What did 3G enable?

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; broader availability of the system was delayed by apparent concerns over its reliability.

3G had and has speed capabilities of up to 2 mbps. It enabled smartphones to provide faster communication, send/receive large emails and texts, provide fast web browsing, video streaming and more security amongst others . It was widely based on CDMA2000 (Code-division multiple access) and EDGE technologies.6 Mar 2019

Despite its flaws the 1G network wasn’t superseded until 1991, when 2G networks , were introduced.

Launched by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979, 1G was first introduced to the citizens of Tokyo . By 1984, the first generational network covered all of Japan, making it the first country to have 1G service nationwide. It wasn’t until March 6, 1983, that Ameritech introduced 1G to the United States.21 Eyl 2020