What is EDGE Protocol?
EDGE is an acronym that stands for Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. To put it simply, EDGE is a 2G network that provides better speeds and lower latency on GSM networks. It is the faster version of the GSM network.
EDGE protocol is an old and outdated cellular technology. It offers slow download speeds of just 135kbps. Nevertheless, when launched in 2003, it was considered cutting-edge technology. Nowadays, as most of us can enjoy 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G speeds and networks, the 2G EDGE technology is considered ancient and unwanted.
What Exactly is T-Mobile EDGE?
As the EDGE protocol is a 2G network that is available on GSM networks, and as T-Mobile and AT&T are the largest GSM carriers in the country, their users may have noticed the EDGE notice (marked as E on the signal bar) on their mobile devices but do not know what it means. In this section, we will help you understand.
T-Mobile is one of the largest carriers in the country. It offers the third-largest 4G network (covering 63% of the territory and reaching 99% of the population) and by far the largest 5G network (covering 52% of the territory and reaching over 80% of the population). It also offers numerous versatile service plans, high-quality mobile devices from the most reputable brands, and lots of other services.
T-Mobile offers reliable services at fast network speeds. Most T-Mobile customers can enjoy 4G LTE speeds which enable them to download and upload faster, use internet-connected apps without interference, and enjoy smooth phone calls and texting with a strong, uninterrupted signal. T-Mobile customers in large cities and urban areas can also enjoy T-Mobile’s fastest 5G speeds.
So, what does it mean if you see the EDGE (E) sign on the network bar on your T-Mobile devices? It means that your device is at the moment connected to a 2G network and that data is transferred via this network. It means that you are currently located somewhere where T-Mobile’s faster 3G, 4G, and 5G speeds are not available and that you will experience slower network speeds.
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Why Do I See EDGE on a 4G LTE Subscription?
So, what if you have a 4G LTE or 5G plan? Why do you still see the EDGE sign on your network bar every once in a while, when your data speeds should be much higher and you should be seeing the ‘4G’ or ‘5G’ symbol instead of ‘E’?
Well, first, let us reassure you that this is totally normal. It happens when higher network speeds are unavailable.
Even though T-Mobile is one of the three largest carriers in the country with the third-largest 4G network which reaches approximately 99% of the population and the single-largest 5G network and even though it has countless network towers located throughout the country, the network’s high speeds are sometimes unavailable.
Why? Well, there are several reasons. For example, the company’s network towers are unevenly distributed, as such, T-Mobile’s high speeds are generally available in densely-populated areas, while in remote, rural areas, customers may experience lower data speeds, patchy coverage, and a weak signal.
The network signal emitted by the network towers may also be obstructed by large physical objects, such as mountains and large buildings, bad weather, terrain, metal objects, and electronic devices, which emit their own signal. If the signal is obstructed, it may result in lower network speeds.
Most carriers prioritize being connected over having fast data speeds and downgrade your data speeds to find better connectivity. As such, if you have a 5G plan and a mobile device that supports 5G speeds, your T-Mobile device will automatically try to connect you to T-Mobile’s 5G network. If this network is weak or unavailable, it will automatically try to connect you to T-Mobile’s 4G network. In case the LTE speeds are also unavailable, your device will automatically switch to 3G speeds. Finally, if even 3G speeds are not within reach, the phone will connect you to the 2G EDGE network and the E sign will appear on your network bar.
Keep in mind that the network and device automatically downgrade the network speed not only if higher speeds are unavailable, but also if they are weak. They do so because calling is considered more important than using monthly data. And while data speeds get slower on lower-speed networks, the calls tend to remain unaffected. As such, making a simple phone call on a patchy 4G network may result in a patchy and interrupted conversation. In order for this not to happen, your phone will automatically connect you to a 3G or 2G EDGE network (whichever has a sufficiently strong signal), therefore you will be able to make a phone call without interference.
When you are in an area where high network speeds are unavailable and your phone automatically downgrades your data speeds, several online activities may be compromised.
Luckily, you can count on your phone to upgrade your network speeds immediately, as soon as you reach an area where a strong 4G or 5G signal is available. In fact, your phone will probably switch network speeds several times while you take a simple walk around the city. In certain areas, the signal may be obstructed by physical obstacles, and your network speeds will downgrade and in other areas, the signal may be strong, and your phone will automatically upgrade your network speeds.
As such, while seeing the EDGE network on your phone every once in a while is completely normal, your mobile device should not get stuck in the EDGE network or other lower speeds for a long time. As soon as you move to another place with better coverage, your phone should be able to switch to higher network speeds. If, however, the device gets stuck at lower speeds, chances are that your phone or T-Mobile’s network is experiencing issues. Learn how to deal with such issues in the next section.
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What Should You do If Your Phone is Stuck on T-Mobile EDGE Network?
If your phone gets stuck on T-Mobile’s EDGE network for hours, even in areas where higher speeds should be available, you try the following methods to repair the issue:
Move Closer to a Signal Tower
If your phone is stuck on the EDGE network, you may be located in an area where higher speeds are either weak or unavailable. If so, you must simply move closer to a signal tower. Luckily, T-Mobile’s network towers are available all over the country, especially in populated areas, therefore, it should be easy to find the closest one.
High network speeds may also be obstructed by tall buildings. In this case, make sure to find a place where tall buildings will surely not be able to interrupt the signal.
To find a signal tower near you, use an online tool, such as Cellmapper.net. You can also visit T-Mobile’s coverage map at t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map, enter your location, see if higher speeds are truly unavailable in that area, and find a place on the map where higher speeds are available.
Once you find a network tower near you, move closer to it and see if your phone will be able to automatically switch to higher speeds.
Restart Your Phone
The first thing you should do if your phone is stuck on T-Mobile EDGE is to move closer to a signal tower. If this doesn’t work, you should restart your phone. To do so, simply press the power button and then choose to restart it or turn it off and then back on.
A simple thing such as restarting your device is sometimes all it takes for your phone to recover, as there may be some bugs that prevent the device from functioning normally.
Once your phone is restarted, search for your carrier signal anew and see if it can connect to a higher-speed network.
Disconnect and Re-Connect to the Carrier’s Network
A similar option to restarting your phone is to kind of ‘restart’ the network. This may also help. To do so, you can either turn off your phone and remove your SIM card or simply turn on airplane mode. This will disconnect the device from the network. When removing your SIM card, make sure to readjust it, as it may be incorrectly positioned in the SIM tray, which may cause problems.
Turning the device back on or switching off the airplane mode will reconnect it to T-Mobile’s network. This will reconfigure the connection and perhaps enable you to connect to T-Mobile’s 4G or 5G network.
Select the Right Network Mode
Assuming that your phone supports 4G and/or 5G speeds in the first place, you may sometimes also be required to manually enable the device to connect to faster networks. To do so, you must enable the right network mode.
As most advanced phones offer network speeds ranging from 2G EDGE to 5G and the device can provide you the best user experience by automatically switching to the right speed at the right time, it’s best to enable the auto-set mode, which will automatically switch your network speeds.
Check if There Is a Carrier Settings Update
If your carrier settings are outdated and there is an update pending, it may be causing connectivity issues. To check if this is the problem and fix it if so, go to Settings, General, About, and choose Carrier settings update. If there is an update available, you will see an arrow. If so, update it to the latest carrier settings.
Change the APN Settings
To do so on an Android phone, go to Settings, press Connections, then Mobile Networks, and finally, Access Point Names (APN). Click on the ‘more’ option or the three dots or vertical lines at the top right part of your screen, and press Reset to default. You can also input the settings manually like so:
- APN Name: fast.t-mobile.com
- MMSC: mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
- MNC: 260
- MCC: 310
- Type of APN: Default, Supl, Hipro, Fota, MMS
- APN Protocol: IPv6
- Roaming APN Protocol: IPv4
- Proxy: (Leave blank)
- Port: (Leave blank)
To do so on an iPhone, go to Settings, Cellular data options or Cellular network, then click on Mobile data, and finally choose Mobile data network. You can reset it to default or edit it manually to the APN settings provided above.
Modify the Battery Saver Settings
Newer phone models have a battery saver feature, which enables the device to save more power. If you have ever (perhaps even accidentally) activated this feature, your phone is no longer able to connect to higher network speeds, as doing so is very energy-draining. To conserve power, the phone automatically stays connected to T-Mobile EDGE or another low-speed network.
In order for your phone to connect to higher network speeds, you must turn the battery saver off.
To do so on an Android device, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Press Battery or Device care.
- Search for the Battery optimization or Battery saver option.
- If the option is turned on, turn it off.
You may also be able to find the battery saver feature by pulling down the notification bar. Once the feature is turned off, restart your phone and see if it connects to the 4G or 5G network afterward.
To turn off the battery saver (called the Low Power Mode) on an iPhone, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Find the Battery section.
- Search for the Low power mode feature and turn it off.
Once you do so, restart your device and see if it’s able to connect to T-Mobile’s 4G or 5G network.
Reset the Current Network Settings on Your Phone
If all the methods above have failed, you should consider resetting the network settings on your phone. To do so, follow the instructions below:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose the Reset button.
- Select the Backup and Reset option.
- Press Network and then Reset settings.
By doing so, you will remove all the network settings, including paired devices, Bluetooth devices, and Wi-Fi networks. Before these settings are removed, you will have to provide and confirm your PIN. Then, restart the device. Choose the right network mode and try to connect to T-Mobile’s 4G or 5G network. This serves as a kind of network reset.
Contact T-Mobile
As a last resort, contact T-Mobile’s customer service. Talk to a representative and explain that while you did everything in your power to switch to a higher-speed network, it simply does not work. The agent will check if there is momentarily something wrong with T-Mobile’s network in your area. If not, you will know that your phone is experiencing some major issues. The agent might advise you to bring it to a T-Mobile store so that an expert may check it out.
You can see several T-Mobile customer service options at t-mobile.com/contact-us.
If you are not a T-Mobile customer but are using the carrier’s network through a mobile virtual network operator (a wireless provider that uses another carrier’s network), contact your wireless provider.
How to Change From EDGE to LTE?
You can also try to change from T-Mobile EDGE to 4G LTE speeds manually.
To do so on an Android phone, follow these prompts:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Connections.
- Press Mobile networks.
- Tap on the Network mode option.
- See the network options and choose 4G.
To do so on an iPhone, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Mobile data.
- Choose Mobile data options.
- Press Voice & Data.
- See the network options and choose 4G.
How to Change From EDGE to 5G?
You may also be able to change from T-Mobile EDGE to 5G speeds manually. However, this option will only be available on your phone if your phone supports 5G speeds. Keep in mind that only the newest, most advanced phones support 5G networks.
To switch from T-Mobile EDGE to 5G on an Android phone, follow these prompts:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Connections.
- Press Mobile networks.
- Tap on the Network mode option.
- See the network options and choose 5G.
To do so on an iPhone, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings.
- Choose Mobile data.
- Choose Mobile data options.
- Press Voice & Data.
- See the network options and choose 5G.
Possible Reasons Why T-Mobile 4G or 5G is Not Working
Unless there is a service outage or interruption, it is hard if not impossible to determine the actual reasons why your phone is stuck on T-Mobile EDGE or unable to connect to T-Mobile’s 4G LTE or 5G networks. However, these factors may contribute to the issue:
Data usage limit
Higher network speeds may consume more data. As such, if you don’t have an unlimited plan and have reached your monthly data usage limit, your phone may be trying to protect you from surpassing the limit, as surpassing the limit may be quite pricey. If, however, you have an unlimited plan or a pay-as-you-go plan, this is probably not the case.
4G or 5G band capability differences
Phone signals have frequencies and these are called ‘bandwidths’ or ‘bands’. Both 4G and 5G have several frequency bands. If your phone and your friend’s phone have different band compatibilities, you may be able to connect. This only applies if the two devices are not the same model by the same brand.
Network outage
This is one of the most common reasons why the T-Mobile 4G or 5G network doesn’t work – there may be a problem with the network. Several times a year, service providers schedule maintenance to update their hardware and software, which may cause interference. To find out whether or not this is the case, call your provider’s customer support service.
The following factors may also contribute to the problem:
- You may be far from a signal tower
- Your phone may have some bugs that may be cleaned by restarting the phone or the network
- Your SIM card may be dislocated.
- Your network mode may be set on 2G EDGE or other lower speeds.
- Your battery saver feature may be turned on.
T Mobile Edge Related FAQ
What Does the E Sign on My Network Bar Stand For?
The E sign stands for EDGE, which is a 2G network protocol.
Is EDGE Better Than LTE?
Not at all. EDGE or 2G is an old network protocol with very limited speeds. LTE, on the other hand, is the much faster and more advanced 4G network protocol.
Why is My T-Mobile Connection so Bad?
As mentioned above, there are several reasons that may cause it. See them above, try to fix it by trying all the methods listed in this article, and if nothing helps, call the company’s customer support service. They may be able to tell you what’s going on.
Is it Normal That My Network Speeds Switch When I Travel?
Yes, this is completely normal. It is a phone’s mechanism that helps ensure the best connectivity and the highest data speeds, where they are available.
How Do I Refresh My T-Mobile Network?
There are several ways to do so. Find them in the sections above.
Do All T-Mobile customers Get 5G?
Yes, all T-Mobile plans have 5G speeds included for no extra fees. However, in order to enjoy them, your phone must support 5G speeds.
How Do I Know If 5G Speeds Are Even Available in My Area?
You have to check it on T-Mobile’s official website. Visit t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map and enter your address or location in the provided search box. The system will immediately show you which networks are available in your area.
What is H+ Signal Strength?
H+ is the fastest mode on 3G networks. It allows speeds of up to 10-100 megabits per second.
Is 4G and LTE the Same?
LTE is a type of 4G network. It stands for ‘Long Term Evolution’. It is slower than ‘true’ 4G but much faster than 3G.
Is 5G Faster Than LTE?
Yes. It can deliver up to 20 Gigabits per second (Gbps) peak data rates and over 100 Megabits per second average data rates. 5G speeds are currently the fastest network speeds.
What Speed is 6G?
6G is the sixth generation standard for wireless communications technologies supporting networks. These networks are currently not yet in use, however, they are expected to be much faster than 5G speeds and to eventually either replace them or work alongside them.
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