Nokia Siemens Networks has launched its downlink Dual Carrier EDGE software solution, ushering the first steps of EDGE Evolution into Nokia Siemens Networks GSM/EDGE radio portfolio. The solution offers double data speeds of up to 592 kbps to existing EDGE-capable GSM networks, thus enabling a mobile broadband experience, such as maintaining relationships in virtual societies, posting video clips to blogs in real time or streaming the latest news in Mobile TV.
The Dual Carrier EDGE solution, which will be available as a software upgrade from Q3 2008 onwards, is the first step in evolving EDGE. As an innovator of EDGE Evolution, Nokia Siemens Networks says it has additional plans to introduce the next substantial step, the so-called EGPRS 2, into its networks to further boost end user experience in uplink and downlink performance. This will result in downlink speeds of up to 1.2 Mbps and will double uplink speed to up to 473 kbps, thus quadrupling the capabilities of EDGE today. EDGE Evolution is based on the 3GPP release 7 standard.
By 2015, we expect to live in a broadband-IP world with 5 billion people always on and therefore Nokia Siemens Networks is committed to protecting customer investments and continuing to implement leading EDGE technology, says Ari Lehtoranta, Head of the Radio Access Business Unit at Nokia Siemens Networks. Dual Carrier software upgrade is an easy and extremely cost efficient step to bring broadband user experience to GSM/EDGE networks.
Nokia Siemens Networks notes that operators can serve their customers even better using the Dual Carrier solution, as the demand for data services and connectivity is immense, proven by the steep increase in data services consumption in 3G/HSPA networks today. With this solution, the company says, 3G/HSPA operators can offer service continuity for their 3G services.
Nokia Siemens Networks GSM/EDGE BSS is operational in 260 operator networks in 117 countries, offering services to more than 1.5 billion subscribers. Nokia Siemens Networks has 125 public EDGE references. 
