What is "1G" wireless technology? How does it relate to J2ME?

Created Oct 31, 2001

Bill Day

Cellular phone technologies have evolved in several major phases, denoted by "Generations", or "G" for short.

"1G" is short for first generation analog cellular technology (AMPS is one example of a 1G cellular system). Deployed during the 1980s, 1G technologies were designed to transmit voice phone calls from wireless handsets. Calls are sent in the clear, and are easy to intercept with a scanner.

As analog systems, 1G networks do not support wireless data. Because of this, they are only of historical interest for most J2ME developers. 1G technology has been obseleted by second generation, or 2G, cellular technologies, many of which do support J2ME enabled handsets.

You may also want to refer to the related FAQ entries on 2G, 2.5G, and 3G wireless technologies.