Top 7 network symbols and their meanings

      Sometimes, we do see different symbols whenever we turn on data connection on our smartphone. Also, sometimes the speed of surfing reduces depending on the symbol that appears and also because of other factors which could include:

i.                     Location

ii.                   Network problems, etc

In this post, I will list and explain the meaning of those symbols to help us understand our smartphones the better. I will start from the slowest and then, get to the fastest of them all.

TOP NETWORK SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANINGS

1.       2G:

This symbol has a GSM (Global System For Mobile Communication) standard. This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 14.4Kbits/s respectively.

2.       G:

This symbol has a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) standard. This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 53.6Kbits/s and 26.8Kbits/s respectively

3.       E:

This symbol has an EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) standard. This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 217.6Kbits/s and 108.8Kbits/s respectively. This was the original iPhone's top data network speed. Now it's met with a sigh because it means where you're standing doesn't have an 3G or 4G signal.

4.       3G:

This symbol has a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) standard. This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 384Kbits/s and 128Kbits/s respectively

"Note: In the network symbols that has a “G”, the G stands for GENERATION. Thus, 2G means SECOND GENERATION"

5.       H:

This symbol has a HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) standard. This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 7.2Mbits/s and 3.6MKbits/s respectively

6.       H+

This symbol is made up of three parts, each part having the same symbolic representation and the same standard (the HSPA+ (Evolved High Speed Packet Access) but different meanings and limits of download speeds depending on the release.

i.                     HSPA+ Release 6: has minimum and maximum download speeds of 14.4Mbits/s and 5.76Mbits/s

ii.                   HSPA+ Release 7: has minimum and maximum download speeds of 21.1Mbits/s or 28Mbits/s and 11.5Mbits/s

iii.                  HSPA+ Release 8: has minimum and maximum download speeds of 42.2Mbits/s and 11.5Mbits/s

iv.                 HSPA+ Release 9: has minimum and maximum download speeds of 84.4Mbits/s and 11.5Mbits/s

v.                   HSPA+ Release 10: has minimum and maximum download speeds of 168.8Mbits/s and 23.0Mbits/s

7.       4G:

This symbol has two standards that differ in download speed limits and are represented by the same symbol.

i.                     LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard: This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 100Mbits/s and 50Mbits/s respectively.

ii.                   LTE-A (Long Term Evolution- Advanced) standard: This has maximum and minimum theoretical download speeds of 1Gbits/s and 500Mbits/s respectively.

Over to you

Having

listed and explain the top network symbols and their meanings

, we would like to hear from you. Comment below if you have any other symbol that appears on your phone and is not in the list. You can also make some contributions if you have more information about any of the symbols in the list. Thanks as you comment and help others. You can share this post just by using the sharing buttons below.