Wireless generations last 10 years for commercial reasons.

Each cellular generation consists of mobile devices, cellular towers, and standards. Companies are clamoring to define 4G.

2G1990-2000
• circuit switched
• digital signals
• voice or data overlay
• 9-19 Kbps
• dial up
• voice:GSM, iDEN, IS-95
• data: CDPD, GPRS, EDGE

3G2000-2010
• packet switched
• isolated voice and data spectrum
• transparent roaming
• quality sound & video
• 2 Mbps data
• caller location
• voice: WCDMA (UMTS)| cdma2000 | TDD | UWC | FDD
• data: EV-DO, HSDPA

From here on, are my best projections.

4G 2010-2020
• pure digital
• entirely packet switched
• all internet protocol
•70 Mbps data multicast mode, 20 Mbs symmetric
• dynamic bandwidth allocation of voice or data
• call transience and data context transference
• topology extension to all IP radios including WiFi
• many IP devices in one conversation
• variable casting and peering topology
• antenna array
• Wi-Max | LTE | 802.20

5G2020-2030
• multi-spectral
• hundreds of IP devices in one conversation
• multiple machine conversations - M2M protocols
• robotic bus
• 500 mbps symmetric
• IPv6 with superPAN microaddressing
• software defined radio architecture
• software defined antenna
• parametric signal, sense and multisychronous protocols
• global interoperability with full presence roaming

6G2030-2040
• multi-interval code interlays
• compound-spectral multi-band
• microspectral pure channels
• virtual 10 Gbps continuous
• personal carrier
• derivative protocols
• integrated multichannel
• variable "blanket" topologies
• multidefinition ambimedia carrier & signal

Essay on the technical forecast for future of wireless networks is currently private.

Wiki on 3G

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