The bMighty Blog -- Apple

The original iPhone is a GSM handset that uses the EDGE wireless network as well as WiFi. While the iPhone is a marvel of multimedia usability, it's not at the cutting edge of mobile networking. That may be about to change, if stories are true about the forthcoming debut of a 3G iPhone.

EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evolution) — often referred to as a 2.75G protocol — runs at speeds up to 236 kilobits/second, but generally much lower. That's significantly slower than most wired home/office broadband connections. Most users would notice the slower performance when watching streaming video over the cellular network.

By contrast, 3G (third generation mobile data) networks drive clients at speeds up to 2 megabits/second, which is up to 8x faster. (The actual performance of all wireless networks depends on the distance between the access point and the wireless client, the amount of radio noise, as well as the other traffic on that access point.)

For some time, there's been gossip regarding a forthcoming 3G iPhone device. Apple, characteristically, has been vague, beyond a statement from Steve Jobs last year saying that 3G would appear sometime in 2008.

According to the International Herald Tribute, Apple will introduce the 3G iPhone in some European countries this August. Other rumors say that it'll also appear in those Asian countries that have 3G networks, but which don't support EDGE. (Unlike WiFi, wireless cellular data networking technology and infrastructure varies tremendously from country to country, which makes things very difficult for handset makers.)

If you're waiting for a 3G iPhone, we can hope that it's coming soon.

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