Ericsson announces support for EDGE Evolution standard

L.M. Ericsson announced it will support the recently approved EDGE Evolution network standard, which the company said can support data speeds of up to 1 megabit per second.
“EDGE Evolution builds on 3GPP’s industry standardization of agreed technology improvements and reflects Ericsson’s prediction that the current trend towards EDGE-capable GSM networks and terminals is set to continue,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, an Ericsson VP.
Ericsson said it will launch commercial EDGE Evolution products by 2009.
The Swedish firm is hoping the technology will help it continue to reap cash from the EDGE standard. Indeed, Ericsson said it supplies the “majority” of the almost 200 commercially launched EDGE networks around the world.
EDGE stands as an upgrade to GSM networks, supporting faster data rates. Ericsson said the EDGE Evolution standard will serve “as an important complement to high-speed WCDMA/HSPA networks,” which run on dedicated networks and spectrum.