Good news for iPhone EDGE users (and Blackberry too!)
Nokia Siemens speeds up 2.5G cell net
Wireless equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks said Thursday that it has new software that will more than double the download speed on networks using 2.5G EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Environment) wireless technology.
This is good news for first generation iPhone users whose phones connect to the mobile Net via AT&T's EDGE network. On average iPhone users report that they can get download speeds of 210 kbps. Nokia Siemens says that with a simple software upgrade to the EDGE network equipment, operators, like AT&T, can offer their customers download speeds of 592 kilobits per second.
EDGE is typically considered a 2.5G network technology that is based on the worldwide GSM (Global System Mobile Communications) cell phone standard. Many cell phone operators, such as AT&T, first built their wireless data networks using this technology. But now AT&T and other GSM carriers around the world are deploying faster 3G networks using a technology called HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). Networks using HSDPA offer download speeds between 600 kbps and 1.4 megabits per second.
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