At the WWDC, Steve Jobs showed that 3G is almost as fast as Wi-Fi and twice as fast as the current network. The world of 3G connectivity is expected to change the way we interact with technology–how we shop, how we share information, and in general how we use handheld devices for. But how does 3G work, and how is it different from other network types?

There are three major types of network: GPRS, EDGE and 3G.

The GPRS technology (known as the 2.5 Generation network) enables access to services like the Short messaging service, and multimedia messaging. GPRS is also used for accessing Internet using the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) a service that help users to browse Internet and send mails. Most of the websites are WAP compliant—which means they require less bandwidth to load. Since the billing on GPRS is based on the amount of data transferred (measured in Kilo-Bytes), this bandwidth conservation is important.

Compared to GPRS, the major advantage of EDGE is the data transfer rate. Where a GPRS connection would get you a maximum bandwidth of 114 Kbits/s, EDGE gives you data transfer speeds of up to 1Mbps—at least twice as fast as GPRS. EDGE can therefore even transfer large voice and video files. EDGE technology runs on all handsets that support GPRS, so in that sense it needs no additional software or hardware.

3G is a few steps ahead of even EDGE. With 3G, you’ll be able to access the Web with an astonishing speed of 14.4 Mbps, which is faster than EDGE or GPRS. However, 3G requires special hardware—which means to use 3G, you need to buy a 3G compatible device. Your current EDGE compatible iPhone does not work with 3G.

This is the reason the launch of the 3G iPhone is so eagerly awaited. But there may be a temporary delay for you: while AT&T is working on taking 3G to all states and cities, it hasn’t quite managed that yet. To check whether you have 3G connectivity, check the AT&T website.