UK mobile operators reassess EDGE benefits

A once-unpopular way to speed up 2.5G networks could help operators plug 3G gaps

EDGE may give 3G phones wider coverage

UK operators are preparing to upgrade GPRS mobile data services in areas of poor or non-existent 3G coverage, using EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technology that will boost current 2.5G bandwidth from the current 40-60kbit/s to as much as 350kbit/s.

The necessary upgrades to operator’s current GSM cellular networks are already in place, say industry sources, with EDGE services likely to be launched in tandem with new 3G links based on High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) technology. This will offer users up to 1.5Mbit/s, though 500-700kbit/s per user is more likely in areas of light user-traffic congestion.

Most of the UK mobile operators have previously dismissed the technology, having evaluated it but then expressed no interest in deploying it. The exception is Orange, which has not ruled out a future move to EDGE and has already announced EDGE-based services in France.

The operators’ stances have changed due to the need to ensure 3G multimedia content and applications can still be accessed beyond the boundaries of 3G signal coverage, according to Robin Lindahl, head of marketing for radio access networks at Nokia.

“Many operators in the early stages of 3G did not want to talk about EDGE because it was seen as a competitor to 3G. But several UK operators now realise they are not going to push 3G to all parts of the country and require EDGE as part of their strategy, especially as HSDPA speeds increase” he said.

Nokia manufactures both EDGE and HSDPA mobile handsets and network infrastructure equipment. The company is also preparing a data-only 3G solution designed to give mobile operators the option of cutting data tariffs by allocating specific parts of network capacity solely to packet transfer, and separating it from voice traffic.

“The Internet High Speed Packet Access (I-HSPA) solution is a flat network architecture for data traffic which will bypass parts of the network and go straight to the packet core. We need to simplify the network and make it more cost effective” said Lindahl.