Mobile technology is a broad term that includes portable two-way communication devices, such as smartphones, tablets and watches, and the networking technologies that connect them. The systems that link these devices are commonly known as mobile networks, which enable speech, data and applications (mobile apps) to be shared among them.
Cellular mobile phones use a network of radio cells to transmit and receive calls, texts and data. The antennas in these cells send signals that your phone picks up just like a radio station picks up the signals of a local radio broadcast.
Smartphones are the latest mobile technology. These smartphones have evolved from basic two-way pagers to big multitasking computers that can do things such as instant messaging, GPS navigation and online shopping. They’re the logical conclusion of a progression that began with notebook computers, mobile telephones (flip phones) and handheld GPS-navigation devices.
Mobile networks are constantly improving, increasing their speed and the capacity of data they can carry. The first generation of cellular mobile phone standards, 1G, emerged in the 1980s. These used large phones that had to be mounted on top of cars because they were too heavy to hold. 2G, which used digital technology to allow text messaging, came about in the 1990s. 3G networks introduced packet switching, which breaks down larger amounts of information into smaller packets for transmission over the mobile network, and reassembles it at its destination.
4G is the current cellular network standard, providing fast internet on mobile phones. And 5G, which uses aggregated frequency bands to unlock greater bandwidth, is coming soon.