Yeah - Edge is an older technology we practically didn't bother with here - we went from GPRS to 3G leaving out EDGE (Enhanced GPRS) - O2 here has had to go back and put the tech in place pretty much solely for the iphone, their 3G is far more widespread than EDGE and has been for a while.
Probably true but O2's coverage for 3G ain't that hot either. Look on O2's coverage maps, Voda, 3 and T-Mobile are better.
I've seen two more EDGE enabled cells in Manchester since launch day.