AT&T says that a rumored upgrade to its EDGE data network is business as usual, not feverish preparation for the iPhone launch...but will a goosed up 2G network cut it? There are rumors floating around the Internet that AT&T is in a mad dash to pump up its EDGE mobile broadband network in advance of the release of Apple’s iPhone on June 29. According to the ever-popular gadget blog Gizmodo, citing sources at AT&T, says that the company is in the midst of a nation-wide upgrade called “Fine EDGE” that will boost data throughput to try to increase the baseline performance of its whole networks to around 80Kbps before the hoards of e-mailing, Web browsing iPhone fans swamp its network.AT&T spokesman John Kampfe declined to specifically respond to questions about whether the “Fine EDGE” upgrade was linked to the upcoming release of iPhone. “We continue to enhance the capacity and coverage of our EDGE network to ensure that our customers have the best experience,” Kampfe said. He declined to comment on the rumors about the iPhone/Fine EDGE link. “THe blogs may have what they have,” he said, but noted that AT&T’s EDGE network sports speeds of between 75Kbps and 135Kbps, countering a claim by Gizmodo that the upgrade would enhance EDGE performance from 40Kbps to 80Kbps. Behind the speculation about AT&T’s network upgrade is some real anxiety that the iPhone, when its released, will be a Maserati stuck on the traffic jammed highway that is the U.S. mobile broadband market, where 2G networks like EDGE are the norm and faster 3G (third generation) networks have just a toehold. That reality, and the daunting power consumption necessary for 3G browsing were enough to prompt Apple to leave 3G out of its first version of the iPhone. However, the company has promised 3G versions of the phone, possibly as soon as the first quarter, 2008, according to published reports. 3G support will be a must if Apple wants to break into the mobile market in the EU and Asia, where broadband-quality speeds to mobile devices are the norm. High speed data access is particularly important for large-screened devices like the iPhone, which live or die based on their multimedia feature, and that have to pull down much more data to fill their screens than typical mobile phones. For U.S. consumers, true 3G quality data services will come via AT&T’s HSDPA (High Speed Packet Download Access) network. Phones that support that technology have long been available in the U.S. but haven’t taken hold as they have in other countries. In fact, research firm Ovum estimates that it could be three years before high speed connections account for even a third of AT&T’s subscribers, so “Fine EDGE” and download speeds in the hundreds of kilobits per second may be the best anyone can hope for in the near term. Still, with all the hype around iPhone and hoardes of iPhone “fanboys” ready to scoop up V1 of the sexy new gadget, you can’t blame AT&T for slapping lipstick on the pig that is EDGE and making due. Technology Industry