@fcc Yeah they needed to raise it in 2k1 if not in 2k5
As for the sprint issue serously finacial troubls an they are looking to try an pull another Altel? hmm I remember in the lat *)'s to early()'s they used to be a landline carrier too they had Candas Burgon (Murphy Brown) as there tv spokes person when they ran adds on TV Any ided whos up to buy them oy as far as buyers go?

This would also indicate that CDMA carriers ar beginging to sink. First Nextel , then Altel< Now supodely Sprint Nextel? Lousy CS ana high rates woul make anybody loos cutomers\suscribers.

The N95 spec says:
- WCDMA2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS)
- Automatic switching between bands and modes

Can someone enlighten me, or good ol' Gal, which of these frequencies implies (or doesn't imply) UMTS?

There's definitely CDMA and GSM support, which is cool.

Interestingly, "Talk time: up to 160 min (WCDMA), up to 240 min (GSM)*"

WCDMA is 3G for GSM networks. It will not work on normal CDMA networks like Verizon and Sprint. WCDMA is also known as UMTS and HSDPA.

You are correct in saying that CDMA and W-CDMA are different/incompatible. UMTS isn't exactly W-CDMA and HSDPA, though. UMTS uses W-CDMA air-interface and often the terms are used interchangeably. HSDPA is a data solution that improves on W-CDMA, similar to how EDGE improves on GPRS for GSM networks. UMTS, W-CDMA, and HSDPA are all inter-elated but the terms do no replace each other; they refer to different aspects of a combined 3G solution.

Any update on this? Still hoping BB will release a UMTS 8800 or 8300 with EDGE support so I won't have to switch phones!

I'm slightly puzzled by this discussion. The 8707 is a 3G handset, and has been available in the UK for about a year IIRC. It works great by the way, although I don't understand why they have not released a 3G Pearl Is this discussion about something different, and does anyone know if the Pearl 2 will be 3G?

The 8707 is UMTS, but not HSDPA, which is the topic of this discussion.

Also, all information points to the Pearl 2 NOT being UMTS or HSDPA enabled.

[quote=Jack T. Chance;430059]Well, the web browsing experience is great IMHO, but then again, I've learned how to use the Internet Browser's settings and options to maximum effect, so that I get the best browsing experience possible.

Ummmm...Jack. Mind sharing what settings and options you use to maximize your browsing experience?

Is there any update on this? RIM have released a plethora of new models in the UK, but none have 3G (whether UMTS or HSDPA) besides the 8707. It is difficult to see why people will buy Blackberries (or indeed the iPhone which is about to be released here without 3G - what is that about ) without 3G now that it is so common. If the Pearl 2 is EDGE or whatever that is, it is obsolete before it is released.

It won't be released in any of these 8000 series devices. The 9000 series will be the one supposedly releasing with UMTS/HSDPA compatibility (perhaps multi-band global compatible).

Because businessmen, the traditional core of RIM's business, don't give a toss about streaming videos or downloading MP3s of pop artists.

Also, 3G monthly service is expensive. Some could afford it, but wouldn't. Email will work just fine as will mobile web sites. Pearl buyers, kids and students, usually can't afford it. Would you pay $45/mo just for data?

Well said.... Thank You!

3G costs the same as a non-3G phone in the UK and most of Europe AFAIK. Why should it cost more? And I am a businessman, but I would expect a new Blackberry to have 3G. I don't want to download MP3s, but I want fast browsing and streaming video would be great. Am I right in thinking that 3G is not as prevalent in the US as it is in the rest of the world? This may explain the difference in expectations. I have had a 3G Blackberry for at least a year now, and would not buy a new Blackberry or any phone that did not have 3G - it would be a backwards step. The idea that business purchasers do not want the latest technology is strange. 3G is like most technological advances - once you have it, you wouldn't go back, even if you didn't see the need for it in the first place.

hey, saucer. ever see one?

ah! you have a good point. why more expensive? 3G is newer than GPRS/EDGE. the cost delta between EDGE and EV-DO is 1.5 - 2x!

for surfing from the phone, AFAIK, 3G doesn't offer so much advantage over EDGE because the processor becomes the bottleneck. as a modem, i think, the difference would be apparent.

and, yes, you're right. the U.S. telecommunication infrastructure typically lags Europe and Asia by several years. 3G is by no means ubiquitous over here.

Only 2 carriers offer 3G in the US (Verizon and Sprint) and they are CDMA. Verizon's data is about twice what mine is, and to use it as a modem you pay $40 more, so you pay about $85/month total, plus about $50 for voice, way more than the average user will pay. I hope the GSM providers roll out 3G soon and don't make us pay through the nose for it like Verizon tries to do. It's a bad company and I refuse to ever pay them another cent, I don't care what they offer. <forces himself to stop rant>

We have 3G HSDPA in my market (Cleveland, OH). My boss has a Sierra Wireless 875 data card from AT&T. 3G is not confined to just CDMA vendors unless you are only considering RIM handhelds, that is!

But only CDMA offers 3g over a significant area. Sprint and Verizon both cover almost their entire networks with 3g. AT&T covers only a small portion of their overall network with 3g.

True about AT&T coverage, we live in small town south of Dallas everything around us is 3G. We are in the middle and the best we can do is limited EDGE network coverage.

Been a few years. nothing has happend. I am sad. I might go to windows mobile now... :(

Any reason not to?

Heh, I feel ya man. But the rumour is that Blackberry will be releasing a bunch of new phones in 2008, hopefully one of them will be HSDPA

rob, if you've had a BB for a few years now and you are waiting until the 11th hour to make the decision to move to a 3G Windows Mobile device (WMD, for short) for minimal improvement on bandwidth and a lot less battery life (hence the WMD acronym), then it'd be a stupid move to make (imo). Blink an eye, bat a lash and you'll have your 3G BlackBerry in a flash (yes, I'm rhyming for some reason). Anyhow, you'll have roughly 6-7 months to wait for a 3G BlackBerry on AT&T (or atleast that's the latest from my more-often-than-not-reliable grapevine).