EDGE Speeds About To Quadruple For iPhone users, Even More in 2009

So, sure, you've paid $600 and became and a first day iPhone adopter, then ATT pays $100 million to triple-quadruple their EDGE network speeds. But, that's not the end of it. In the third quarter of this year (probably around July) iPhone users should see another EDGE network update that'll make the EDGE network over 3-4 times faster than it is now. Q1/Q2 of 2009 should bring EDGE speeds of 1.2MBp/s. I guess Apple didn't want to introduce 3G to the iPhone after all because of lower battery life and thicker casing (and not to mention limited availability). This should be a much better upgrade since all iPhone users can now use a faster network that'll get near 3G speeds. I've got to say I'm really happy I won't have to spend another few hundred to get faster network speeds (I probably wouldn't have, anyway). So, anyone holding off from buying an iPhone because of its' networking speeds, do you think this huge boost will lead you to buy an iPhone?

Oh, and, by the way, the only thing that'll be needed for the iPhone to take advantage of the much faster speeds will be a firmware update!
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/27/nokia-siemens-rolling-out-edge-evolution-for-double-the-speed-in/

 

dissapointing news for people who are using the old firmware to "unlock". Dosnt' that mean they won't be able to keep their hack if they upgrade?

 

If you unlocked your phone you'll have to wait on the carrier you're using to upgrade their EDGE network (most are just making 3G more available, so I really doubt you'll see such a huge upgrade on any other network other than ATT). For ATT, a nice majority of its' customers have iPhones, so putting more funding into the EDGE network to increase speeds is a better idea (at this point) than increasing the availability of 3G, because even if they did, the 15+ million people that bought iPhones would have to buy a new iPhone to get the faster network speeds, and 3G still isn't as developed as the EDGE network so it'll still require a thicker iPhone with less battery life to get a 3G iPhone onto the market.

 

I'm just curious as to where you got this information from. The only thing preventing me from getting an iPhone right now is a possible update to 3G. What makes you think they're not upgrading it?

 

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/27/nokia-siemens-rolling-out-edge-evolution-for-double-the-speed-in/

 

I wouldnt count on this. Even if AT&T does upgrade their systems...no way apple will give a free update. Any new hardware features (even if current hardware is capable of it) apple has always used as a way to sell you a new product. Look for the new iphone in June to have 3G or this enhanced EDGE.

 

I believe EDGE Evolution uses dual antennae kind of like 802.11n and different signal modulation so I'm not sure if it's as simple as a firmware update. Even if the firmware could provide software compatibility, without the dual antennae the performance boost probably wouldn't be that significant, but I guess anything is better than nothing.

 

Hmm, encouraging, to be sure, but I wouldn't count this as a definite yet. First, I didn't see any mention of AT&T in the article. Also, FTA:

"What's unclear at the moment is what existing phones (iPhone, we're looking at you) will be able to manage this with a firmware update, and which ones are going to be stuck in the past, but we're hoping for a good bit of the former."

So they haven't CONFIRMED that the iPhone would be able to make use of this with a firmware update...

 

I seriously doubt that Apple will forgo a 3G iPhone. One of the major qualms about the iPhone from the get go was it's lack of 3G support. They may be updating the EDGE network which is nice but, check out the 10 or articles on this site, http://www.appleinsider.com/ that point to a 3G update in the next two months or so. I say we see one sometime in June, and if that is indeed the case, I plan on picking one up as soon as I can.

 

i also think we are pretty close to getting an 3g iphone.

i would get one if i wasn't on a college campus (there is wifi everywhere, im not about to pay for wireless internet)

 

To quote the article:
"What's unclear at the moment is what existing phones (iPhone, we're looking at you) will be able to manage this with a firmware update"

Thus this article is/has nothing to do with the iphone.... and everything is pure speculation, the upgraded network still has to come into existence, and with the recent talk of 4G network rollouts in the US, I highly doubt many companies will invest in old tech, esp when most iphone users are still buying iphones despite the edge only issue. Like everyone said if you want to bet on a rumor a 3G iphone in the next few months would be short odds.
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