A digital mobile communications standard allowing for voice calls and limited data transmission.
‘3G handles both voice and data much more efficiently than 2G’
‘2G networks’
‘Battery life has also been improved, with the new phones only slightly worse than existing 2G phones, according to the FT.’
‘The downside is cost: WiFi chipsets are eight to ten times more expensive than 2G voice chipsets.’
‘Soon many people will have a 3G phone - which they will use on 2G networks.’
‘From that point on, we expect many 2G users to migrate to the more sophisticated service, which we'll price competitively.’
‘The company claims to have solved problems with calls "dropping off" when users move from 3G to 2G areas.’
‘Ubiquity, and blanket coverage, were the great drivers of 2G cellphone adoption.’
‘However, it has concentrated its 3G plans on countries where it already has existing second generation (2G) networks.’
‘One could argue that the US's fragmented 2G standards allowed Europe to jump way ahead.’
‘He estimates that the production cost of 2G phones was about 20% less than that of 3G handsets.’
‘We were joking but the underlying conundrum is serious: and it's how to lure 2G phone users into the 3G promised land.’
‘Technology has, in fact, evolved more quickly than anyone predicted and so we are already enjoying some 3G capabilities on existing 2G networks.’
‘In the mobile industry's huge rush to beat the competition, it is attempting to leap to 3G networks without even having got 2G phones working properly.’
‘There are three different network technologies, a 2G, 2.5G and the 3G.’
‘Will the services be cheap enough and sophisticated enough to persuade consumers to upgrade in big numbers from the current 2G?’
‘It's a great 2G phone of course, but to get the full value, you want packet data.’
‘However, growth in 2G services will not sustain that presence, and he expects a number of stores to be sold off.’
‘"Instead, operators must roll out 3G gradually in traffic hotspots, such as capital cities, where many 2G networks are already feeling the strain."’
‘But naming a technology that will do for 3G what SMS did for 2G had everyone scratching their heads.’
‘"We are creating one multi-speed, multimedia network; integrating 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi," he said.’
‘As US cellular users know only too well, maintaining decent 2G coverage even in densely populated strips such as the Valley's 101 Freeway out of San Jose is a minor miracle.’
Origin
1990s abbreviation of second generation.
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