GSM vs GPRS vs EDGE vs 3G vs HSDPA vs HSPA+ vs 4G LTE

Most of you have heard this words but aren't clear what these acronyms stand for ,so i decided to make a dedicated post regarding the same.

2G  aka GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications ):

• GSM supports voice calls and data transfer (SMS) speed up to 9.6kbit/s. 
• Today GSM networks have spread over 218 countries worldwide and it allows the international roaming capability. 

2.5G aka GPRS(General Packet Radio Service) : 

• GPRS is a packet-based wireless communication service. 
• It is a 2G technology network that support a download speed of up to 114Kbps.
• Limitation of GPRS is that GPRS data cannot be sent while a voice call is in progress.

2.75 G aka EDGE(Enhanced Data GSM Evolution) :

• GPRS and EDGE are both 2G technology but EDGE is significantly faster with a download speed of up to 384Kbps. 
• EDGE is sometimes called a 2.5G network as it also has some characteristics of a 3G network but it doesn't satisfy the specification.
•  EDGE is multiple 2G connections combined.
• In EDGE, you might not hit desired 384Kbps consistently which depends on other users.  
• This is shown by a E symbol next to the signal bar.

3G:

• Introduction of 3G network made video calling and seamless streaming of video possible, with download speed of up to 3.1Mbps.
• Here we will get a desired pipelined providing the 3G speed consistently.
• 3G networks do not use the same radio frequencies as 2G so mobile operators must build entirely new networks and license entirely new frequencies.
• This is shown by a 3G symbol next to the signal bar.

3.5 G aka HSDPA(High-Speed Down-link Packet Access):

• It is based on the 3G network and an enhancement to 3G.
• Thus has a faster speed, download speed can be up to 14Mbps.
• This is shown by a H symbol next to the signal bar.

4G aka HSPA+(Evolved High-Speed Packet Access):

• HSPA+ is an evolution HSPA(HSDPA&HSUPA).
• It is a 4G technology that allows download at a rate of up to 168Mbps.

4G LTE(Long Term Evolution):

• LTE is a 4G communication standard that supports HD video streaming, download speed as high as 299.6Mbps.

Summary :

GPRS(114Kbps) < EGDE(368Kbps) < 3G(3.1Mbps) < HSDPA(14Mbps) < HSPA+(168Mbps) < 4G/LTE(299.6Mbps)

Comment below which version are you currently using ?