The Mobile Network Evolution 1980s: Birth of 1G Analog Mobile Networks Early 2000s: 3G Mobile Networks Cater to Data Demand 1990s: 2G Mobile Networks Get Digital 1980 23,000 Subscriber s 2006 2.7B Subscriber s 1986 1.4M Subscriber s 1995 91M Subscriber s American user sends 35 SMS per month American user sends 144 SMS per month 10 min. to download a 3 min. mp3 Less than 1 min. to download a 3 min. mp3 1.1kg Weight 30min Talk time 10hr Charge time First mobile phone: When the first mobile network emerged in the 1980s, no one could have expected the kind of technology we have now. Even with the high performance of today’s 4G LTE networks, users are demanding more and communications service providers are poised to deliver. As the International Telecommunications Union delivers its roadmap for 5G delivery by 2020, let’s take a look back at how the mobile network evolution has shaped up and how it will change with 5G. While the benefits of mobile voice communication were groundbreaking, 1G was unencrypted and highly vulnerable to attacks such as eavesdropping and cell phone cloning. 3G network innovation was sparked by the need to support mobile phones as an integral part of everyday lives. The packet switching data transmission supported major speed increases over circuit switching in 2G. The digital, circuit-switched TDMA upgrade introduced three key benefits: encryption for greater security, greater efficiency in the radio spectrum, and the advent of data services. 1980s 2000s 1990s Inefficiencies over the radio spectrum prohibit any data transfer Network speeds 2.4kbps Network speeds range 144kbps to 2Mbps Network speeds 64kbps 1983 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X cost $3995 Poor compression degrades quality—though it’s improved over analog 1G Improve security even more with greater reliance on bandwidth and location services that enable new applications Media streaming (radio and television) became a reality over mobile networks 2007 to Present: 4G Mobile Networks Bring Phone Capabilities to New Heights By 2017 50% of the over 7B SIM connections will be on 4G LTE US operator revenue $1.15 trillion in 2014 5 min. to download a 2 hour movie While 3G was born out of a realization that mobile devices will be an integral part of our daily lives, 4G is meant to improve upon its capabilities. 2007 to Present 15 sec. to download a 3 min. mp3 Plethora of new use cases: IP telephony, new web access, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, 3D television and more 2020 2020 and Beyond: Where 5G Is Taking the Mobile Network The LTE Backhaul Challenge For more information about the mobile network evolution and ElastiNET’s ability to ease the service provider migration, contact ECI today! Source: Presentation on 1G/2G/3G/4G/5G Cellular and Wireless Technologies Source: CNET Article Source: Telsco.org Source: EmpireOne Source: Mobile Phone Market Growth Source: A Brief History of Text Messaging Source: ZDNet Article on 3G Source: GSMA Mobile Economy Report By 2020, the world is expected to have approximately 6.1 billion active smartphone users. 4G LTE networks offer advanced capabilities, but will crumble under the weight of data demands from so many devices. 5G promises to support all of the demands of our mobile future as it rolls out in 2020. The buzz surrounding 4G and 5G is only as valuable as our ability to solve the current LTE backhaul challenges. Scalability, the need for a flat architecture, and the persistence of legacy networks present challenges for the mobile network evolution. With ECI’s ElastiNET™, the LTE backhaul can improve due to: • Mobile network scalability and flexibility for handling microcell architectures • End-to-end packet transport • Multi-service capabilities • Simplified network control by decoupling transport and service layers Network speeds will reach 10Gbps Latency drops 50ms 1ms Few seconds to download a 2 hour movie US operator revenue will reach $1.4 trillion By 2020 Capacity 1000 times bigger Network supports 100 times more mobile connections