Nokia is starting to ship Edge phones into some European countries, but will not reveal full list of which ones. Map of Edge deployment as of 24th November, 2003.

Edge stands for Enhanced Data GSM Environment is a souped-up version of the standard GSM technology.   There are more than 60 operators (including AT&T Wireless Services, Cingular and T-Mobile in the U.S. ) in over 40 countries have already committed to the technology.  

There’s a bit of history between 3G and Edge.   Apparently, in the late '90s, Edge was thought to Next Big Thing in wireless technology — until operators were enticed by the promise of 3G, a faster network that could swiftly transmit images and video. But billions of euros invested in 3G networks have yet to bear fruit; Vodafone's Arun Sarin now says it will be at least 2008 before 3G reaches even half of European users.   As a result, Edge is making a come back to fill in the gap.

However, Vodafone's Sarin says he is "not really" considering Edge. Sol Trujillo, chief executive of France 's Orange , says the firm is merely "looking into" Edge. This is no shock, since they've already invested billions in 3G and regulators are forcing them to deploy it under the terms of their licenses.   3G may still deliver as promised, but for the time being, Edge is ready, and it works.

AT&T Wireless Edge/GPRS basics

• 120 to 130Kbps average download speed with good connection

• 30Kpbs upload speed

• Pricing ranges from $29.99 to $79.99

• Supported on 1900-MHz and 850-MHz networks

• Support for SMS and VPN

T-Mobile and Other Wireless Edge/GPRS basics (TBA)