Which makes it 3G.
To tell the fellow who was saying it had to always get 3G service, because the box said it's a 3G phone, that technically EDGE is 3G.
If folks want to express their rights against AT&T,
I'm all for it. I think the whole mess of carriers in the US needs addressed. But pick the right reasons, so I can enjoy it when you win
If you read the document you posted you would see where it says EDGE, "they offer backwards compatibility to their related 2G technologies and allow evolution to 3G within an operator's existing 2G spectrum allocation". Related 2G tech and allow evolution to 3G does not make it a full 3G technology, but more like a stepping stone, because not even the document says EDGE is full 3G spec.
It may be seen as 3G by the ITU, but not for AT&T, when he means to get 3G is to get 3G from the 3G antenna with the 3G radio, that is UMTS. EDGE is backwards compatible with GPRS and its a completely different technology from UMTS, UMTS is not backwards compatible with EDGE. When you see 2G in an AT&T phone its not that its getting GPRS only but most of the time its EDGE, when you see 3G its because its getting a UMTS signal not EDGE. In fact, in most AT&T blackberry phones, GPRS is separated from 2G which is considered EDGE which is in turn separated from 3G. In the galaxy s2 when it says 2G, you are getting EDGE, when it says 3G you are getting HSPA/HPSA+ which is UMTS, not that its getting EDGE.
Its the right reason, because AT&T does not consider EDGE a full 3G technology, it does not matter if the ITU says so, if you go to an AT&T store and say im not getting 3G, the rep will instantly assume you are only getting EDGE and not UMTS, because thats how the entire company works. Or basically, any GSM US carrier sees it.
If he goes to court with this and AT&T pulls the ITU definition of EDGE as 3G, then they are sol, because they have never told the consumer in any ad that EDGE is 3G, but instead they marketed it as 2G and sell any EDGE capable device as 2G and thats what their branding indicates. They have two completely different networks for UMTS and EDGE and their EDGE network shows up as 2G everywhere, not as 3G. Pretty much the same that is happening with HSPA+ being marketed as 4G, i think it was crackberry where i read a notice from the supreme court? i dont remember from whom, that made AT&T change the branding in some devices like blackberrys to stop showing 4G and instead show H+ in updated firmwares.