In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the generational evolution of mobile communication technology, starting with analog voice calls, moving through LTE and 5G, and heading toward 6G.
In a recent television commercial, Darth Vader—a character from the “Star Wars” movies—appears and shouts “WARP!” at the last possible moment to escape a crisis. What is the message behind this short but impactful 15-second ad that captured consumers’ attention? Following the scene described above, the word “LTE” appears on the screen, and it is precisely these three letters—LTE—that deserve our attention. An acronym for “Long Term Evolution,” LTE represents a significant advancement over existing mobile communication technologies and was widely used at the time as the term for fourth-generation (4G) mobile technology. It is commonly abbreviated as 4G (The 4th Generation). Mobile communication technology has evolved rapidly alongside the growth of the smartphone market since the advent of the world’s first cell phone, and it has now established itself as a core infrastructure connecting data and various digital services—going far beyond simply providing voice calls. So, how did the generational shifts in mobile communication technology occur?
In an era when the mere idea of making a call while on the move was fascinating and astonishing, the first-generation mobile communication technology that made this possible was developed. Although this technology, based on analog systems, was limited to voice calls, it was nothing short of a marvel at the time. It was this technology that made the world’s first cell phone possible. In South Korea, first-generation mobile communication services began when Korea Mobile Communications Service Co., Ltd.—the predecessor of SK Telecom—launched a car phone service; subsequently, as cell phones became widespread, the golden age of first-generation mobile communications arrived. However, first-generation analog mobile communications soon gave way to second-generation digital mobile communications.
Second-generation mobile communication technology surpassed its predecessor by enabling data transmission such as text messages and email, while also significantly increasing capacity and improving call quality. The leading standards for second-generation mobile communications were the European GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and the American CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access); in South Korea, the CDMA standard was adopted. At the time, CDMA offered the advantage of requiring fewer base stations and lower operating costs compared to GSM, as well as a shorter installation time. This was also the period when mobile phones became smaller and a variety of phone designs coexisted.
Since existing 2G mobile communication systems used different standards depending on the country and region, limitations arose in various areas, such as international roaming. To overcome these limitations, global mobile communication companies and individual nations established international standards, and as a result, 3G mobile communication technology began to emerge. The most significant feature of 3G mobile communication technology was its ability to transmit both voice and non-voice data. Non-voice data includes a variety of content such as photos, music, and videos. Additionally, 3G technology offered faster speeds than its predecessors, and because it utilized a globally accepted standard, it began to gain prominence thanks to the convenience of automatic roaming. Furthermore, with the advent of smartphones, 3G (Third Generation) networks came into full use and served as the foundation for widespread mobile data services until the widespread adoption of LTE.
Currently, mobile communications have moved beyond the fourth generation and entered the era of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications. LTE has evolved as the representative technology of 4G, and its performance has been further enhanced through technologies such as LTE-Advanced. In the past, LTE download speeds were simply described by specific numerical values; however, actual usage speeds vary depending on factors such as frequency, base station environment, device performance, and network configuration, making it difficult to describe them with a single figure. 5G is a mobile communication technology that aims not only for higher data transmission speeds than LTE but also for low latency and massive device connectivity. South Korea is not merely one of the first countries in the world to launch commercial 5G services based on smartphones; it is recognized as the first country to achieve this milestone, and 5G has now become an established part of everyday mobile communication services. Furthermore, 5G is not stopping here but is evolving into 5G-Advanced. 3GPP Release 18 is the first standard release for 5G-Advanced, improving the capabilities of existing 5G and expanding functionality in various areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, satellite communications, positioning, and energy efficiency.
So, how will mobile communication technology evolve in the future? In the past, many predicted that 5G would usher in the era of “ubiquitous” communication. “Ubiquitous” refers to an information and communications environment where users can freely access the network regardless of location, without being conscious of the presence of the network or computers. In fact, 5G has evolved to connect not only people to people but also people to things and things to things, and the future of mobile communication technology is now moving toward 6G. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines 6th-generation mobile communications as IMT-2030 and presents immersive communications, ultra-reliable low-latency communications, massive connectivity, ubiquitous connectivity, the convergence of artificial intelligence and communications, and the integration of communications and sensing as key application scenarios. Currently, 6G is not yet a commercialized technology but is in the process of defining international standards and technical requirements. Thus, mobile communication technology is evolving beyond simply providing faster connectivity to encompass artificial intelligence, sensing, satellite communications, and hyper-connected environments. Faster and more convenient mobile communication technology will continue to transform human life and the industrial landscape, ushering in a new era of communication.
