2.75G + review

196 networks have commercially launched EDGE in 105 countries, and 62 more have committed to the EDGE enhancement. Geographical breakdown reveals 96 networks in Europe, 81 in Americas, 44 in MEA (Middle East & Africa) and 37 in Asia. 96 operators are deploying combined EDGE-WCDMA networks, and 69 WCDMA-EDGE networks are in service. 92 commercial HSDPA networks in 53 countries were in operation in 2006, of which 29 networks had launched or were upgrading to 3.6Mbps and above. 50 other HSDPA networks are in the deployment phase. GSA confirms that most high-speed mobile networks rely on EDGE for service continuity and best experience where 3G or HSDPA are not available (i.e. rural zones)