Quotes of the Day

Does your new mobile phone have Edge? Maybe — but phone companies might not be willing to admit it. Edge (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a souped-up version of the standard GSM technology that has dominated the European mobile market for the past decade. Nokia has started shipping Edge phones into some European countries, but is reluctant to provide a full list of which ones. Motorola is similarly mum. Telecom Italia Mobile is less circumspect; managing director Mauro Sentinelli has pledged to deploy Edge for TIM's 26 million customers across Italy this year. Why are some in the mobile industry so secretive about deploying it in Europe?

In the late '90s, Edge was destined to be the Next Big Thing — until operators were seduced 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.

So operators are looking to Edge to fill in the gap. 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. "Edge was prematurely entombed, but it now feels like it's coming back from the dead," says Gartner Group analyst Jason Chapman.

Not everyone is rushing to Edge. 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. It's not surprising, since they've invested billions in 3G and regulators are forcing them to deploy it under the terms of their licenses. In the long run, 3G may still live up to its promise. But for the next few years, Edge is ready — and it works. That's the beauty of going back to the future.

• MARK HALPER
• Phones with all the fun of 3G — without the fuss