Nokia Siemens Doubles EDGE Network Speed

Nokia Siemens Networks has delivered on its March promise to double Enhanced Data for Global Evolution network speeds by completing the world's first mobile Downlink Dual Carrier EDGE end-to-end call. A software-based solution, the breakthrough is capable of data speeds to 592K bps on existing EDGE-capable GSM networks.

With speeds approaching 3G networks, Nokia Siemens said Dec. 4, Downlink Dual Carrier will support applications such as posting video and streaming news on mobile TV. Although carriers are introducing 3G networks, most Americans are still tied to wireless 2G networks.

Nokia Siemens, based in Espoo, Finland, said it is already readying plans to double speeds yet again on EDGE networks with the introduction of EGPRS 2B, which can hit downlink speeds of 1.2M bps and uplink speeds of 473K bps.

"By 2015, we expect to live in a broadband-IP world with 5 billion people 'always on,' and therefore Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to protecting customer investments and continue to implement leading EDGE technology," Ari Lehtoranta, head of the company's Radio Access Business Unit, said in a March statement when Nokia Siemens discussed the planned software upgrade. "[The] Dual Carrier software upgrade is an easy and extremely cost-efficient step to bring [a] broadband user experience to GSM/EDGE networks."