
This is the evolution of the HSPA network and, in summary, what it offers is an increase up to 88 Mbps in the direction of the central unit and 22 Mbps in the opposite direction . Therefore, it would be the 3.75G network.
LTE or 4G
Abbreviating the term Long Term Evolution and known as 4G , as the fourth generation network, we have the LTE network. Work with the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing technology (OFDM) and stands out for solving the problem with 3G coverage at distant points. With it the coverage remains constant , there is a lot or a little.
It is quite advanced and we find it in a number of devices, although, we have to say that no operator still has the certainty that taking the step towards the 4G network eliminating the others is adequate, so that any current phone, you have the operator you have, will allow you to connect to it but also disable its connection to enjoy the benefits of 2G in cases where it is more convenient.
Even so, we already have two options of this standard: LTE FDD and LTE TDD . There are bands reserved for one and the other and each operator works with the most convenient license, although, we have no problem, because our phones support both. In the first case we find a communication given on two different frequencies that are within the same band. In the second, we find that two-way communication uses a single frequency.
LTE Advanced is a technology that includes MIMO , an effective tool that allows the use of both bands and up to four antennas , constituting what we know as Carrier Aggregation , which would be a functionality that allows us to receive information at 3 GBps and send it at 1.5 GBps.
LTE Advanced Pro (or 4.5G) goes one step further by exceeding the speed of fixed FFTH networks , which is achieved thanks to further development and use of up to four technologies. But, the most characteristic feature of this network is the use of the 5GHz WiFi band .
IMT-2022 or 5G
The 5G , which is often confused with the WiFi band we have just mentioned, is practically a reality, ready to reach us in 2022 (hence its name).
Its trivial capacity will be 100 Mbps and it is intended to reach even 10 Gbps depending on what circumstances. Its latency will be 1 ms , as it will be necessary of a high capacity channeling element to allow so much information to move, including data transmission and voice calls over VoLTE.