ONE Reddit user has been confused by an internet symbol on their iPhone.
In a new post, the user asked fellow Redditers what "the hell is a G network."
Attached to the post was a screenshot of the user's iPhone that displayed a G in the top right corner.
A Safari page that couldn't be opened because it wasn't connected to the internet was also visible in the screenshot.
The discussion post, which was shared on the r/iPhone forum, was quickly upticked by dozens of other iPhone users.
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More than 80 Reddit users also took to the comments section to share their thoughts.
"Wow, this brings back memories! GPRS/EDGE is basically 2G," one Reddit user noted.
"Here in the UK that got switched off a couple of years ago," they added.
"You're too young to understand before there was 5G and 4G/LTE there was 3G, 2G (GPRS/EDGE)," another Reddit user remarked.
Understandably, some people might not know what G means, given that the network dates back to the early nineties.
THE STORY BEHIND THE 'G'
If you ever see the letter G as your phone's internet symbol, it means you're running on the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network.
The G, along with symbols E and 3G, represent 2G, 2.5G (EDGE), and 3G.
G is typically the slowest speed of internet data transfer on your mobile phone.
The network was used by Apple in iPhones before the company moved on to 3G chipsets.
Today, most 2G, 2.5G, and 3G networks have either shut down or have deadlines to shut down.
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This is especially the case in countries that have deployed 4G and 5G networks.
By contrast, 5G can deliver hundreds of megabits per second – and potentially even multiple gigabits per second.
All of the major US 3G networks were scheduled to shut down in 2022.
This doesn't matter whether you are using AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.
The user in the Reddit post was likely posting from Europe, where 2G and 3G networks are expected to phase out by 2033.
