3G stands for the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology. After 2.5G and 2.75G, 3G was launched for faster data transfer. The first commercial 3G network became active in 2001. 3G services include mobile internet access, wireless telephone calls, video calls, and mobile TV. All the 3G networks provide a data transfer rate of at least 144 Kbps for moving traffic, 384 Kbps in case of pedestrian traffic, and 2 Mbps with no traffic. 3G was further upgraded and was denoted as 3.5G and 3.7G. But what is a 3G SIM card?
Sizes of 3G SIM card
3G SIM cards come in three different SIM card sizes i.e., standard (approx. 25 mm × 15 mm), micro (approx. 15 mm × 12 mm), and nano (about 13 mm × 10 mm). You can get the 3-in-1 design of SIM cards in all the modern SIM packs these days and simply snap out the size of the SIM card you need. Although their dimensions vary, the electrical connections they utilize are the same. An older generation SIM card, 2G, has the same size and shape as a 3G SIM card, but the electrical connections are different. Hence, 3G SIM cards might have the same size as their predecessors but not the electrical compatibility.
Difference between 3G and 2G
3G SIM cards are also known as USIM, and they can also work with GSM (2G) phones. But it is important to note that 3G SIM cards have significant improvements over the 2G SIM cards. They are more secure, have a powerful algorithm, and have more storage capacity. 3G SIM cards are designed to protect you from fraudulent access to your connection, and thus save you from charges for calls you haven’t even made.
Its new system prevents illegal eavesdropping. The contact book of your 3G SIM can hold thousands of contact entries with a larger number of fields such as secondary phone numbers and email addresses. The most notable difference lies in the rate of data usage and transfer. 3G SIM cards download web pages and multimedia much faster than 2G SIM cards because of their big bandwidth.
3G SIM card compatibility
All the modern devices like the latest smartphones, tablets, and laptops are compatible with the 3G SIM cards. However, they won’t be able to function at an optimal speed if they are 4G or 5G devices. 3G SIM cards work the best with 3G devices. In 2G devices, the data transfer speed will be 2G, while in 4G and 5G devices, a 3G SIM card will give the data transfer speed of 3G only.
As the new technology steps up, the old technology starts getting obsolete, and the same is the case with 3G SIM cards and devices. If a carrier shuts down its 3G services, your 3G SIM card and 3G device no longer work, and you are left with no other option but to upgrade.
Ways to know if your SIM card is 3G
A 3G SIM card may look identical to a 2G or 4G SIM in terms of size and physical features, but there are some ways through which you can distinguish it. One is to look around the SIM card, and if you find 3G written on it, then it is a 3G SIM card. Moreover, a 3G SIM card has a storage capacity of 64 Kilobytes or more. Therefore, if the SIM card has 64K or 128K written on it, chances are, it is either a 3G or a 4G SIM card.
Speed up your 3G SIM connection
Even if you are using a 3G connection with a 3G SIM card and still the data speed is considerably low, there are some methods to boost its speed. Some best methods to speed up your 3G internet are as follows:
- Download the suitable web browser: Google Chrome is the best browser—no surprises there. However, it also consumes a lot of storage space. Opera Max may be a suitable replacement, as it offers the same features as Google Chrome and even manages the more data-consuming apps.
- Disable images in the web browser: The browser in text-only mode will give you a faster internet experience. Though all the browsing apps on the Play Store don’t support the text-only function, you might find the feature in the Settings menu of your phone. No image download enhances the downloading speed of web pages.
- Clear cache: A fuller cache memory is one of the major issues causing the slow-down of your device’s performance, which includes slow internet as well. To clear the cache, go to the Settings> select the app whose cache you want to clear> Storage> Clear Cache. You can also install a cache clearing app, that will do the job of automatically clearing the cache of all apps at once.
- Uninstall the memory-consuming apps: Many apps take up a lot of space on your phone and run in the background, making your device sluggish. The same applies to many widgets also. It is better to uninstall all the unnecessary apps and widgets to get a faster internet experience.
Phasing out of 3G
Many telecom operators around the world have decided to shut down their 3G networks, especially after the popularity of 4G/LTE networks. Moreover, after the launch of 5G networks by many telecommunications operators in the world, 3G networks seem to be obsolete. There are several notable telcos that have already shut down their 3G until 2021 such as O2, Telekom, and Vodafone in the Czech Republic; Deutsche Telekom, O2, and Vodafone in Germany; Airtel in India; Vodafone in Italy; KDDI, NTT Docomo, and Softbank in Japan; Telia in Norway; KT, LG U+; SK Telecom in South Korea. There are many other telcos planning to shut down their 3G service networks in the near future.
Conclusion
A 3G SIM card is a more advanced version than the 2G. However, in present times, 5G is taking up the market by storm. Though the 3G network has not completely vanished yet, sooner or later it is going to. When the 3G network is no longer used, the 3G SIM cards and devices also become useless. Presently, 4G/LTE is the most common and popular network in India and abroad.