3G is a whole new technology (Actually which deploy in to the GSM technology) that was introduced as a replacement to the aging

GSM technology. 3G is a mix of circuit and packet switching network while 4G is only a packet switching network.

Edge vs. 3G One of the more prominent features of the mobile phone is internet access. The standard 2G connection back then was GPRS which offered speeds that are even much lower compared to what you can get from a DSL provider. The need for faster internet connections led to the development of EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution). This is a technology that uses the same equipment as GSM with only a few minor modifications to provide faster data speeds and is often regarded as a stepping stone towards 3G thus it is called 2.5G.

Difference between 3G and 4G:

4G speeds are much faster compared to 3G . 3G is a mix of circuit and packet switching network while 4G is only a packet switching network.
The purpose of the 4th-generation network is to dramatically increase data transmission speed.

The main difference between 3G and 4G is speed. 4G speeds can be up to 10 times faster than 3G, similar to the speed difference between DSL and high-speed cable modem. Average download speed on a 3G network is between 600 Kbps and 1.4 Mbps with peak download speed of up to 3.1 Mbps. On a 4G network the average download speed is 3-6 Mbps with peak download speed of more than 10 Mbps. The only drawback behind 3G technology is the fact that it is not backward compatible to the older GSM technology.