1G (first generation) refers to the analogmobile telecommunications standards introduced in the late 1970s. The term was later applied retroactively to distinguish these earlycellular network systems from later digital generations.
The first commercial cellular network was launched byNippon 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 aroundChicago in 1978.[1]
TheNordic countries jointly developed theNordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) standard, first deployed in Sweden in 1981. NMT introduced internationalroaming, a feature later adopted by other systems. In 1983,Ameritech launched the first 1G network in the United States using theAdvanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and theMotorola 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]
1G introduced thecellular 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 toland mobile radio systems.
Analog cellular standards of the 1G era included:[4]
By the early 1990s, analog 1G systems were replaced by digitalGSM andcdmaOne 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.
Cellular network standards | |||||||||
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| 0Gradio 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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