A little background
Since these letters appear on multiple phones, mobile internet users are probably familiar with them. You can find them as the letters G, E, H, and the 2-character symbols 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. Unbeknownst to many, these symbols have more profound meaning and significance.
Voice calls are no longer the main application of mobile phones. Millions of people now use smartphones to access the Internet using their smartphones. Depending on the progress of the telecom industry, the quality and speed of mobile Internet vary in different countries.
An example of this would be someone living in a rural area may receive H+ on their device, while someone living in a city may receive a higher Service like 4G. People aware of the technical difference between LTE and Evolved HSPA will immediately recognize that LTE offers significantly faster data transfer speeds.
Besides H+ and 5G, other symbols associated with your Internet Service provider represent the quality of Service you are receiving.
Now let us go further with Mobile Internet Symbols.
Let us first discuss the letter G, which stands for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). GPRS is the slowest Internet connection available on a mobile phone. Thus, if G appears near your signal strength indicator, expect that the connection will be at its slowest speed.
In the mobile industry, GPRS is referred to as second-generation technology, and its data rates are between 56 and 114 kbit/s, which is good enough for sending text messages.
Let’s move on to the following letter, E or EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution). In addition to being called Enhanced GPRS, this technology is located between 2G and 3G. This is why it is sometimes referred to as 2.5G.
Although EDGE is faster than GPRS, it is still not good enough to browse the Internet. Loading websites still takes a lot of time when your signal bar shows the letter E. On average, EDGE provides a data rate of 400 kbit/second, but under ideal conditions, this can reach 1 Mbit/second.
Let’s jump to 3G (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), based on the GSM standard, which marked the beginning of the mobile internet era. A 3G connection can achieve up to 42Mbps, although the slowest rate may reach the EDGE limit at 384kbps. With a 3G connection, you can browse the Internet smoothly, stream music and videos, and download and upload files.
This improved technology is known by its Name High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), commonly shown as H on the mobile signal bar, which extends the benefits of 3G in terms of an excellent mobile web browsing experience. HSPA can provide peak data rates of up to 14 Mbit/s for downlink and 5.76 Mbit/s for uplink, which is relatively higher than 3G.
Mobile technology did not stop improving despite the benefits of HSPA, resulting in its definitive version, H+/HDSPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), which offers even more features. The upgraded version is relatively faster data transfer in H+ will make your video download or stream much more smoothly.
While 4G, which will be discussed later, is the reigning mobile technology, Enhanced HSPA may be a viable substitute in places where it is unavailable. With this technology, an uplink speed of 22Mbit/s is possible, and a downlink speed of 42Mbit/s exists.
Since it is a form of 3G connectivity, WDCMA is not a unique technology but is recognized by the International Telecommunications Union. Due to its wide adoption, it is crucial to note this. The term refers to Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access. Surprisingly, GSM utilizes this technology. Through CDMA air interface, WCDMA in GSM speeds up data transmission.
Now that the fourth generation of mobile technology is here, called LTE (Long Term Evolution), you can experience wi-fi like the connection at home or the office. With such a connection, you can do everything on your mobile that you can do on your desktop.
Faster speeds? Who wouldn’t need that? In the 5th generation of mobile networks, virtually everything and everyone can be connected simultaneously, including devices, machinery, and objects.
Compared to 4G wireless technology, 5G wireless technology aims to deliver multi-gigabit peak data speeds, ultra-low latency, more excellent reliability, massive network capacity, and a uniform user experience to more people.
However, not every phone is compatible with a 5G network. Here is a simple list of 5G smartphones this 2022:
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- iPhone 13
- Samsung Galaxy A53
- iPhone 13 mini
- Google Pixel 5a
- iPhone 13 Pro
- OnePlus 10 Pro
To conclude, signal indicator bars show the signal data you are receiving at your current location. It is also common practice for mobile phone manufacturers to use a dull color (like gray) to indicate a weak or low density signal. In contrast, a bright color (like green) indicates a solid or continuous signal.
