Editing 3G (section)

== History ==
[[File:Cellular network standards and generation timeline.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Cellular network standards and generation timeline.]]
3G technology was the result of research and development work carried out by the [[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU) in the early 1980s. 3G specifications and standards were developed in fifteen years. The technical specifications were made available to the public under the name IMT-2000. The communication spectrum between 400&nbsp;MHz to 3&nbsp;GHz was allocated for 3G. Both the government and communication companies approved the 3G standard. The first pre-commercial 3G network was launched by [[NTT DoCoMo]] in Japan in 1998,<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/1999/001070.html |title=A Brand New Mobile Millennium Ericsson/CATT/DoCoMo jointly demonstrate pioneering W-CDMA technology at PT/Wireless |publisher=NTT DOCOMO Global |date=9 November 1999 |access-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206060229/http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/1999/001070.html |archive-date=6 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> branded as [[FOMA]]. It was first available in May 2001 as a pre-release (test) of [[W-CDMA]] technology. The first commercial launch of 3G was also by NTT DoCoMo in Japan on 1 October 2001, although it was initially somewhat limited in scope;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://economists-pick-research.hktdc.com/|title=Economists' Pick |publisher=HKTDC Research|access-date=12 January 2020|archive-date=31 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331023724/http://economists-pick-research.hktdc.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadbandmag.co.uk/analysis/3G/3G.html|website=broadbandmag.co.uk|title=3G grinds to a start|access-date=7 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423070804/http://www.broadbandmag.co.uk/analysis/3G/3G.html|archive-date=23 April 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> broader availability of the system was delayed by apparent concerns over its reliability.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2001/04/43253|title=DoCoMo Delays 3G Launch | magazine=Wired | date=24 April 2001}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{cite web |last=Charny |first=Ben |date=2001-10-01 |title=World's first 3G phone network goes live |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/worlds-first-3g-phone-network-goes-live/ |access-date=2019-08-16 |publisher=ZDNet |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Kieren |date=2001-10-01 |title=World's first 3G network live today |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/10/01/worlds_first_3g_network_live/ |access-date=2019-08-16 |website=theregister.co.uk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2003-07-29 |title=THE EVOLUTION TO 3G MOBILE – STATUS REPORT |url=https://www.itu.int/itunews/issue/2003/06/thirdgeneration.html |access-date=2019-08-16 |website=itu.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-10-01 |title=First 3G mobiles launched in Japan |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1572372.stm |access-date=2019-08-16 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The first European pre-commercial network was an [[UMTS]] network on the [[Isle of Man]] by [[Manx Telecom]], the operator then owned by [[BT Group|British Telecom]], and the first commercial network (also UMTS based W-CDMA) in Europe was opened for business by [[Telenor]] in December 2001 with no commercial handsets and thus no paying customers.

The first network to go commercially live was by [[SK Telecom]] in South Korea on the CDMA-based [[1xEV-DO]] technology in January 2002. By May 2002, the second South Korean 3G network was by [[KT (telecommunication company)|KT]] on EV-DO and thus the South Koreans were the first to see competition among 3G operators.

The first commercial United States 3G network was by Monet Mobile Networks, on [[CDMA2000]] 1x EV-DO technology, but the network provider later shut down operations. The second 3G network operator in the US was Verizon Wireless in July 2002, also on CDMA2000 1x EV-DO. AT&T Mobility was also a true 3G [[UMTS]] network, having completed its upgrade of the 3G network to [[HSUPA]].

The first commercial United Kingdom 3G network was started by [[Hutchison Asia Telecom Group|Hutchison Telecom]] which was originally behind [[Orange S.A.]]<ref>{{cite news|title=3G in UK|url=https://3g.co.uk/three-coverage|work=3g.co.uk}}</ref> In 2003, it announced first commercial third generation or 3G mobile phone network in the UK.

The first pre-commercial demonstration network in the southern hemisphere was built in [[Adelaide]], South Australia, by m.Net Corporation in February 2002 using UMTS on 2100&nbsp;MHz. This was a demonstration network for the 2002 IT World Congress. The first commercial 3G network was launched by Hutchison Telecommunications branded as ''Three'' or "3" in June 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hutchison.com.au/About/AboutHutchison.aspx |title=About Hutchison |publisher=Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited |date=11 June 2008 |access-date=2012-04-07}}</ref>

In [[India]], on 11 December 2008, the first 3G mobile and internet services were launched by a state-owned company, Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Limited (MTNL), within the metropolitan cities of Delhi and Mumbai. After MTNL, another state-owned company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), began deploying the 3G networks country-wide.

[[Emtel]] launched the first 3G network in Africa.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.africaoutlookmag.com/outlook-features/emtel2016|title=Emtel {{!}} Africa Outlook Magazine|website=Africa Outlook Magazine|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-02-03|archive-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203065338/http://www.africaoutlookmag.com/outlook-features/emtel2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Adoption ===
[[File:Video Call.jpg|thumb|[[Videotelephony]] through cellular networks were made possible using 3G technologies]]
[[Japan]] was one of the first countries to adopt 3G, the reason being the process of 3G spectrum allocation, which in Japan was awarded without much upfront cost. The frequency spectrum was allocated in the US and Europe based on auctioning, thereby requiring a huge initial investment for any company wishing to provide 3G services. European companies collectively paid over 100 billion dollars in their spectrum auctions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nao.org.uk/report/radiocommunications-agency-the-auction-of-radio-spectrum-for-the-third-generation-of-mobile-telephones/|title=Radiocommunications Agency : The Auction of Radio Spectrum for the Third Generation of Mobile Telephones – National Audit Office (NAO) Report|date=2001-10-19|website=National Audit Office|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-17}}</ref>

[[Nepal Telecom]] adopted 3G Service for the first time in southern [[Asia]]. However, its 3G was relatively slow to be adopted in [[Nepal]]. In some instances, 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as [[2G]], so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies, especially to achieve high data transmission rates. Other countries' delays were due to the expenses of upgrading transmission hardware, especially for [[UMTS]], whose deployment required the replacement of most broadcast towers. Due to these issues and difficulties with deployment, many carriers could not or delayed the acquisition of these updated capabilities.

In December 2007, 190 3G networks were operating in 40 countries and 154 [[HSDPA]] networks were operating in 71 countries, according to the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). In Asia, Europe, Canada, and the US, telecommunication companies use [[W-CDMA]] technology with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks.

The roll-out of 3G networks was delayed by the enormous costs of additional spectrum licensing fees in some countries. The license fees in some European countries were particularly high, bolstered by government auctions of a limited number of licenses and [[sealed bid auction]]s, and initial excitement over 3G's potential. This led to a [[telecoms crash]] that ran concurrently with similar crashes in the [[Dark fibre|fibre-optic]] and [[Dot-com bubble|dot.com]] fields.

The 3G standard is perhaps well known because of a massive expansion of the mobile communications market post-2G and advances of the consumer mobile phone. An especially notable development during this time is the [[smartphone]] (for example, the [[iPhone]], and the [[Android (operating system)|Android]] family), combining the abilities of a PDA with a mobile phone, leading to widespread demand for mobile internet connectivity. 3G has also introduced the term "[[mobile internet|mobile broadband]]" because its speed and capability made it a viable alternative for internet browsing, and USB Modems connecting to 3G networks, and now [[4G]] became increasingly common.

=== Market penetration ===
By June 2007, the 200 millionth 3G subscriber had been connected of which 10 million were in [[Nepal]] and 8.2 million in [[India]]. This 200 millionth is only 6.7% of the 3 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide. (When counting CDMA2000 1x RTT customers—max bitrate 72% of the 200&nbsp;kbit/s which defines 3G—the total size of the nearly-3G subscriber base was 475 million as of June 2007, which was 15.8% of all subscribers worldwide.) In the countries where 3G was launched first – Japan and South Korea – 3G penetration is over 70%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plus8star.com/?p=123 |title=Plus 8 Star presentation, "Is 3G a Dog or a Demon – Hints from 7 years of 3G Hype in Asia" |publisher=Plus8star.com |date=11 June 2008 |access-date=2010-09-06 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218202022/http://www.plus8star.com/?p=123 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In Europe the leading country{{when|date=September 2013}} for 3G penetration is Italy with a third of its subscribers migrated to 3G. Other leading countries{{when|date=September 2013}} for 3G use include [[Nepal]], [[UK]], [[Austria]], [[Australia]] and [[Singapore]] at the 32% migration level.

According to ITU estimates,<ref name=mobiThinking2013>{{cite web |url=http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a |title=Global mobile statistics 2013 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators |publisher=mobiThinking |date=May 2013 |access-date=2013-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906115310/http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a |archive-date=6 September 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as of Q4 2012 there were 2096 million active mobile-broadband{{vague|date=September 2013}} subscribers worldwide out of a total of 6835 million subscribers—this is just over 30%. About half the mobile-broadband subscriptions are for subscribers in developed nations, 934 million out of 1600 million total, well over 50%. Note however that there is a distinction between a phone with mobile-broadband connectivity and a [[smart phone]] with a large display and so on—although according<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mobithinking.com/blog/100-million-club |title=The 100 million club: the top 10 mobile markets by number of mobile subscriptions |publisher=mobiThinking |date=2012-12-13 |access-date=2013-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926050457/http://mobithinking.com/blog/100-million-club |archive-date=26 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to the ITU and informatandm.com the US has 321 million mobile subscriptions, including 256 million that are 3G or 4G, which is both 80% of the subscriber base and 80% of the US population, according<ref name=mobiThinking2013/> to ComScore just a year earlier in Q4 2011 only about 42% of people surveyed in the US reported they owned a smart phone. In Japan, 3G penetration was similar at about 81%, but smart phone ownership was lower at about 17%.<ref name=mobiThinking2013/> In [[China]], there were 486.5 million 3G subscribers in June 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.techinasia.com/china-3g-and-4g-subscriber-numbers-june-2014/|title= China now has 486.5 million 3G subscribers, but only 14 million on new 4G network|author= Steven Millward|date= 2014-07-29|access-date= 2014-08-04|work= Tech in Asia}}</ref> in a population of 1,385,566,537 ([[List of countries by population (United Nations)|2013 UN estimate]]).

=== Decline and decommissions ===
Since the increasing adoption of [[4G]] networks across the globe, 3G use has been in decline. Several operators around the world have already or are in the process of shutting down their 3G networks (see [[#Phase-out|table below]]). In several places, 3G is being shut down while its older predecessor 2G is being kept in operation; [[Vodafone]] UK is doing this, citing 2G's usefulness as a low-power fallback.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theregister.com/2019/10/18/dont_switch_off_2g_report/|title=Sod 3G, that can go, but don't rush to turn off 2G, UK still needs it – report|first=Kat|last=Hall|website=www.theregister.com}}</ref> [[EE (telecommunications)|EE]] in the UK, plans to switch off their 3G networks in early 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=We're Switching Off Our 3G Network |url=https://ee.co.uk/3g-switch-off |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=EE |language=en-gb}}</ref> In the US, [[Verizon (mobile network)|Verizon]] shutdown their 3G services on 31 December 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-30 |title=3G CDMA Network Shut off date set for December 31, 2022 |url=https://www.verizon.com/about/news/3g-cdma-network-shut-date-set-december-31-2022 |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=www.verizon.com |language=en}}</ref> T-Mobile shut down [[Sprint Corporation|Sprint]]'s networks on {{Date|Mar 31, 2022}} and shutdown their main networks on 1 July 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |title=T-Mobile Network Evolution |url=https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network-evolution |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=T-Mobile Support |language=en}}</ref> and [[AT&T]] has done so on 22 February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Samantha Murphy |date=2022-02-22 |title=AT&T is shutting down its 3G network. Here's how it could impact you {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/tech/att-3g-network-shutdown/index.html |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

Currently 3G around the world is declining in availability and support. Technology that depends on 3G for usage are becoming inoperable in many places. For example, the [[European Union]] plans to ensure that member countries maintain 2G networks as a fallback{{Citation needed|date=April 2022|reason=The only nearby reference doesn't appear to support this, as far as I can tell; it may well be true, but it needs verifiability.}}, so 3G devices that are backwards compatible with 2G frequencies can continue to be used. However, in countries that plan to decommission 2G networks or have already done so as well, such as the United States and Singapore, devices supporting only 3G and backwards compatible with 2G are becoming inoperable.<ref>{{cite web|author=arsyline.cz |url=https://eshop.sectron.eu/en/2g-and-3g-networks-are-shutting-down-globally/a-6316 |title=2G and 3G networks are shutting down globally?! |publisher=SECTRON s.r.o |date= |accessdate=2022-02-26}}</ref> As of February 2022, less than 1% of cell phone customers in the United States used 3G; AT&T offered free replacement devices to some customers in the run-up to its shutdown.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/tech/att-3g-network-shutdown/index.html|title=AT&T is shutting down its 3G network. Here’s how it could impact you|first=Samantha Murphy|last=Kelly|date=22 February 2022|website=CNN}}</ref>