The cellular telecommunications industry is entering a period of transition from aging, analog-era transmissiontechnology to high-speed "third-generation" (3G) mobile networks.
Once commercialized, 5G mobile communications technology will be capable of ultra-high-speed data transmission up to several hundred times faster than even the 4G LTE-Advanced technology due for launch later this year.
Now EDGE's successor, a 3G-wireless technology called HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access), provides transmission rates of 400 to 700 kilobits per second.