Edge support? Irish Ops?

secret_squirrel

Apologies if this has been asked before - i tried a google search.

Do any of the irish mobile operators support Edge??

Secondly and unrelatedly - could I use a 3G datacard sim in a phone if I only wanted 3G data? My laptop has no PCcard slot so I have to use a 3G phone with bluetooth, but Im currently not interested in making 3G voice calls.

liamskater

ive a nokia 6230i with metor (used to be with o2) and i think it has edge not sure. the specs on nokia.com says it does

flywheel

none of the Irish operators currently offer EDGE

O2 and Voda went from GPRS straight to 3G (WCDMA), only Meteor have been mentioned in relation to EDGE, stemming from a 2004 Press Release from Ericsson that said:

Ericsson's future proof GSM network will also enable Meteor to introduce advanced high-speed multi-media services to its customers at any stage as the network will be delivered complete with EDGE functionality.

secret_squirrel

Cheers Dub presumably that means Meteor could switch edge on for some kind of 2.5G tarrif when they have rolled out enough updated base stations, if they see 3G cutting into their share.

- any thoughts on the below?

secret_squirrel wrote:

Secondly and unrelatedly - could I use a 3G datacard sim in a phone if I only wanted 3G data? My laptop has no PCcard slot so I have to use a 3G phone with bluetooth, but Im currently not interested in making 3G voice calls.

The Sisco Kid

I'm almost sure there is no difference between a 3G datacard sim and a 3G voice sim.
The 3G sim allows you to use the 3G network (when you are in coverage) for voice and data. You can force your phone & 3G sim to only use the 2G network, but this would also be for voice and data. In theory you could use the 3G sim in your phone for PC use and then change the settings on the phone to only use the 2G network when your are finished your data session.

It's very difficult to notice the difference between voice calls made over the 3G network than over the 2G network, and you will be routed onto the best available network, so I'm not sure why you would want to do this....

PS. I tried using bluetooth and 3G as an internet connection and found it to be very slow - it was much better using the USB cable (I have a Nokia 6680)

paulm17781

secret_squirrel wrote:

Secondly and unrelatedly - could I use a 3G datacard sim in a phone if I only wanted 3G data? My laptop has no PCcard slot so I have to use a 3G phone with bluetooth, but Im currently not interested in making 3G voice calls.

If I understand correct. You have a 3G sim but not a 3G phone? I don't think these are compatable but I am not certain.

Fidelis

I'm not sure about the retail side of things, but any SIM should do 3G as long as you have a 3G device i.e. 3G data card, 3G handset.

@ secret_squirrel: have you tried using your data card SIM in a 3G handset? I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Slice

Meteor's cheif executive talked extensively about the company's decision to deploy EDGE when asked about the company's future in a press interview earlier this year but no mention of it since.

secret_squirrel

Perhaps I should clarify. I dont own any 3G stuff right now niether sim, datacard or phone.

However Im only interested in 3G data for my laptop. However since it cant take a 3G PCMCIA card I would have to use a 3G phone with bluetooth.

However I've not seen a 3G phone tarrif with a tiny voice allowance and a massive data allowance. So Im wondering if my best bet would be to get a 3G Datacard just for the tariff that comes with it, and a 2nd hand 3G phone - putting the datacard sim into the phone and flogging the datacard on ebay.

Afaik thats the only way to get a decent sized data allowance with the current 3G offerings.

skearon

secret_squirrel wrote:

However Im only interested in 3G data for my laptop. However since it cant take a 3G PCMCIA card I would have to use a 3G phone with bluetooth.

Check the data rate of bluetooth as many phones dont support more than 115K, which is a bit useless if you get the full 384K of 3G!