Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Wireless Industry Terms
The world of wireless has more terms, technical jargon, acronyms and other things than you can shake a stick at. Most you could never find in a dictionary. Some we use every day, and others less frequently. The following Mid-Tex Cellular glossary is intended to provide a general reference to some of the most commonly used terms and phrases in the wireless industry.
Term, Phrase, or Acronym
Definition
Activation fee:
A one-time initial connection and setup fee charged by the service provider at the time of service initiation.
Airtime:
Most wireless carriers bill their customers based on how much time the customer has spent on the carrier's network (the total time that a channel is occupied, including call time, call setup, and call tear-down time). Most carriers bill in one-minute increments. Customer is charged for incoming and outgoing calls and also for toll-free calls. The airtime rate varies based on the time of day the call is made or received.
Alphanumeric display:
A display capable of showing letters, numbers, and other special characters.
AMPS:
(Advanced Mobile Phone System)
AMPS was the first analog system used for providing cellular phone service. It works in the 800 MHz frequency range. AMPS was introduced in 1983. Analog works by converting sound into electrical energy which is then transferred to the far end. The signal being transmitted is analogous (similar) to the original signal. Analog offers one voice conversation per voice channel.
Automatic number identification:
The process of automatically identifying a calling number.
Baud:
Unit of signaling speed (symbols per second).
Call forwarding:
A customized feature that allows customers to direct all incoming calls to another number.
Call waiting:
A customized feature that alerts you of an incoming call while you are on another call. You can then put your present caller on hold and answer the other call.
Calling number identification:
A service whereby the calling party number can be identified by means of a visual or verbal identification at the called terminal.
CDMA:
(Code Division Multiple Access)
CDMA is a spread spectrum digital technology.CDMA works by spreading all signals across the same broad frequency spectrum and assigning a unique code to each signal. The signals are pulled out from all the other signals only by a receiver that knows the code. This process allows more calls to occupy the same space.
Channel:
A pair of frequencies used by the mobile (i.e., one send and one receive frequency).
Conference call:
A call between more than two participants.
Digital switching:
A process in which connections are established by operations on digital signals without converting them to analog signals.
DTMF signaling:
(Dual Tone Multi-Frequency)
Generic name for push-button telephone signaling equivalent to the Bell Systems TOUCH TONE.
FCC:
Federal Communications Commission. The regulatory body in USA that governs telecommunications.
Frequency:
The rate at which electric and magnetic fields of a radio wave vibrate per second. Frequency is usually expressed in MHz (1,000,000 Hz);
1 Hz (Hertz) = 1 cycle per second.
Modem:
Modulator/demodulator that converts binary to analog signals and analog to binary signals. Used in digital devices like computers over analog telephone lines.
MSA:
(Metropolitan Statistical Area)
Basically, the major city cellular service areas. (USA)
NAM:
(Number Assignment Module)
A memory module that contains subscriber, systems and options details about a cellular telephone.
Receiver:
An equipment that receives radio frequencies from the air and converts it back into the form of the input signal, say audio.
Roaming:
Using a cellular phone through a system other than the usual “home” switch.
RSA:
(Rural Service Area)
Small cellular service areas. (USA)
Switch:
In wireless radio, the connecting switch between the telephone network and the radio base station. Also called the Mobile Exchange, MTSO, MTX, or MSC.
TDM:
(Time Division Multiplexing)
A one-time initial connection and setup fee charged by the service provider at the time of service initiation.
TDMA:
(Time Division Multiple Access)
An equipment that converts input signals, say audio, into radio frequency that can be transmitted through air to a receiver.
Transmitter:
Sharing a transmission link among multiple users by assigning time intervals to individual users during which they have entire bandwidth of system.