CAPACITY OF 2G NETWORKS

Capacity

Using digital signals between the handsets and the towers increases system capacity in two key ways:

* Digital voice data can be compressed and multiplexed much more effectively than analog voice encodings through the use of various CODECs, allowing more calls to be packed into the same amount of radio bandwidth.
* The digital systems were designed to emit less radio power from the handsets. This meant that cells could be smaller, so more cells could be placed in the same amount of space. This was also made possible by cell towers and related equipment getting less expensive.