EDGE Update Boosting Wireless Data Speeds

Nokia Siemens Networks has announced an update to EDGE data networks which will double data transfer speeds. This software update will increase the ability of EDGE networks to serve users' spiraling demand for mobile multimedia.

Even in this day of seemly ubiquitous 3G, there are still well-known smartphones that depend on EDGE, with the iPhone being the most notable example. It is not known at this time if current handsets will be able to take advantage of this update once carriers begin to adopt it.

The update -- dubbed Dual Carrier EDGE -- will be released to telecoms in the third-quarter of this year.

This update is the first steps of what Nokia Siemens Networks is calling EDGE Evolution -- increasing the performance and efficiency of EDGE data networks while enabling carriers to get more out of already implemented hardware. A later version -- called EGPRS 2 -- will offer transfer speeds up to 1.2 Mbps (downlink) and 473 kbps (uplink).

More About EDGE

EDGE, a product within GSM networks, is a software-based update to base-stations that enables faster data/IP connectivity by mobile devices.

It is typically called a 2.5G standard, to differentiate it from faster 3G standards like UMTS.

For more information on EDGE Evolution, visit the Nokia Siemens Networks website.