1G (first generation) refers to the analog mobile telecommunications standards introduced in the late 1970s. The term was later applied retroactively to distinguish these early cellular network systems from later digital generations.
History
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The first commercial cellular network was launched by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) in Japan in 1979, initially covering Tokyo. Within five years it expanded nationwide and became the world’s first full-scale cellular system. Earlier, Bell Laboratories tested a network around Chicago in 1978.[1]
The Nordic countries jointly developed the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) standard, first deployed in Sweden in 1981. NMT introduced international roaming, a feature later adopted by other systems. In 1983, Ameritech launched the first 1G network in the United States using the Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and the Motorola DynaTAC handset.
By the mid-1980s, 1G networks operated across most of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Adoption varied: Western Europe and North America expanded rapidly, while Eastern Europe and parts of Africa adopted the technology later due to economic and political limits.[2]
Technology
[edit]1G introduced the cellular network concept—dividing service areas into cells, each served by a low-power transmitter, which enabled frequency reuse and higher capacity.[3] Although some parts of the network backbone used digital signaling, voice transmission between handset and base station remained analog, typically using frequency modulation similar to land mobile radio systems.
Standards
[edit]Analog cellular standards of the 1G era included:[4]
- Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) – United States and other regions[5]
- Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) – Nordic countries and parts of Eastern Europe
- Total Access Communication System (TACS) – United Kingdom and other regions
- C-450 – West Germany, Portugal, and South Africa
- Radiocom 2000 – France, operated by France Télécom
- RTMI – Italy
- MCS-L1 and MCS-L2 – Japan, developed by NTT
- JTACS – Japan, variant of TACS operated by DDI
Transition to 2G
[edit]By the early 1990s, analog 1G systems were replaced by digital GSM and cdmaOne networks, which offered higher capacity, encryption, and text messaging. Most 1G networks were decommissioned by the early 2000s, though some persisted longer in remote or developing regions. The last known operational 1G service, in Russia, closed in 2017.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Shi, Mingtao (2007). Technology base of mobile cellular operators in Germany and China: a comparative study from the perspective of the resource-based view (in German). Berlin: Technische Universität Berlin. p. 60. ISBN 9783798320574.
- ^ Shi, Mingtao (2007). Technology base of mobile cellular operators in Germany and China: a comparative study from the perspective of the resource-based view (in German). Berlin: Technische Universität Berlin. p. 63. ISBN 9783798320574.
- ^ Shi, Mingtao (2007). Technology base of mobile cellular operators in Germany and China: a comparative study from the perspective of the resource-based view (in German). Berlin: Technische Universität Berlin. p. 56. ISBN 9783798320574.
- ^ "To open or not to open a technological system: insights from the history of mobile phones and their application to 5G" (PDF). Charles River Associates. May 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
- ^ "Advanced Mobile Phone System". Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
Cellular network standards | |||||||||
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| 0G radio telephones (1946) | |||||||||
| 1G (1979) |
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| 2G (1991) |
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| 2G transitional (2.5G, 2.75G, 2.9G) |
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| 3G (1998) IMT-2000 (2001) |
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| 3G transitional (3.5G, 3.75G, 3.9G) |
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| 4G (2009) IMT Advanced (2013) |
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| 5G (2018) IMT-2020 (2021) |
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| Related articles | |||||||||
