Understanding Mobile Terms - Part 7

in Mobile Help

PWT
Personal Wireless Telecommunications; a variant of DECT developed for use in the USA

QAM
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

QAPSK
Quadrature Amplitude Phase Shift Keying

QCELP
Quadrature Code Excited Linear Prediction

QoS
Quality of Service; a broad term to describe the performance attributes of an end-to-end connection

QPSK
Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

RACE
Research in Advanced Communications in Europe

RACH
Random Access Channel; uplink only, allows the MS to request an SDCCH in response to a page or for a call

RAM
Random Access Memory

RFP
Radio Fixed Part; equivalent to a base station in a DECT system

RCC
Radio Common Carrier

RELP
Regular pulse Excitation Linear Prediction coding

Reuse
The assignment of frequencies or channels to cells so that adjoining cells do not use the same frequencies and cause interference whereas more distant cells can use the same frequencies. Reuse expands the capacity of a cellular network by enabling the use of the same channels throughout the network

RP
Radio Part

RNC
Radio Network Controller; the element which controls the Node Bs within a UMTS network. It is roughly analogous to a BSC in a GSM network

Roaming
A service unique to GSM which enables a subscriber to make and receive calls when outside the service area of his home network e.g. when traveling abroad

Router
A device which forwards information in a network on a connectionless basis

RRM
Radio Resource Management, part of the UMTS infrastructure

RT
Remote Terminal

SACCH
Slow Associated Control Channel; transmits continuous measurements in parallel with operation of TCH or SDCCH; needed for handover decisions

SAR
Specific Absorption Rate

SB
Synchronisation Burst; used for time synchronisation of the mobile

S-CDMA
Synchronous CDMA (see CDMA)

SCH
Synchronisation Channel; downlink only frame synchronisation and identification of base station

SCP
Switching/Service Control Point

SDCCH
Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel; communications channel between the MS and the BTS. Used for signaling during call set-up before a TCH is allocated

SDLC
Synchronous Data Link Control

SDMA
Spatial Division Multiple Access

SGSN
Serving GPRS Support Node; the gateway between the RNC and the core network in a GPRS/UMTS network

SIM
Subscriber Identity Module; A smart card containing the telephone number of the subscriber, encoded network identification details, the PIN and other user data such as the phone book. A user’s SIM card can be moved from phone to phone as it contains all the key information required to activate the phone

SoHo
Small Office/Home Office

Streaming
An Internet derived _expression for the one-way transmission of video and audio content

STK
SIM Tool Kit: specified within the GSM standard, this allows operators to add additional functions to the phone menu in order to provide new services such as mobile banking or email

SMR
Specialised Mobile Radio; the US term for private mobile radio (See PMR)

SMS
Short Message Service; a text message service which enables users to send short messages (160 characters) to other users. A very popular service, particularly amongst young people, with 400 billion SMS messages sent worldwide in 2002

SMSC
SMS Centre-the network entity which switches SMS traffic

SMSCB
SMS Cell Broadcast

SMS-MO
SMS Mobile Originated

SMS-MT
SMS Mobile Terminated

SMS-PP
SMS Point to Point

SP
Service Provider

SQAM
Staggered Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

SQPSK
Staggered Quadrature Phase Shift Keying

SS
Supplementary Service Support; handles special services

SS7
Signaling System Number 7 (See CCS7)

SSP
Service Switching Point

STM
Synchronous Transfer Mode

Symbian
A company created by Psion, Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola in 1998 with the aim of developing and standardising an operating system which enable mobile phones from different manufacturers to exchange information
The operating system is known as EPOC. Matsushita has subsequently joined Symbian

TACS
Total Access Communications System (an AMPS variant deployed in a number of countries principally the UK)

TAP
Transferred Account Procedure; the essential charging methodology for international GSM roaming. There have been four TAP standards, TAP1, TAP2, TAP2+ and TAP3. The latter offers variable record length and is sufficiently flexible to support all future requirements arising from the move to 3G

TBR
Technical Basis for Regulation (part of the ETSI standardisation process)

TCH
Traffic Channel

TD-CDMA
Time Division CDMA

TD-SCDMA
Time Division-Synchronous CDMA; a CDMA variant developed by Chinese vendors which is claimed to offer high data rates and greater coverage

TDD
Time Division Duplex; a radio technology for use in unpaired spectrum. WCDMA/UMTS includes a band for TDD mode usage and both PHS and DECT use this technology

TDMA
Time Division Multiple Access; a technique for multiplexing multiple users onto a single channel on a single carrier by splitting the carrier into time slots and allocating these on a as-needed basis

Telematics
A wireless communications system designed for the collection and dissemination of information, particularly refers to vehicle-based electronic systems, vehicle tracking and positioning, on-line vehicle navigation and information systems and emergency assistance

TETRA
Terrestrial Trunked Radio; a European developed digital private mobile radio technology which is now being extensively deployed worldwide

Tetrapol
A competitive digital PMR technology to TETRA developed by French vendors

TFTS
Terrestrial Flight Telephone System

Timeslot
A frame within a TDMA schema; has a time interval of 576 microseconds. Physical content of a timeslot is known as a burst. Five different burst types exist, they are distinguished by different TDMA frame divisions (see NB, FB, SB, AB and DB)

TIPHON
Telecommunications and Internet Protocol Harmonisation over Networks; an ETSI project designed to support the market for voice communications and voice band communications. In particular TIPHON will ensure that users on IP-based networks can communicate with those on circuit switched networks

TMN
Telecommunications Management Network

TMSI
Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity; covers the IMSI to prevent over-the-air interception and tracing

TRAU
Transcoder Rate Adapter Unit; the transport unit for a 16kbit/s traffic channel on the A-bis interface

Tri-band
Refers to a mobile phone able to operate on the three internationally designated GSM frequencies- 900, 1800 and 1900MHz

True Sync
A technology which enables the optimal synchronisation of calendars, address books, action lists and memoranda. It enables multi-point, one-step synchronisation of wireless and wireline devices, desktop computers and server-based applications and services

TRX
Transmitter/receiver (transceiver)
UI
User Interface

Um
The air interface between the BTS and the MS in a GSM network

Uu
The air interface between the Node B and the MS in a UMTS network.

UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System; the European entrant for 3G; now subsumed into the IMT-2000 family as the WCDMA technology.

UPN
Universal Personal Number

UPT
Universal Personal Telecommunications

URL
Uniform Resource Locator; the addressing system of the Internet

USO
Universal Service Obligation