3G technology was developed through research and standardization efforts in the 1980s and 1990s. It allows for faster data transfer speeds between 400 MHz and 3 GHz. 3G brought improved internet access to mobile phones through technologies like i-mode and FOMA. It allows services like video calling and faster downloading. While early 3G adoption was led by countries like Italy and the UK, the technology has since expanded globally with over 475 million subscribers by 2007.