Comparison of second-generation (GSM) and third-generation (UMTS) cellular telephone networks

The rapid evolution of mobile telephony technologies has led to the development of several generations of cellular networks, each bringing significant improvements in terms of throughput, quality of service and functionalities. This article presents a comparative study between second-generation networks (GSM) and third-generation networks (UMTS). The analysis focuses on functional architectures, multiple access techniques, modulations, throughput, interfaces, logical channels and services offered. The results show that UMTS, although it reuses part of the GSM infrastructure, brings major improvements particularly in terms of throughput (up to 2 Mbit/s), multimedia capacity and mobility management. However, UMTS does not completely replace GSM but complements it, allowing a progressive transition to the third generation.