<CENTER> <H1>MessageDrive</H1> <hr> <A HREF="index.html" NAME=home>Home</A> <A HREF="mobile.html" NAME=mobile>Mobile</A> <A HREF="media.html" NAME=media>Media</A> <A HREF="solutions.html" NAME=solutions>Solutions</A> <A HREF="corporate.html" NAME=corporate>Corporate</A> <A HREF="glossary.html" NAME=glossary>Glossary</A> </CENTER> <hr> <H1>Glossary of Terms</H1> <H2>2G</H2></H2> Second generation mobile technology, current digital wireless networks (GSM, CDMA). <H2>2.5G</H2> An interim stage between 2G and 3G, using network technologies such as GPRS on GSM infrastructure. <H2>3G (Third Generation Wireless)</H2> Third Generation, also known as UMTS. IMT-2000 - The future international standard for mobile phones, allowing faster and more interactive mobile communications. When available, 3G wireless technologies will allow for much higher transmission rates to wireless devices leading to more useful services and a better user experience. <H2>A Carrier</H2> Most areas of the US have two cellular carriers, each of which operates on a different frequency band. One is designated the "A" carrier and the other is designated the "B" carrier. In some markets there may be only one carrier which may be "A" or "B". <H2>A/B Switching</H2> Most analog and digital cellular phones have the ability to switch to the "A" or the "B" frequency bands. This feature is useful when roaming outside your home coverage area. <H2>Activation</H2> Configuration of a wireless phone so that it is ready to be used to transmit and receive calls and non-voice data transmissions over the wireless network. <H2>Airtime</H2> Total time that a wireless phone is in connected and in use for talking. This includes use for calls both received and placed. <H2>AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service)</H2> An analog cellular phone service standard used in the US and other countries.</H2> Analog. A method of modulating radio signals so that they can carry information such as voice or data. <H2>ARPU</H2> Average Revenue per User. <H2>Authentication (mobile)</H2> A feature used to reduce fraud by confirming the identity of a phone to the wireless network. <H2>B Carrier</H2> Most areas of the US have two cellular carriers, each of which operates on a different frequency band. One is designated the "A" carrier and the other is designated the "B" carrier. In some markets there may be only one carrier which may be "A" or "B". <H2>Bandwidth</H2> Describes the transmission capacity of a medium in terms of a range of frequencies. A greater bandwidth indicates the ability to transmit a greater amount of data over a given period of time. <H2>Cache</H2> A place to temporarily store WEB and WAP pages.</H2> Caller ID</H2> A feature that displays a caller's telephone number and/or name before the call is answered. <H2>Carrier</H2> A company that provides telecommunications services. <H2>CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)</H2> A digital communication technology used by some carriers to provide PCS service. Other technologies used are TDMA and GSM. <H2>Cellular Digital Packet Data</H2> A technology for transmitting data over analog cellular networks. Requires a special modem and the wireless carriers' network must be upgraded to accommodate such data transmissions. <H2>Cell</H2> The area surrounding a cell site. The area in which calls are handled by a particular cell site. <H2>Cell Site</H2> The transmission and reception equipment, including the base station antenna, that connects a cellular phone to the network. <H2>Cellular</H2> The type of wireless communication that is most familiar to mobile phones users. Called 'cellular' because the system uses many base stations to divide a service area into multiple 'cells'. Cellular calls are transferred from base station to base station as a user travels from cell to cell. <H2>cHTML</H2> Compact Hypertext Mark-Up Language. A subset of the HTML language but excludes some images, tables, multiple fonts and background colour. cHTML is used on low-power, low-memory devices and is also used to create i-mode(tm) pages. <H2>Coverage Area</H2> The geographic area served by a wireless system. Same as Service Area. <H2>Cross-talk</H2> A signal leak from one channel to another - often the cause of noise and distortion. <H2>Digital</H2> A method of encoding information using a binary code of 0s and 1s. Most newer wireless phones and networks use digital technology. <H2>Dual band</H2> A feature on some wireless phones that allows the handset to operate using either the 800 MHz cellular or the 1900 MHz PCS frequencies.</H2> Duplex</H2> As in ordinary telephone service, a characteristic of a communications system where simultaneous transmission and reception is possible. <H2>EDGE (Evolved Data for GSM Evolution)</H2> A high bandwidth version of GPRS, smoothing the transition from GPRS to UMTS. EDGE can achieve speeds of up to 384 Kbit/s. <H2>EMS</H2> Enhanced messaging service. <H2>ESMR (Enhanced Specialised Mobile Radio)</H2> Using frequency bands originally allocated for two-way dispatch services, companies such as Nextel and Southern LINC have built digital mobile phone services similar to cellular and PCS systems. <H2>ESN (Electronic Serial Number) see IMEI</H2> The unique serial number of a cellular phone that identifies it to the cellular system for the purpose and placing and receiving calls. <H2>Follow-Me Roaming</H2> The ability of a wireless system to forward incoming calls to a handset that is roaming outside its home service area without any pre-notification to the wireless carrier. <H2>GSM (Global Standard for Mobile Communications)</H2> The current global digital cellular network system totalling 70% of the world mobile community.The leading 2G communication standard in Europe for mobile services. Mobile signals are sent at frequencies of around 900 MHz or 1800 MHz. </H2> A digital communication technology used by some carriers to provide PCS service in the US. Other technologies used are CDMA and TDMA. <H2>GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)</H2> a mobile network technology that provides faster data speeds of up to 115 Kbit/s allowing data to be transmitted in packets, as opposed to the 9.6 Kbit/s currently available on most mobile networks today. The technology is packet based and provides 'always on' capability. <H2>Handset</H2> Any handheld device used to transmit and receive calls from a wireless system. Also known as a wireless phone, a cellular phone, a mobile phone, a GSM phone and many other terms. <H2>Home Coverage Area</H2> A designated area within which cellular calls are local and do not incur roaming or long distance charges. <H2>i-mode(tm)</H2> "Information-mode" is the wireless technology developed by NTT DoCoMo of Japan, providing access to Internet-based services via mobile phones. Available in Hong Kong and Japan, the technology is being developed for potential use in America and Europe. <H2>IMEI see ESN</H2> The unique serial number of a cellular phone that identifies it to the cellular system for the purpose and placing and receiving calls. <H2>Interconnection Fee</H2> A fee charged for SMS messages being transferred from network to another, whether local (domicile) or international. <H2>LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution System)</H2> A fixed, broadband wireless system used for voice and interactive data. Generally used as a lower cost alternative to landline connections for businesses and others requiring high bandwidth connections to public networks. <H2>m-commerce</H2> Commercial transactions using mobile devices. <H2>MMS</H2> Multimedia messaging service. <H2>MO</H2> Mobile originating SMS, which allows a user to send text from a mobile handset. <H2>Mpeg (Motion Picture Expert Group)</H2> Standards organisation (US/CH) that defines the formats of high-resolution, high quality data encoding of audio and video. mpeg1(mpg/mpeg) video encoding for CD-ROM, mpeg2 DVD and digital television broadcast standard (high data and compression rate, very high broadcast resolution, capable of supporting HDTV resolutions, supports Dolby Digital, Digital Theatre Sound and mp3 multichannel surround sound) mpeg3(mp3) popular audio encoding format rivals quality of new format AAC, mpeg4 (accepted 2001) newest level of audio and video, for internet, broadcast and mobile platforms, included in Multimedia Message Service specification. New mpeg layer to come in the form of mpeg7 a high-performance multi-speed and multi-stream audio/video format, to be launched 2006/7. <H2>MT</H2> Mobile terminating SMS, which allows a user to receive text on a mobile handset. <H2>NAM (Number Assignment Module)</H2> A component of a wireless phone that holds in electronic memory the telephone number and ESN(US)/IMEI(Europe) of the phone. <H2>Peak Period(s)</H2> Any time of day, as determined by a wireless carrier, when there is high levels of communications traffic on the system. <H2>Portal</H2> Provides access to WAP services and content. </H2> A web 'supersite' that provides a variety of personalised services from a variety of content providers. <H2>Prepaid Mobile/Cellular/Wireless</H2> A service plan offered by some wireless carriers that allows subscribers to pay in advance for wireless service. <H2>Protocol</H2> A set of rules used by computers to communicate. <H2>Roaming</H2> Using your wireless phone in an area outside its home coverage area. There is usually an additional charge for roaming.</H2> Roaming Agreement</H2> A agreement among wireless carriers allowing users to use their phone on systems other their own home systems. Roaming Fee charged for roaming. <H2>Service Area</H2> The geographic area served by a wireless system. Same as Coverage Area. <H2>SIM</H2> Subscriber Identity Module. A smart card inserted into a phone containing a user's identity, number, phone book and network details. SMS-Applications may reside on the SIM. <H2>SMS (Short Messaging Service)</H2> Short messaging service, enables the transmission of alphanumeric messages of up to 160 characters to and from the mobile handset, which is only available on digital mobile networks. US - A feature of PCS phones (primarily GSM) that allows users to receive and sometimes transmit short text messages using their wireless phone. Applications maybe sent via SMS. <H2>SMS Smart Messaging</H2> NOKIA specification for feature SMS products which, comprise ringtones, picture messaging and operator logos, menus, phonebook entries and profile settings. <H2>Subscriber</H2> A mobile phone user. <H2>TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access)</H2> Older spectrum utilisation technology, on which most GSM are currently based. US - A digital communication technology used by some carriers to provide PCS service. Other technologies used are CDMA and GSM. <H2>UMTS</H2> Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, also called 3G. The European standard for third generation mobile technology. It is part of the International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard. <H2>URL</H2> Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a WEB site or WAP site. <H2>W-CDMA</H2> Wideband Code Division Multiple Access - a 3G mobile technology. Often referred to as 3G-CDMA. <H2>WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)</H2> A global protocol used in many newer wireless devices that allows the user to view and interact with data services. Generally used as a means to view Internet web pages using the limited transmission capacity and small display screens of portable wireless devices. <H2>WASP</H2> Wireless Application Service Provider. Eg MessageDrive voting system <H2>Web SMS</H2> SMS messages sent from an Internet/web site to a mobile handset (or mobile number). <H2>WISP</H2> Wireless Internet Service Provider, also called a portal, eg MessageDrive <H2>Wireless Carrier</H2> A company that provides wireless telecommunications services. <H2>WML</H2> Wireless Mark-up Language. A programming language for WAP. <H2>XMF</H2> Extensible Music Format. An XML subset used to describe MIDI music or sampled sound such as instruments or entire MP3 encoded audio tracks. <H2>XML</H2> Extensible Mark-up Language. A programming language of which WML is a subset.