How to Detect Cellular Network Type (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G) in Android?

Android devices like mobiles and tablets are available with SIM card slots. Users can use them to connect to a particular network. Over time, telecommunication networks have changed rapidly giving users the extent of a new band with higher data speed. Devices are manufactured according to the advancements in available network technology. So as the title suggests, in this article, we will show you how you could programmatically fetch the type of network the device is connected to in Android. Follow the below steps once the IDE is ready.

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: Create a New Project in Android Studio

To create a new project in Android Studio please refer to How to Create/Start a New Project in Android Studio. We demonstrated the application in Kotlin, so make sure you select Kotlin as the primary language while creating a New Project.

Step 2: Working with AndroidManifest.xml file

As we need to access the network state to figure out type of network, we need to add the below permission in the AndroidManifest.xml file to execute our code.

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="org.geeksforgeeks.cellularnetworkband">

      <!--Add this permission-->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE"/>

    <application
        android:allowBackup="true"
        android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        android:label="@string/app_name"
        android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
        android:supportsRtl="true"
        android:theme="@style/Theme.CellularNetworkBand">
        <activity
            android:name=".MainActivity"
            android:exported="true">
            <intent-filter>
                <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

                <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
            </intent-filter>
        </activity>
    </application>

</manifest>

Step 3: Working with the activity_main.xml file

Navigate to the app > res > layout > activity_main.xml and add the below code to that file. Below is the code for the activity_main.xml file. Add a button as shown below. We will use this button to check the network type.

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    tools:context=".MainActivity">

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/button_1"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="click"
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintLeft_toLeftOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintRight_toRightOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />

</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

Step 4: Working with the MainActivity.kt file

Go to the MainActivity.kt file and refer to the following code. Below is the code for the MainActivity.kt file. Comments are added inside the code to understand the code in more detail.

Kotlin

package org.geeksforgeeks.cellularnetworkband

import android.content.Context
import android.net.ConnectivityManager
import android.os.Bundle
import android.telephony.TelephonyManager
import android.widget.Button
import android.widget.Toast
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity

class MainActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)

        // Declaring and initializing
        // the button form the layout file
        val mButton = findViewById<Button>(R.id.button_1)

        // When button is clicked, function is called
        // that returns a string displaying type of network
        // This string is displayed in a Toast message
        mButton.setOnClickListener {
            val message = mGetNetworkClass(applicationContext)
            Toast.makeText(applicationContext, message, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show()
        }
    }

    // Function to find out type of network
    private fun mGetNetworkClass(context: Context): String? {

        // ConnectionManager instance
        val mConnectivityManager = context.getSystemService(CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE) as ConnectivityManager
        val mInfo = mConnectivityManager.activeNetworkInfo

        // If not connected, "-" will be displayed
        if (mInfo == null || !mInfo.isConnected) return "-"

        // If Connected to Wifi
        if (mInfo.type == ConnectivityManager.TYPE_WIFI) return "WIFI"

        // If Connected to Mobile
        if (mInfo.type == ConnectivityManager.TYPE_MOBILE) {
            return when (mInfo.subtype) {
                TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_GPRS, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_EDGE, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_CDMA, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_1xRTT, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_IDEN, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_GSM -> "2G"
                TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_UMTS, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_EVDO_0, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_EVDO_A, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_HSDPA, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_HSUPA, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_HSPA, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_EVDO_B, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_EHRPD, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_HSPAP, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_TD_SCDMA -> "3G"
                TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_LTE, TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_IWLAN, 19 -> "4G"
                TelephonyManager.NETWORK_TYPE_NR -> "5G"
                else -> "?"
            }
        }
        return "?"
    }
}

Output:

We tested the application when it was connected to a 4G network. The toast displayed “4G” in the output on button click.