EDGE vs. 3G ...are they the same? which s faster?

[marwan]

ok, so i don't know how to start here, but today i went to my local cellphone shop here in the united arab emirates(abu dhabi). while looking through some cellphones, i asked the rep if Etisalat(phone service provider in the UAE) offers EDGE(3G is available here), the guy replied yes 3G is available here, i said "no i meant EDGE, not 3G" the guy replies, "yes EDGE is available here, but it's advertised as 3G" :confused: by now i was very confussed, but i continued to aske if he was sure, he replies "yes, well you see here, our phone provider combined EDGE and 3G in one package, so basically if you have an EDGE phone, you just sign up for 3G and it will activate your EDGE service in the phone(provided you enter the EDGE settings). Ofcouse, to be able to subscribe to 3G, you need a 3G sim card!" which brough me to my next question, do i need a 3G sim card to activate my EDGE service? ...he wasn't very sure, and took my phone number to get back to me on this. But if what this guy is saying is true, i'm extremely shocked, and excited ofcourse, because this broadens my next phone purchase. He also said that you cannot video conference with EDGE(which i knew alread), but continued to say that EDGE is faster than 3G(which i don't belive!)

so, i'm in a state of delima and confussion here, can someone clarify this for me please? do EDGE and 3G run of the same network? when i called my phone provider they didn't even know what EDGE is(not surprised)!

if anyone here is in UAE, what is your experience with EDGE/3G in the UAE?

I had the Nokia 6230 for a while, and while it supported EDGE, i didn't see a mention of it in the phone options. Is this normal? are EDGE settings like GPRS? hence the fact it wasnt mentioned in the settings?

also, i believe that EDGE(form of GPRS) you need to dial in like GPRS, where as 3G is always on a broadband conection, right?


thanks!

[quartus]

EDGE is some sort of fake 3G often used in places where 3G is too expensive. EDGE can work without 3G, proved by the many GSM-phones on the market supporting it, but if you're provider has made that possible is another question.

[marwan]

Originally posted by quartus
EDGE is some sort of fake 3G often used in places where 3G is too expensive. EDGE can work without 3G, proved by the many GSM-phones on the market supporting it, but if you're provider has made that possible is another question.


so are you saying if my provider has 3G, i can use EDGE through it?

[marwan]

http://www.3gamericas.org/English/Technology_Center/tutorials/edge_tutorial/tsld071.htm

:confused:

[Arne Anka]

Originally posted by marwan
so are you saying if my provider has 3G, i can use EDGE through it?

No you cant. Edge (EGPRS) is an extended version of GPRS whilst 3G is based on WCDMA. Totaly different technologies. Edge is refered to as 2.5G (not 3G as in the link above).

[marwan]

Originally posted by Arne Anka
No you cant. Edge (EGPRS) is an extended version of GPRS whilst 3G is based on WCDMA. Totaly different technologies. Edge is refered to as 2.5G (not 3G as in the link above).


bummer, so how do i know if my provider offers EDGE or not?

[francisofarabia]

Originally posted by marwan
bummer, so how do i know if my provider offers EDGE or not?

just ask em... EDGE can actually be a stepping stone to 3G... at least on some technologies or on some set-up, it all depends on how ur provider is doing their upgrade path, but definitely the ultimate goal is 3G...

[Sid]

Why is it that people in the Nokia forum have the inability to post in the right forum?

[marwan]

Originally posted by Sid
Why is it that people in the Nokia forum have the inability to post in the right forum?


where is this supposed to go?

[creamandchives]

And just to add, when comparing EDGE and 3G (UMTS) you are looking at a max of 200kbps for EDGE and 384kbps, and i also think that the 384kbps of UMTS is more attainable, whereas the 200kbps of EDGE is a bit "in your dreams" - but both max speeds are based on the current traffic in the cell. But yes, UMTS is faster.