Following the technological breakthrough of the 1980s, the next decade saw a second generation of mobile phone development. Known simply as 2G, this generation saw a change from analog signals to usage of digital signals. As a result, more and more people began using mobile phones. Phones now could obtain signals much faster, which increased potential interest in them which you can get from http://www.phones4u.co.uk/.
Finland was home to the first digital network in 1991. Networks built during the 2G time period were much stronger and accommodated 2G phones, as well as the 1G model. This resulted in 1G networks no longer being needed. Therefore, these became abandoned as more 2G networks were constructed.
One major characteristic of second generation mobile phones was the change in the size of mobile phones. Prior to the second generation, these devices were large and inconvenient. However, the second generation saw these devices become more streamlined, and replaced by smaller devices that could be easily held in one’s hand. This was a significant change in the usability of the mobile phone. Another change that occurred to make this possible were advancements in battery design. By having smaller batteries, in turn the mobile phones could also be smaller. Another popular change during this generation was the ability to purchase prepaid mobile phones. This allowed consumers to have phone service without a lengthy binding contract with a service provider.
Another major event of the second generation was the introduction of text messaging. The first message was sent in 1992 from the United Kingdom. In the beginning, only analog phones could send text messages but this later expanded to digital phones as well. Initially, text messaging took a little bit to take hold. Ringtones were changeable during this generation. Users could download them for a small fee. Some mobile phones during this generation also were able to transmit other media.
