MTN vs. Vodacom EDGE

[Neo]

Just sat listening to the Broadband Shootout video feeds and was listening to both Vodacom and MTN pitching EDGE. This caught my eye, or rather, ear.

MTN claims an EDGE coverage of 20-23%

Vodacom claims an EDGE coverage of 26%

How come MTN is blowing the EDGE trumpet so loudly while Vodacom (with, it seems, a better EDGE footprint) is so quiet about it?

 

[Inertia]

Vodacom has an EDGE network ? Never knew that.....

Since when exactly?

 

[3g_rox]

Cannot undertsand all the hype over EDGE - it is nothing more than GPRS on steroids. EDGE is basically higher Coding Schemes (CS) with different modulation techniques for GPRS. In order to achieve throughputs in excess of GPRS, one needs high signal quality (C/I - carrier to interferer ratio). If you are currently not getting decent speeds on GPRS, then EDGE will do squat for you.

Quote from from http://www.umtsworld.com/technology/edge.htm

"The catch is that EDGE requires higher radio signal quality than that found in an average GSM network before higher data throughput can be reached. This means more base stations (especially indoor) and infrastructure build-out for established GSM operators that wish to migrate to EDGE".

Why don't the 2 networks rather spend their money on improving 3G coverage rather than farting about with EDGE?

 

[AnaPaula]

EDGE is not 3G on steroids. Actually it is the other way around 3G is EDGE on steroids. G is the faster between the two. Should you be in a area that is not 3G enabled then you will use EDGE which is better than dropping straigt to GPRS speeds. EDGE is faster than GPRS

 

[Farquaon]

EDGE is not 3G on steroids. Actually it is the other way around 3G is EDGE on steroids. G is the faster between the two. Should you be in a area that is not 3G enabled then you will use EDGE which is better than dropping straigt to GPRS speeds. EDGE is faster than GPRS

Exactly, id take edge over gprs anytime, and i dont need good signal to get edge going

 

[3g_rox]

EDGE is not 3G on steroids. Actually it is the other way around 3G is EDGE on steroids. G is the faster between the two. Should you be in a area that is not 3G enabled then you will use EDGE which is better than dropping straigt to GPRS speeds. EDGE is faster than GPRS

My earlier post was a typo - I meant to say that EDGE is GPRS on steroids.

The point I was trying to make is that if you are not getting decent speeds on GPRS, it is unlikely that you will get good speeds on EDGE. EDGE is faster than GPRS, but still requires a strong signal to give you good throughputs. If you are operating in a poor signal environment, EDGE will be marginally fatser than GPRS at the same point.

All of these technologies (including 3G) rely on good signal to noise ratio to ensure good throughputs.

 

[Liposuck2004]

I agree to the extent that Id rather drop from 3g to edge rather than to gprs cos ive experienced a lot of drops in connection with the latter THE PROBLEM is Both networks only currently supply a 2phase card (that being the Novatel umts merlin) these cards are unfortunately only umts/gprs compatible and thus the fallback to edge is still a non perfomer! when will a 3 phase card be available or am i missing sumthin??? our options currently only give us either and dge / gprs crd or a umts/gprs crd but if im wrong please advise since ive yet to find a 3phase cd.ps Vodacom has an Edge network??? news to me!!Neo whered u hear that Id like to follow that up.