Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G
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Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.

Global leap to 4G and 5G would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.

  • Telecom companies aim to profit from the 2G-to-5G transition as governments worldwide face pressure to free up mobile spectrum.
  • Vietnam is the latest country to shut down 2G by offering free 4G phones to the poor.
  • India and South Africa have expressed concern that the strategy would cut off phone access for millions of vulnerable people.
    • cynar@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      1 day ago

      5g is a lot more capable and flexible compared to older generations. The main one is a massive increase in capacity, for the same frequency allocations. Compounding with this is that it can be directional. This allows several phones to use the exact same channel simultaneously, so long as they are positioned at different angles to the tower.

      5g also uses more frequency bands, allowing even more data to be moved around. Unfortunately, 2g has most of the lower frequencies, higher frequencies carry more data, but have less penetration into buildings.

      Finally, 5g allows for priority and context awareness. E.g. the police can have their phones prioritised, or VoIP calls given priority over video streaming. It can also trade bandwidth for range. This allows a tower to either reach further to cover a larger area, or focus down, to provide more bandwidth locally.

      In theory 5g could have a similar range to 2g. However, that rarely happens. It requires it using the lower frequencies, that 2g currently uses, and well as dropping its data rate to improve range. Most of the time it’s optimised for shorter range, and more towers using higher frequencies. This gives impression of a far smaller range. But give a huge increase is available bandwidth.

      • SplashJacksonEnglish
        2·
        22 hours ago

        Thanks for the real answer! If it can be directional, presumably this would be good for positioning as well?

        • cynar@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          To an extent. You are still talking 20-40 degree windows, but triangulation is definitely possible. I’m not sure if it’s used like that however.

        • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
          1·
          10 hours ago

          If you divide an inequality by a negative number you have to flip the sign.

          If you want to divide out the g before knowing if it’s positive or negative you need to make the case distinction.

          If you make the case distinction and one branch results in a false statement (5 < 2 in this case), you have disproven the original inequality, or at least discovered a constraint on the original inequality. Then you arrive back at FooBarrington’s statement that includes the constraint :-)

          • SyntaxError@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            12 hours ago

            Zero g is only available in special airplanes and in space, so not much of a worry for most people.

            • jim3692@discuss.onlineEnglish
              1·
              12 hours ago

              Damn it! I was dreaming of one day scrolling Lemmy on a 0g connection. You ruined my dreams and I am sad now.

        • FooBarrington@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          1 day ago

          I don’t believe in such trite charlatanery

          “But I’ve learned about imaginary numbers in mathematics degree” well, that and $20 dollars will buy you an egg

        • WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          4·
          1 day ago

          Already unable to make use of 4G’s capabilities, virtually nobody feels the speed of 5G. and I’m not an average user, I’m making use of my uncapped home internet!

          • Revan343English
            2·
            1 day ago

            I would probably notice the difference if I had cellular home internet, so I could see the use there. Oh my phone, yeah, the only way I can tell is by watching for the icon to change

    • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      91·
      2 days ago

      The “g” stands for generation. So it’s the 5th iteration of the technology versus the 2nd iteration. Whilst there are many improvements (speed, capacity, security etc) there are some negatives. (I believe mainly to do with signal penetration - i.e. getting a signal in basements, stone wall houses, being behind objects etc.)

      Where I’m currently staying I have: 2G, edge, 4G and 5G signals available.

    • Allero@lemmy.todayEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      Obviously Internet speed and call quality, plus there are many good technical changes under the hood, such as proper isolation of calls etc.

      • Excigma@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 day ago

        I think it handles congestion better and saves energy for the cell tower. It’s a good choice for crowded city centres, near university campuses and train stations where many people frequent