What Is Second Generation Wireless (2G)?

Remember the good old days when your phone would ring, and you had to run down to your local payphone? Those were the days.2G was the second-generation wireless telephony technology, launched on the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard in 1991 by Radiolinja in Finland. The 2G network was initially designed to carry voice calls, but as internet access became more common and reliable in the late 1990s, SMS text messaging became available through 2G networks. In 1991, the world changed forever when they launched 2G wireless telephony technology. This new standard was based on the GSM standard, allowing people to communicate with each other over a cell phone network in real-time. It was revolutionary! Before this point, you had to be in a room with someone if you wanted to talk to them—and even then, there were no guarantees that they'd hear you over all of the other noise in their house or office. Now, with 2G, you can call anywhere, anytime! It didn't matter if your friend was standing right next to you or on the other side of town—you could still reach out and touch them through this fantastic technology. The second generation of mobile telephony (2G) was a significant step up from the first, and it gave us many of the features we take for granted today. The most significant upgrade to 2G was digital encryption, which allowed conversations to be protected from hacking. It was a big deal because all calls were transmitted in plain text in the early days of mobile phones. 2G also significantly changed efficiency on the spectrum, allowing for greater penetration by mobile phones. It means you can use your phone for more places than ever before! In addition to these improvements, 2G introduced mobile data services—starting with SMS text messaging—which means that more people had access to information about weather and traffic conditions at any time.