What is 'Edge'?

[reinbeau]

I know about 2G and 3G, but what is Edge?

 

[pkoutoul]

Edge is AT&T's first generation data technology. I don't know the technical specs but it is barely usable for anything but text email and emergency browsing. I am stuck with it on my commute between my work, where I have 3G, and home, where I use WiFy.

 

[reinbeau]

Ah, it pokes its nose up in the status bar every once in awhile but I hadn't heard any talk about it anywhere. Thank you.

 

[HustlinDaily]

Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (aka Enhanced GPRS)

It is the 2G network.

GPRS=G=1G
EDGE=E=2G
UMTS=3G
HSPA=H=3G (but faster than UMTS)

In areas where 3G are weak, you will be on EDGE.

 

[reinbeau]

Interesting. Last time I saw its nose poke up, come to think of it, we were up in the wilds of Maine - well, not the wilds, but in central Maine, Unity, reception up there is pretty dicey.

 

[pkoutoul]

Sorry about that. As HustlinDaily pointed out, EDGE is 2G, not 1G. But for me it's barely tolerable. Guess I'm getting spoiled by 3G already.

 

[colnago]

Edge is AT&T's first generation data technology. I don't know the technical specs but it is barely usable for anything but text email and emergency browsing. I am stuck with it on my commute between my work, where I have 3G, and home, where I use WiFy.

Edge is generally good up to ~230Kbs...enough for me to work from home via VPN, when my FIOS circuit went down, and stream real-time quotes for my trading software on my home PC, without any noticeable degradation in productivity.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

EDGE is more like 2.5G rather than 2G. GPRS is 2G. True 1G doesn't even support any kind of data usage, and I don't think it supported SMS either.