The real challenge with acronyms is that knowing what a certain term stands for isn’t enough. You also need a simple explanation to understand what the term actually means.
For example, the acronym LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, but the next logical question is “evolution of what?”. This is where a simple explanation like “it is a fourth-generation (4G) cellular technology for your mobile phones” can really help.
The telecommunications industry is full of terminologies, acronyms and abbreviations, which can be hard to understand even for those who work in the industry. Based on my personal experience in the telco industry and large corporations over the last 15+ years, I have put together a list of terminologies that I have encountered during my career to date. Below is a comprehensive list of acronyms and abbreviations used in the telecom industry, focusing on mobile communications and large corporate jargon. There are many more that I plan to add periodically, but this list should provide you with a good start.
Acronyms used by telecom companies and large corporates
| Acronym | Stands for | But what does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| 1G | First-generation (of mobile networks) | The first generation of mobile networks, or 1G, was introduced in the early 1980s. The first-generation networks were analogue and employed cellular technologies, including AMPS, NMT, TACS, J-TACS, and C-Netz. 1G mobile networks were not very secure and are now obsolete. When 1G networks were active, they offered voice communication services to consumers and businesses. |
| 2.5G | Second and a half-generation (of mobile networks) | An enhancement to the second generation (2G) of mobile cellular networks that introduced efficient mobile internet services in 2G networks through General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). |
| 2D | Two dimensional | A type of display used by the manufacturers of standard TV and media devices that presents the content on regular horizontal and vertical planes without any additional dimension or perception of “depth”. |
| 2G | Second generation (of mobile networks) | The second generation of mobile networks, or 2G, was introduced in the early 1990s. The second-generation networks were digital and employed cellular technologies, including GSM, D-AMPS and IS-95. GSM is the most widely deployed 2G standard. 2G mobile networks are secure and still active. These networks primarily offer voice communication, text messaging and basic mobile data services to consumers and businesses. |
| 3D | Three dimensional | A type of display used by the manufacturers of TV and media devices that adds the perception of “depth” (the third dimension) to the standard 2D display and hence showing video graphics in three dimensions. |
| 3G | Third generation (of mobile networks) | The third generation of mobile networks, or 3G, was introduced in 2001. The third-generation networks were enabled by the UMTS and CDMA2000 technologies. 3G networks enabled voice, text and mobile data services like the 2G networks. However, 3G networks could offer much higher bit rates compared to the earlier 2G networks and were good enough for multimedia streaming and download services. |
| 3GPP | 3rd Generation Partnership Project | A collaboration group of multiple telecom associations that defines specifications for the development of mobile communications and associated technologies. |
| 4G | Fourth generation (of mobile networks) | The fourth generation of mobile networks, or 4G, was introduced in 2009. The fourth-generation networks are enabled by the LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology. 4G mobile networks are IP-based and offer voice, text and mobile internet services using the data network. 4G can offer high-speed broadband services through the mobile network. |
| 4G+ | Long Term Evolution Advanced/Advanced Pro | A symbol shown on a mobile phone (cell phone) when it is connected to LTE Advanced or LTE Advanced pro network. |
| 4K | Four thousand (resolution/pixels horizontally) | A display technology of cinema standard, used by television and other media device manufacturers that offers a resolution of 4096 x 2160 (8.8 megapixels) which is slightly higher than Ultra High Definition (UHD). |
| 5G | Fifth Generation (of mobile networks) | The fifth generation of mobile networks, or 5G, was introduced in 2019. The fifth-generation networks are enabled by the NR (New Radio) technology. Like 4G networks, 5G mobile networks are IP-based and offer voice, text and mobile internet services using the data network. 5G can offer extremely high-speed broadband services through the mobile network. |
| 5GCN | 5G Cloud Native (core network) | The mobile core network used in 5G New Radio (NR) networks. |
| 5GHz | 5 GigaHertz frequency band | A frequency band used in Wi-Fi networks that allows Wi-Fi-capable devices to connect to a Wi-Fi router. |
| ADSL | Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line | A type of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology that provides high-speed internet services to consumers and businesses via traditional copper telephone lines. |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation | A technique used for the transmission of information such as audio via radio signals where the amplitude or intensity of the signal is altered to incorporate the information into the signal. |
| AMPS | Advanced Mobile Phone System | An analogue technology used for the first generation (1G) of mobile cellular networks in the US which was later followed by some other countries also. |
| APAC | Asia Pacific | A term or designation used for referring to the countries within the Asia-Pacific region. |
| API | Application Programming Interface | An interface defined by rules and instructions as to how software components from one source should interact with those from another. |
| APN | Access Point Name | A gateway information required by a mobile phone to be able to connect it to the public internet. |
| Apps | Applications | The software applications used in smartphones, tablets, computers and other IT devices. |
| ARFCN | Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number | A term used in 2G mobile GSM networks to refer to the pair of frequencies used for the reception and transmission of the mobile signal. |
| ARPU | Average Revenue Per User | A measure of the revenue generated per subscriber per month for telecom services such as mobile voice calls, SMS, mobile internet, etc. |
| ATM | Asynchronous Transfer Mode | A switching and multiplexing technique used by telecom networks which utilises asynchronous time division multiplexing to provide on-demand bandwidth with guaranteed service levels by encoding data into small fixed-sized packets. |
| ATM | Automated Teller Machine | A cash machine used for financial transactions such as withdrawing cash |
| AuC | Authentication Centre | A network entity in 2G GSM mobile networks that manages the authentication of services for mobile phone users. |
| B2B | Business to Business | A type of business model and transaction where a business sells its products and services to other businesses. |
| B2C | Business to Consumer | A type of business model and transaction where a business sells its products and services to consumers. |
| BAU | Business As Usual | The standard day-to-day activities carried out within a business typically when a product or system is operational. |
| BC | Business Case | A justification for a business investment which typically shows the revenues, costs, profits, payback period and other financial metrics to justify the investment. |
| BoM | Bill of Materials | A list of raw materials or components required to build or repair a product or service. |
| BRD | Business Requirements Document | A document that specifies the requirements defined by the product management within a company to state what a product or solution should do to address a given market opportunity. |
| BRS | Business Requirements Specification | A document that specifies the requirements defined by the product management within a company to state what a product or solution should do to address a given market opportunity |
| BSC | Base Station Controller | A network entity within 2G mobile GSM networks responsible for managing multiple Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) to manage the radio resources and control tasks such as handovers (from one cell to another) and frequency allocation. |
| BSS | Base Station Subsystem | A system within 2G mobile GSM networks responsible for managing the radio network resources which consists of Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Base Station Controller (BSC) and Transcoders. |
| BSS | Business Support Systems | A component within telecom networks responsible for handling customer-facing business aspects including billing, service fulfilment, revenue management, customer management, order management, product catalogues and charging, etc. |
| BTS | Base Transceiver Station | A network entity within 2G mobile GSM networks responsible for managing all the radio communication between a mobile phone and the mobile network. |
| BU | Business Unit | A part or segment of a company that represents a specific business function or business area, e.g. a certain division of a telecom company with a focus on building network components. |
| C Level | “Chief” Level (executives) | A term generally used to refer to the job titles of top executives within a company for example CEO, CFO, CTO, CMO, COO, CIO, etc. |
| C Netz | Funktelefonnetz C (Radio Telephone Network C) | An analogue technology which was used for the first generation (1G) of mobile cellular networks in Germany. |
| CAPEX | Capital Expenditure | The costs that a company incurs to purchase or upgrade its assets such as network components. |
| CCTV | Closed Circuit Television | A video monitoring system typically used for surveillance purposes where the video signals are transmitted only to specific monitors and not publicly distributed. |
| CD | Compact Disc | A disk used for storing and playing content such as documents, images, audio and video on computers and media players. |
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access | A technology used in digital communications such as 2G and 3G mobile cellular networks where a single frequency channel is used to transmit the information for multiple users who are each allocated special codes to avoid interference. |
| CDMA2000 | Code Division Multiple Access 2000 | A technology used for the deployment of 3G mobile cellular networks on the CDMA track which uses Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) for its air interface. |
| cdmaONE | Code Division Multiple Access One | The commercial name for the first-ever CDMA-based mobile networks which are officially called Interim Standard 1995 (IS-95) |
| CDR | Call Detail Record | A data record of each transaction within a telecom network such as a voice call or text message that details aspects such as the call duration, origin/destination of the call, the amount billed to the customer, etc. |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer | The top executive of the highest-ranking responsible for making all key company decisions who reports to the board of directors and is ultimately accountable for the success or failure of the company. |
| CET | Central European Time | Central European standard time which is one (1) hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). |
| CFO | Chief Finance Officer | A senior executive within a company who reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is responsible for leading the financial aspects of the business including financial planning, accounts, financial risks, company shares, taxes and other similar activities. |
| CIO | Chief Information Officer | A senior executive within a company who reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is responsible for information and computer technologies. |
| CIOT | Cellular Internet of Things | A type of IoT (Internet of Things) technology that uses mobile cellular connectivity to connect SIM-enabled IoT devices to the network. |
| CLI | Calling Line Identity | A technology that displays the phone number of the caller on the device of the called party. |
| CMO | Chief Marketing Officer | A senior executive within a company who reports to the CEO and is responsible for marketing initiatives including brand management, public relations, advertising, market research and other similar activities. |
| CNR (C/N) | Carrier to Noise Ratio | A measure used in telecom networks to determine the signal strength of a carrier signal by comparing the power level of the modulated carrier signal to the power level of the background noise. |
| COO | Chief Operations Officer | A senior executive within a company who reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business. |
| CoP | Close of Play | A term that is used to refer to the end of a business day which in most cases is 5 pm or 5:30 pm depending on the company and the country. |
| CPE | Customer Premise Equipment | A hardware device such as an IP phone or a telephone set placed at the location of a customer to enable them to access the services from their telecom service provider. |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit | The processor or microprocessor often referred to as the “brains” of a computer used in computers, smartphones and other IT devices to process data and execute instructions that it receives through the computer programmes. |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management | The approach, practice and strategy that allows a business to manage the relationship and interactions with its existing and prospective customers. |
| CS | Circuit Switched | A switching technique used in mobile cellular networks for the delivery of traditional real-time services mainly voice calls. |
| CSD | Circuit Switched Data | An obsolete mobile data technology in 2G GSM mobile networks that used circuit-switching to enable mobile internet. This technology was replaced by GPRS. |
| CSP | Communications Service Provider | A company that provides any telecommunications services such as voice, text messaging and the internet, etc. via fixed (landline or wireless), mobile, satellite, or any other network. |
| CSSR | Call Setup Success Rate | A key performance indicator used in telecom networks to monitor the rate of successful attempts to establish a call. |
| CSV | Comma Separated Values | A file format used for storing data in tabular form and it can be saved and edited as a spreadsheet. |
| CTO | Chief Technology Officer | A senior executive within most technology companies who reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is responsible for leading and defining the needs, strategy and direction of the company from a technology perspective. CTO is also responsible for the management of the research and development (R&D) within the company. |
| CX | Customer Experience | The overall journey and experience of a customer when interacting with a certain brand and associated products and services. |
| D–AMPS | Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System | A digital technology used for the second generation (2G) of mobile cellular networks in the USA which was later followed by some other countries also. |
| DAS | Distributed Antenna Systems | A network of centrally controlled antennas connected to a common source which are distributed geographically e.g. inside a building to diversify the reception of a signal and fill any coverage gaps. |
| dB | Decibel | A logarithmic unit, most commonly used in telecoms and electronics to measure the signal strength, which is a ratio between the two values of a physical quantity such as power, voltage, and current, etc. |
| DECT | Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications | A technology standard used for cordless telephone systems where the base unit is connected to the phone line while one or more handsets are wirelessly connected to the base unit. |
| DPI | Deep Packet Inspection | A method used by telecom service providers to examine the content or body of the data being transmitted in order to make decisions on how to treat the data e.g. data prioritisation, blocking, etc. |
| DSL | Digital Subscriber Line | A technology that comes in different flavours such as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) to provide high-speed internet services to consumers and businesses via traditional copper telephone lines. |
| DSP | Digital Signal Processing | A technique widely used in a variety of fields including telecommunications to process an information-carrying signal so as to to maximise its accuracy, reproducibility, reliability and performance. |
| DSS | Dynamic Spectrum Sharing | A technique used by 4G and 5G networks where both networks can use the same frequency spectrum by splitting the carrier (channel) dynamically to serve 4G or 5G users. |
| DVD | Digital Versatile Disc | A digital disc used for storing a large amount of data such as media which can be played on computers and DVD compatible media players. |
| EBITDA | Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation | A measure of the operational performance of a business which is calculated by deducting all the operational costs (including direct costs) from the revenues. |
| EDGE | Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution | A pre-3G technology also sometimes referred to as 2.75G which was an enhancement to General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and improved the achievable data rates by at least three times as compared to GPRS. |
| E-GPRS | Enhanced General Packet Radio Service | An enhancement added to the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) to improve the data rates in 2G GSM networks. |
| E-GSM | Extended GSM (band) | An extension to the original primary frequency band (P-GSM) used in mobile GSM networks, which adds another 10 MHz to the lower side of the uplink and downlink bands. The uplink band in E-GSM ranges from 880 MHz to 915MHz and the downlink band ranges from 925MHz to 960 MHz. |
| EIR | Equipment Identity Register | A database hosted and maintained by a mobile network operator that contains all the registered IMEI numbers for mobile devices. |
| eMBB | Enhanced Mobile Broadband or Extreme Mobile Broadband | A use case category in 5G networks that refers to the mobile broadband internet service enabled by 5G networks. |
| eMBMS | Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service | A technology that can be used by 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks to distribute the same multimedia content simultaneously to multiple users e.g. a live football match. |
| EMEA | Europe, the Middle East and Africa | A term or designation used for referring to the countries within Europe, the Middle East and Africa. |
| eNB | Evolved Node B | The cellular base station in 4G LTE networks that allows mobile phones to connect to the network. |
| eNodeB | Evolved Node B | The cellular base station in 4G LTE networks that allows mobile phones to connect to the network. |
| EoB | End of Business | A term used for referring to the end of a business day which in most cases is 5 pm or 5:30 pm depending on the company. |
| EPC | Evolved Packet Core (core network) | The mobile core network used in 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks. |
| eSIM | Embedded SIM | A programmable SIM circuitry built within a cellular device so that customers can connect to a mobile network without having to insert a physical SIM into the phone. |
| EULA | End-User License Agreement | A license agreement that the users of software are required to agree to in order to be granted the legal rights to use the software. |
| EVDO | Evolution-Data Optimised | A technology used by CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) mobile networks to provide high-speed mobile internet services to the customers. |
| FAT | Factory Acceptance Test | The acceptance testing conducted by the vendor of software, hardware, or systems before making the product available to their customers. |
| FAX | Facsimile | A physical device or an online platform used for sending and receiving text or graphic messages over the telephone lines in the form of scanned copies. |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission | An independent agency in the United States which regulates interstate and international communications. |
| FCF | Free Cash Flow | A measure of the financial performance of a company which is calculated by deducting the capital expenditures (CAPEX) from the operating cash flow. |
| FDD | Frequency Division Duplex | A technique used in mobile networks including 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks where separate frequency bands are used for the uplink (mobile phone to base station) and the downlink (base station to mobile phone). |
| FDMA | Frequency Division Multiple Access | A technology used in analogue communications such as 1G mobile networks where a frequency band is broken down into smaller frequency sub-bands or channels to transmit and receive the information. |
| FHD | Full High Definition (Full HD) | A display technology used by television and other media device manufacturers which provides a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (2 megapixels). |
| FM | Frequency Modulation | A technique used for the transmission of a signal carrying information such as audio where the frequency of the signal is altered to incorporate the information into the signal. |
| FOA | First Office Application | The first (pilot) deployment of a product, service or solution carried out in a production or live environment with a selected group of customers. |
| FTE | Full-time Equivalent | The work carried out by one full-time employee in a given period e.g. 1 FTE = 40 hours per week. |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol | A protocol that allows the transfer of files from one computer to another over the internet in a client-server setup where a client computer can upload, download, delete, rename, copy and paste files on a server. |
| FTTC | Fibre to the cabinet | A type of fibre optic broadband installation where the fibre optic cable runs from a local exchange to a nearby street cabinet (usually a green box by the kerb) and then a regular telephone or copper cable runs from the cabinet to the home or premises of the customer. |
| FTTH | Fibre to the home | A type of fibre optic broadband installation also known as Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) where the fibre optic cable runs all the way from a local exchange to the home or premises of the customer. |
| FTTP | Fibre to the premises | A type of fibre optic broadband installation also known as Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) where the fibre optic cable runs all the way from a local exchange to the home or premises of the customer. |
| FY | Fiscal Year | An accounting period of 12 months used by a company or government which may or may not be different from the calendar year. |
| GB | Gigabyte | A measure of the amount of data which most commonly refers to the internet data limit or internet data consumption. 1 gigabyte (GB) equals 1000,000,000 Bytes or 1000,000 kilobytes (KB) or 1000 megabytes (MB). |
| Gbps | Gigabits per second | A unit most commonly used when referring to the network or internet speed which is the rate at which the data is transferred from a network to a device and vice versa. 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) equals 1000,000,000 bits per second or 1000,000 kilobits per second (Kbps) or 1000 megabits per second (Mbps). |
| GERAN | GSM EDGE Radio Access Network | The radio access part of the EDGE networks (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) which consists of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and Base Station Controller (BSC) and works in harmony with the 3G UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN). |
| GGSN | Gateway GPRS Support Node | A network component within GPRS and UMTS mobile core networks responsible for providing a gateway between the mobile GPRS networks and external packet-switched networks such as the internet. |
| GHz | Gigahertz | A unit widely used in telecommunications and electronics to measure the frequency of electromagnetic waves that carry information signals. 1 gigahertz (GHz) equals 1000,000,000 hertz or 1000,000 kilohertz (KHz) or 1000 megahertz (MHz). |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format | An image file format suitable for the web that employs lossless compression to produce images of small size but higher quality than JPEG. |
| GMSC | Gateway Mobile Switching Centre | A network entity that is part of the GSM core network and connects the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) to external telephone networks. |
| gNB | Next Generation Node B | The cellular base station in 5G NR networks that allows mobile phones to connect to the network. |
| gNodeB | Next Generation Node B | The cellular base station in 5G NR networks that allows mobile phones to connect to the network. |
| GPRS | General Packet Radio Service | A technology, also referred to as 2.5G, that introduced efficient mobile internet services in the 2G GSM networks. |
| GPS | Global Positioning System | A global system that uses a network of satellites to help navigate by calculating the location of GPS receivers within satellite navigators (Sat Nav), smartphones and other devices with embedded GPS capability. |
| GRN | Goods Receipt Note | A note that is typically created against an issued purchase order (PO) to record the delivery of an item from the supplier. It confirms that the supplier has delivered the item. |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications | GSM is a second-generation (2G) technology standard that enables digital communication in mobile networks and allows them to deliver voice calls, text messages (SMS) and mobile data. GSM was introduced in 1991/92, and initially, it only offered traditional voice calls and text messages. However, a technique called CSD (Circuit Switched Data) was soon added to provide basic mobile internet. A superior technology, GPRS or General Packet Radio Service, was later introduced in GSM to offer higher bit rates. GSM is the most widely deployed 2G standard. Other 2G technologies include IS-95 and D-AMPS. |
| GUI | Graphics User Interface | A user interface that utilises visual representations such as graphics and icons to allow users to be able to interact with IT, electronic and telecom devices. |
| HD | High Definition | A display technology used by television and other media device manufacturers which has a resolution of 1280 x 720 (0.9 megapixels). |
| HDMI | High-Definition Multimedia Interface | A standard interface that connects two high-definition (HD) devices such as laptops, televisions, etc. through a special cable. It is used for viewing HD content from one device on the other. |
| HDTV | High Definition Television | The display technology used in televisions and broadcasting to display media content in high-definition with a resolution of 1280 x 720 (0.9 megapixels). |
| HLD | High-Level Design | A design document created against the given business requirements to define the overall system design and architecture. It also identifies the relationships between the different functions and modules within the architecture. |
| HLR | Home Location Register | A component within GSM and UMTS mobile core network which contains key information about a subscriber such as account details, identity, permanent location, and the mobile services that the subscriber is entitled to. |
| HQ | Head Quarter(s) | A location also known as a head office that represents the most important office of an organisation where the key decisions are made. |
| HR | Human Resources | A department within a company that deals with the activities relating to the employees of the company e.g. payroll, hiring, redundancies, and benefits, etc. |
| HSCSD | High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data | An obsolete mobile data technology in 2G GSM mobile networks that used circuit-switching to enable mobile internet. This technology was replaced by GPRS. |
| HSDPA | High-Speed Downlink Packet Access | A technology used in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) networks which significantly improves the achievable download speed (data rates) of the 3G network. |
| HSPA | High-Speed Packet Access | A technology used in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) networks that significantly improves the achievable mobile data rates (internet speed) of the 3G network. HSPA is a combination of HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access). |
| HSPA+ | Evolved High-Speed Packet Access or HSPA Evolution | An enhancement to the High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology used in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) networks that provides considerably higher data rates than the original HSPA technology. |
| HSS | Home Subscriber Server | A network component within 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile core network that contains key information about a subscriber such as account details, identity, permanent location, and the mobile services that the subscriber is entitled to. |
| HSUPA | High-Speed Uplink Packet Access | A technology used in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) networks which significantly improves the achievable upload speed (data rate) of the 3G network. |
| HTML | Hypertext Markup Language | A computer language, used for creating web pages, which describes the structure and content of the web page and then displays that in a readable format. |
| HTTP | Hypertext Transfer Protocol | A protocol used by the web to transfer files such as text, images, audio, video, etc. from a web server to a user’s web browser so that the user can view information on the web pages over the internet. |
| HTTPS | Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL | The secure version of HTTP protocol used by the web to transfer files such as text, images, audio, video, etc. from a web server to a user’s web browser in an encrypted way so that the user can securely access the information over the internet. |
| IaaS | Infrastructure as a Service | A model where computing infrastructure such as servers, hard disks, firewalls, etc. are provided to a company by a 3rd party as a hosted service to avoid CAPEX intensive infrastructure deployment within the company. |
| IC | Integrated Circuit | An electronic circuit, also known as a microchip or chip, which is widely used in electronic products, e.g. mobile phones. It consists of various electronic components such as transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc. |
| ICCID | Integrated Circuit Card Identifier | ICCID stands for Integrated Circuit Card Identifier and is a number that is assigned to the SIM hardware. |
| ICT | Information and Communications Technology | An extended term for Information Technology (IT) that refers to the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications. |
| IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers | A global association of technical professionals which publishes technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science and electronics and is a leading developer of international standards within the fields of telecommunications, information technology and power generation. |
| IM | Instant Messaging | A type of chat that offers real-time communication between two or more parties through text messages over the internet on various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. |
| IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol | A protocol used by email clients for retrieving emails from the mail server over the Internet. |
| IMEI | International Mobile Equipment Identity | A unique 15 digit number assigned by the device manufacturers to every mobile device including mobile phones and mobile broadband data cards to identify the device within the network. |
| IMS | IP Multimedia Subsystem | A network entity used in 4G LTE, 5G NR and other telecom networks to enable IP-based rich communication services including voice and messaging. Look at this post for details: IMS vs VoLTE. |
| IMSI | International Mobile Subscriber Identity | A unique 15 digit number assigned to each SIM card to identify a mobile user within the network. This number comprises Mobile Country Code, Mobile Network Code, and Mobile Subscriber Identification Number. |
| IoT | Internet of Things | A system where devices, vehicles, buildings, etc. communicate with each other through an open cloud network. |
| IOT | Interoperability Testing | Testing conducted by the vendor or customer of a system or hardware or software to test the compatibility with another system or hardware or software. |
| IP | Intellectual Property | A creative or unique work physically created by someone where the legal rights belong to the owner of that work. |
| IP | Internet Protocol | A protocol which governs the format and the address of the information data sent from one computer device to another over the Internet. |
| IP PBX | Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange | A private telephone system used by a company that utilises VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) for phone calls to allow users to communicate internally and externally while sharing a pool of available external lines. |
| IPS | In Plane Switching | A display technology for LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens, used in high-end tablets and other LCD panels, which allows the viewing of the screen from many different angles without any distortion in the colours however the images do not switch as fast when viewing fast-moving objects. |
| IPTV | Internet Protocol Television | A service that provides on-demand and live TV content to customers over a dedicated IP network fully managed by the operator. |
| IPv4 | Internet Protocol version 4 | The current version of the Internet Protocol (IP) which was designed to support 4.3 billion IP addresses. This IP version will not be able to handle the growing demand for the use of the Internet and associated devices and will be replaced by a later version IPv6. |
| IPv6 | Internet Protocol version 6 | The new version of the Internet Protocol (IP) designed to support 3.4 x 10^29 billion IP addresses which will replace the current version IPv4 to accommodate the growing demand for the use of the Internet and associated devices. |
| IRAT | Inter Radio Access Technology | The inter-working of two radio interface technologies mostly referred to in the context of handing over the call or session from one technology to another e.g. GSM to WCDMA. |
| IRR | Internal Rate of Return | A profitability measure of an investment which identifies the interest rate required to make the total returns equal the total costs and hence bringing the NPV to zero. |
| IS-95 | Interim Standard 1995 | A second-generation (2G) cellular technology that introduced the first-ever CDMA based mobile networks. |
| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network | A set of standards used for the digital transmission of voice, video and other data over traditional circuit-switched networks. |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization | An independent organisation that works with its national members to define international standards for quality, safety and reliability in products and services. |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider | A company that provides internet and other associated services to consumers and businesses. |
| ISV | Independent Software Vendor | A software vendor that specialises in developing consumer or enterprise software for horizontal or vertical markets so that the software can work on one or more of the available platforms such as Windows, Linux, MAC, etc. |
| IT | Information Technology | A technology that makes use of computers and communication networks to store, process, send and receive information. |
| ITIL | Information Technology Infrastructure Library | A set of best practices for Information Technology (IT) management with the aim to align IT services with the business needs. |
| ITU | International Telecommunications Union | An agency of United Nations for information and communications technologies (ICT) that deals with the allocation of global radio spectrum, satellite orbits and technical standards. |
| IVR | Interactive Voice Response | An automated telephone system used by businesses which provides pre-recorded instructions and choices to the callers so that they can be directed to the most appropriate departments. |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group | An image file format that employs lossy compression to produce images of small file size suitable for the web. |
| KB | Kilobyte | A measure of the amount of data which most commonly refers to the internet data limit or the internet data consumption. 1 kilobyte (KB) equals 1000 Bytes. |
| Kbps | Kilobits per second | A unit most commonly used when referring to the network or internet speed which is the rate at which the data is transferred from a network to a device and vice versa. 1 Kilobit per second (Kbps) equals 1000 bits per second. |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicators | A set of metrics used in telecom and other industries to evaluate the performance of a product or service based on the compliance standards for each of the product or service components which may or may not be directly exposed to the end-user. Network KPIs mainly focus on network performance as opposed to the quality experienced by the end-user. When used in a business context, KPIs can also be defined for financial and business metrics. |
| KQI | Key Quality Indicators | A set of metrics used in telecom and other industries to evaluate the performance of specific parts of the product or service from an end-user perspective. KQIs may be derived from certain KPIs but the focus is more on the service quality aspect rather than the network performance. |
| LAN | Local Area Network | A group of computers and devices connected to each other within a small area such as a house or an office. |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display | A display technology used in computer monitors, laptops, notebooks, digital watches, calculators and televisions, etc., which can provide a much thinner display as compared to the Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display in the earlier versions of televisions and monitors. |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode | A semiconductor device that is a light source and can be used as the backlight for LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) televisions to transform them into “LED” televisions. |
| LLD | Low-Level Design | A design document that provides the implementation level details for each and every component within a solution architecture. LLD document is built upon the High-Level Design (HLD) document. |
| LoS | Line of Sight | The propagation of radio waves where the transmitter and receiver must be able to have a clear sight of each other for signal transmission |
| LTE | Long Term Evolution | LTE is a cellular technology that enables the fourth generation of mobile networks or 4G on mobile phones. It is the next evolutionary step after 3G technologies UMTS, CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA, and it supports voice calls, text messages and significantly higher data rates than 3G. The latest LTE enhancement, LTE Advanced Pro, can deliver peak data rates of up to 3 Gbps and average data rates of around 80 to 100 Mbps. |
| LTE+ | Long Term Evolution Advanced/Advanced Pro | A symbol shown on a mobile phone (cell phone) when it is connected to LTE Advanced or LTE Advanced pro network. |
| LTE-A | Long-Term Evolution Advanced | A 4G technology that uses an advanced version of LTE technology to deliver peak download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Average speeds are considerably lower. |
| LTE-A Pro | Long-Term Evolution Advanced Pro | A 4G technology that uses an enhanced version of LTE Advanced technology to deliver peak download speeds of up to 3 Gbps. Average speeds are considerably lower. |
| M2M | Machine to Machine | A point-to-point solution where a device can communicate with another device or a remote computer through mobile, fixed or IT networks to meet certain business objectives. For example, an alarm system triggering an SMS to the local police station in case of emergency. |
| MAN | Metropolitan Area Network | A group of computers and devices connected to each other within a relatively large geographical area such as a town or city. |
| MB | Megabyte | A measure of the amount of data which most commonly refers to the internet data limit or internet data consumption. 1 megabyte (MB) equals 1000,000 bytes or 1000 kilobytes (KB). |
| Mbps | Megabits per second | A unit most commonly used when referring to the network or the internet speed which is the rate at which the data is transferred from a network to a device and vice versa. 1 Megabit per second (Mbps) equals 1000,000 bits per second or 1000 Kilobits per second (Kbps). |
| MHz | Megahertz | A unit widely used in telecommunications and electronics to measure the frequency of electromagnetic waves that carry information signals. 1 megahertz (MHz) equals 1000,000 Hertz or 1000 kilohertz (KHz). |
| MIMO | Multiple Input Multiple Output | An antenna technology used by modern wireless networks including 4G LTE, 5G NR and WiFi6 that employs multiple antenna elements at the transmitter and receiver to improve data rates and signal quality. |
| MME | Mobility Management Entity | The main signalling node within the 4G LTE core network. |
| MMS | Multimedia Messaging Service | A service used for sending multimedia messages including photos, audio and video clips from one mobile phone to another over a mobile network. It is an extension of Short Message Service (SMS) which is a text-only service. |
| mMTC | Massive Machine Type Communication | A use case category in 5G networks that refers to the ability to support mass deployment of billions of IoT devices. |
| mmWave | Millimetre-Wave | The high-frequency bands between 30 GHz and 300 GHz that can be used by 5G mobile networks. They are called millimetre waves because the length of each wave (wavelength) ranges between 1 and 10 millimetres. |
| MNO | Mobile Network Operator | A company that operates a mobile cellular network typically within a country to offer mobile services such as voice calls, text messaging, mobile internet and other relevant services to its customers. |
| MoIP | Mobile communications over Internet Protocol | A text or voice-based online collaboration using the Internet on the mobile phone. |
| MoU | Memorandum of Understanding | A formal agreement between two or more parties in order to achieve a common objective such as forming a business partnership. |
| MoU | Minutes of Use | The consumption of mobile or wireless voice minutes by a telecom customer during a given period such a day or month or year. |
| MP4 | Moving Picture Experts Group 4 (MPEG4) | A standardised and popular media (container) format that is used for storing video, audio, subtitles, images, etc. to enable the sharing of video over the Internet. |
| MPEG | Moving Picture Experts Group | A standardised format used for video and audio in DVDs/CDs which uses MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 compression. |
| MPLS | Multi-Protocol Label Switching | A technique used by service providers for faster and prioritised delivery of data through assigning short-path labels on data packets rather than long IP addresses to reduce the complexity in the routing process. |
| MRD | Marketing Requirements Document | The requirements defined by product marketing or product management within a company to detail a market opportunity from a customer perspective as an input for a new product, proposition or service. |
| MRS | Marketing Requirements Specification | The requirements defined by product marketing or product management within a company to detail a market opportunity from a customer perspective as an input for a new product, proposition or service. |
| MSC | Mobile Switching Centre | A key component of the mobile core network in the GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS networks responsible for Circuit Switched (CS) voice calls and functions such as switching of calls between mobile and fixed users, administration of handovers, authentication and location updates. |
| MSISDN | Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number | MSISDN stands for Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number, and it is just your complete mobile phone number with the country code and any prefixes that are part of your mobile number. |
| MU-MIMO | Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output | A type of MIMO antenna technology used in 4G LTE and 5G NR networks that allows multiple antennas to serve multiple users simultaneously. |
| MVNO | Mobile Virtual Network Operator | A mobile service provider that provides mobile voice, text messaging, data and associated services but does not have a radio access network of their own. An MVNO usually purchases the network capacity from a mobile network operator (MNO). |
| NDA | Non Disclosure Agreement | A legal contract, usually signed by two parties wanting to do business together, which forms an agreement between the two parties to not disclose each other’s confidential information such as sensitive documents, presentations, and other sources of information to a third party. |
| NFC | Near Field Communications | A communication technique used in smartphones, IT devices and debit or credit cards which establishes a short-range connection between a primary device and an NFC-enabled device to process actions like contactless payments, file transfer, and printing, etc. |
| NFV | Network Function Virtualisation | A network architecture concept where physical hardware components of the network are replaced with software running on off-the-shelf servers making those components “virtual”. |
| ng-eNodeB | Next Generation Evolved Node B | A special 4G LTE cellular base station that allows mobile phones to connect to the 4G radio network in network deployments where a 5G core network is used instead of 4G core network (EPC). |
| NG-RAN | Next Generation Radio Access Networks | The radio access network used by the fifth generation of mobile networks (5G). |
| NMT | Nordisk MobilTelefoni (Nordic Mobile Telephone) | An analogue technology used for the first generation (1G) of mobile cellular networks in the Nordic countries. |
| NOC | Network Operations Centre | A department or location within a telecom or IT company where activities such as network management, control and monitoring take place. |
| Non LOS | Non Line of Sight | The propagation of radio waves where the transmitter and receiver do not require a clear sight of each other for signal transmission. |
| NPD | New Product Development | The process used within product management to bring a new product to market by transforming a market opportunity into a sellable product. The end-to-end NPD process may vary depending on the company and/or industry, but generally, all NPD processes start with idea generation and end at the commercial launch of the product. |
| NPV | Net Present Value | A profitability measure of an investment which takes into account the present value of future returns from an investment, less the actual investment. |
| NR | New Radio | The cellular technology used by 5G networks just like LTE is the cellular technology used by 4G networks. |
| NSA | Non-Stand-Alone (5G) | A type of 5G network deployment where 5G radio network works with a 4G LTE core network to serve 5G phones and devices. Look at this post for details: NSA vs SA. |
| NSS | Network Switching System (NSS) | The circuit-switched part of the mobile core network in 2G GSM networks that includes MSC (Mobile Switching Centre). |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer | A term that represents the manufacturer of network products and systems who in most cases is the network vendor. |
| OFDM | Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing | A technique used in telecom networks including LTE, Wi-Fi and WiMAX to carry the data signal over the air interface in a highly efficient manner. In OFDM, a large amount of data can be transmitted by splitting it across multiple closely-spaced signals at different frequencies and low data rates. |
| OFDMA | Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access | A multi-user access technology used in telecom networks including LTE, Wi-Fi and WiMAX to carry the signal from the base station to the user device. OFDMA is the multi-user flavour of OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). It splits the data from individual users across individual sets of multiple closely-spaced signals. |
| OLED | Organic Light Emitting Diode | A technology used by television manufacturers in which a display panel with self-emissive pixels makes it possible to create ultra-thin and energy-efficient television displays. |
| OMC | Operations and Maintenance Centre | A department within telecom and IT companies that deals with network operations and maintenance. |
| OMC-R | Operations & Maintenance Centre-Radio | A department within a mobile network operating company that deals with operations and maintenance of the radio network. |
| OpCo | Operating Company (e.g. Mobile operator) | The companies within an organisation that work with a central entity within the Head Office to operate the business and generate sales in the local markets. |
| OPEX | Operational Expenditures | The costs incurred by a company for the usual business operations that include maintenance, support, and any other recurring activities. |
| Ops | Operations department | The operations department in telecom companies that carries out the day-to-day activities to maintain and support the network systems and associated services. |
| OS | Operating System | A programme or system software installed on a computing device that manages all other programmes, hardware and software applications on the computer. |
| OSI | Open System Interconnection | A reference model that specifies the international standards within a communication network to enable interconnection and interworking of all systems that adopt the same standards. |
| OSS | Operations Support Systems (aka Operational Support Systems) | A system consisting of specialised software and hardware to monitor, analyse, configure and manage all the operational activities within a mobile network |
| OTT | Over The Top | A service model in which the overall communication, as well as the delivery of on-demand and live content, takes place over the public Internet on a best-effort basis with no guaranteed service quality levels. |
| PaaS | Platform as a Service | A model where computing platforms such as operating systems and databases, etc. are provided to a company by a 3rd party as a hosted service which avoids the need for CAPEX-intensive deployment within the company premises. |
| PAC | Porting Authorisation Code | An authorisation code that a customer requires from his/her mobile operator when he/she wants to switch to another mobile operator while keeping the existing mobile phone number. |
| PAYG | Pay As You Go | A prepaid mobile tariff where a customer pays for the services in advance before using them. |
| PBX | Private Branch Exchange | A private telephone system used by a company which allows users to make internal and external phone calls while sharing a pool of available external lines within the company. |
| PC | Personal Computer | A general-purpose desktop or laptop computer that is designed for an individual user and is typically based on the microprocessor technology. |
| PCRF | Policy and Charging Rules Function | A node in mobile networks that works with the mobile core network to allow an operator to implement policies in real time based on business rules. |
| PDA | Personal Digital Assistant | A handheld mobile device also known as a palmtop which provides capabilities such as note-taking, calendars and synchronisation of contact list, etc. |
| PDN-GW | Packet Data Network Gateway | An entity that is part of 4G LTE core network, Evolved Packet Core. It connects the 4G LTE networks to external data networks. |
| PESQ | Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality | A method used for the testing of speech quality level as perceived by an end-user which compares a recorded voice message generated by the transmitter with the one that comes out of the receiver. |
| P-GSM | Primary GSM band | The original primary frequency band used in mobile GSM networks which ranges from 890 MHz to 915 MHz for the uplink band and 935 MHz to 960 MHz for the downlink band. |
| PIN | Personal Identification Number | A numeric code usually required in phones and IT devices for security reasons to authenticate a user to the system. |
| PLMN | Public Land Mobile Network | A network which is established to provide terrestrial or land mobile communications services to the general public. |
| PMO | Project Management Office | A department within a company that defines and maintains the standards for project management. |
| PNG | Portable Networks Graphics | An image file format suitable for the web that employs lossless compression to produce images of higher quality and larger size than the GIF images. |
| PO | Purchase Order | A commercial document and legal binding between a supplier and a buyer to specify what is being purchased and at what price and payment terms. |
| PoC | Proof of Concept | A testing exercise carried out in a test environment to assess the feasibility of the core concepts and business objectives of a potential product, service or solution. |
| PRD | Product Requirements Document | The product requirements defined by product management within a company that details what the product should do in order to address a certain market opportunity. |
| PS | Packet Switched | A switching technique used for the communication of data (mobile internet) services in mobile networks. |
| PSTN | Public Switched Telephone Network | An aggregate of all conventional telephone networks in the world which are operated by national authorities but are interconnected to provide voice dominated telephone services to the public. |
| PUK | Personal Unlocking Key | A security code for the SIM card which a customer requires from his/her mobile service provider to unblock his/her SIM if the SIM accidentally gets blocked for some reason e.g. if a wrong PIN code has been entered multiple times. |
| QA | Quality Assurance | A process to check if a product or service is meeting the specified quality standards and requirements. |
| QAM | Quadrature Amplitude Modulation | A digital modulation technique that ensures high-speed data in modern wireless networks including 3G HSPA, 4G LTE and 5G NR. |
| QoE | Quality of Experience | A measure of the performance of a product or service from a user viewpoint which focuses on how a user subjectively feels about his/her experience of interacting with the product or service. |
| QoS | Quality of Service | A measure of the performance of a product or service that focuses on the network characteristics and metrics which may or may not be directly noticeable by the customer. QoS also refers to the differentiation or prioritisation of certain services or traffic types in different network conditions. For example, a service provider may decide to prioritise voice carrying data traffic over other traffic in busy hours. |
| R&D | Research & Development | The engineering department within a company where a certain technology is developed. |
| RAG | Red, Amber, Green | The status reporting used in project management where green suggests that the project is on-track, amber means there are some issues that require close monitoring, and red means there are serious issues where a recovery plan is required. |
| RAM | Random Access Memory | A memory chip used in computers and other electronic devices to temporarily store any programs or applications or other information being used by the computer so that the processor can quickly access them as and when needed. The higher the RAM the faster the computer. |
| RAN | Radio Access Network | A key part of the mobile network that enables air-interface communication between a mobile phone and the mobile network. RAN connects a mobile phone to the mobile core network. |
| RF | Radio Frequency | Any frequency used for the transmission of information wirelessly using radio waves. Examples include televisions, radio, mobile phones, walkie-talkies and baby monitors, etc. |
| RFI | Request For Information | A formal request made by a company to potential suppliers with the intention to get information on supplier capabilities within a certain business area so that the company can review and refine their business requirements and shortlist the potential suppliers. |
| RFP | Request For Proposal | A formal request made by a company to potential suppliers with the intention to get a proposed solution and associated price models and process details to address specific business needs of the company. |
| RFQ | Request For Quotation | A formal request made by a company to potential suppliers to get the price for a solution that potentially meets the requirements specified by the company. |
| RMA | Return Merchandise Authorisation | An authorisation that a customer requires from a product supplier to return a faulty product within its warranty period to the supplier for repair or refund. |
| RNC | Radio Network Controller | A network entity in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) networks that controls the base stations (NodeB) and is responsible for radio resource management and mobility management. |
| ROI | Return On Investment | A measure of the efficiency of an investment that compares the return from the investment with the associated cost to get a ratio between the return and the cost. This ratio can also be expressed as a percentage. |
| ROM | Read-Only Memory | A memory chip used in computers and other electronic devices to store permanent data or programming which is required for booting up the device. |
| SA | Stand-Alone (5G) | A type of 5G network deployment that employs a 5G radio network and a 5G core network to implement an end-to-end 5G network. |
| SaaS | Software as a Service | A model where software applications such as email clients and other office software are provided to a company by a 3rd party as a hosted service in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee. This way the company doesn’t need to invest its CAPEX in purchasing and deploying the software on company devices. |
| SAR | Specific Absorption Rate | The amount of radio frequency absorbed by the human body when using a mobile phone. Mobile phones with lower SAR values are considered safer as compared to those with higher SAR values. |
| SBA | Service-Based Architecture | A type of network architecture used in advanced mobile networks including 5G NR where the network can be reconfigured virtually to facilitate various service use cases. |
| SC-FDMA | Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access | The access technology used in Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks for the uplink to carry signals from the mobile phone to the base station. The downlink in LTE networks uses OFDMA. However, SC-FDMA is more power efficient due to its lower peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) and therefore using it in the uplink improves the battery life of the mobile phone. |
| SDK | Software Development Kit | A set of software tools used by application developers and programmers to build applications for specific platforms or operating systems. |
| SDM | Service Delivery Manager | The job title for a manager employed by a company to lead a team of engineers or consultants to ensure the delivery of services to the customers. |
| SDMA | Space Division Multiple Access | A multiple access technique used in mobile networks enabled by the MIMO antenna technology through the use of multiple spatially separated antennas at the transmitter and the receiver. |
| SDN | Software-Defined Networking | An approach used in network management that provides centralised control capability with the aim to increase network flexibility and agility. |
| SDTV | Standard Definition Television | The display technology used in televisions and broadcasting to display content in standard-definition with a resolution of 720 x 480. |
| SGSN | Serving GPRS Support Node | A network entity, within GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile networks, that enables mobile internet services through Packet Switched technique. |
| S-GW | Serving Gateway | An entity that is part of 4G LTE core network, Evolved Packet Core. It connects 4G base station eNodeB to external data networks through PDN-GW. |
| SIM | Subscriber Identity Module | A small card with an integrated circuit which can be inserted into SIM-enabled devices such as mobile phones, tablets and data cards to connect them to a mobile network. |
| SIMO | SIM Only (deal) | A type of mobile plan where a customer purchases only a pay-monthly SIM card from the mobile operator and uses that in their own device. |
| SIP | Session Initiation Protocol | A communication protocol used for enabling multimedia services such as voice calls, video chat/conferencing and instant messaging over the Internet. SIP is one of the key enablers of Voice over IP (VOIP). |
| SISO | Single Input Single Output | An antenna technology used in earlier generations of mobile networks where a single antenna is used to transmit the signal and a single antenna to receive it. |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement | A contract between a service provider and a customer to establish what service levels and performance standards will be provided to the customer. |
| SMB | Small Medium Business | A size-based classification of businesses which takes into account the number of employees within a business and its yearly revenues. A business with 1 to 99 employees and annual revenues of under 50m$ is categorised as small while a business with 100 to 999 employees and annual revenues of over 50m$ and within or up to 1b$ is categorised as mid-sized. |
| SME | Small Medium Enterprise | A size-based classification of businesses which takes into account the number of employees within a business and its yearly revenues. As per the European Union, a microenterprise has less than ten employees and revenues of up to 2m€; a small enterprise has less than 50 employees and revenues of up to 10m€, and a midsized enterprise has less than 250 employees and revenues of up to 50m€. In the UK, enterprises with fewer than 250 employees and revenues of up to £25m are categorised as mid-sized while enterprises with less than 50 employees are considered small. |
| SME | Subject Matter Expert | An individual who is an expert in a certain area of the business or topic and provides advice to the decision-makers within the business. |
| SMS | Short Message Service | A service that allows a mobile phone user to send text messages to other users over the mobile network. It is a text-only service with a limit of 160 characters (for Latin characters) including alphabets, numbers and symbols. |
| SNR | Signal to Noise Ratio | A measure used in telecom networks to determine the strength of the desired signal by comparing the power level of the signal to the power level of the background noise. |
| SoHo | Small Office Home Office | A very small business located in a home office environment within the owner’s residence with an employee base of less than ten (10). |
| SoW | Statement/Scope of Work | A document that details the scope of a project including deliverables, costs, delivery timelines, acceptance criteria and performance standards for a supplier providing services to a customer. |
| SPoC | Single Point of Contact | An individual or department who is the point of contact for a certain activity, project or initiative. |
| SS7 | Signalling System 7 | A signalling standard used by telecom switches within fixed and mobile networks that defines how the associated network nodes communicate with each other. |
| SSID | Service Set Identity | The user name or user ID of a Wi-Fi network that is typically written at the back of the router or modem. |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer | A security standard used for establishing an encrypted connection between the clients (e.g. web browser) and the servers (e.g. web server). |
| STB | Set-Top Box | A device that enables television to display online content and/or digital television broadcast if connected to the Internet and/or antenna cable respectively. |
| SU-MIMO | Single-User Multiple Input Multiple Output | A type of MIMO antenna technology used in 4G LTE and 5G NR networks that allows multiple antennas to serve a single user at a time. |
| SWOT | Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats | An analysis that allows a business to determine its current position with regards to its strengths, weaknesses, potential threats and opportunities which serve as an input towards the future strategy of the business. |
| TACS | Total Access Communications System | An analogue technology that was used for providing the first generation (1G) mobile communications services in the UK and other countries. |
| TCO | Total Cost of Ownership | A cost estimate, often used by a business prior to a purchase, which looks at the full cost of an asset or solution including the purchase price as well as any other operational costs e.g. maintenance and support. |
| TCP | Transmission Control Protocol | A protocol that governs how the information data should be packaged and delivered from one computer device to another over the Internet. |
| TDD | Time Division Duplex | A technique used in mobile networks including 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks where the uplink (mobile to base station) and the downlink (base station to mobile) use the same frequency band however they are allocated different time slots to separate them. |
| TDMA | Time Division Multiple Access | A technology used in digital communications such as 2G mobile networks where a frequency channel is broken down into multiple time slots to transmit and receive the information. |
| Telco | Telecommunications company | A company that provides telephone and other associated services to its customers. |
| TN | Twisted Nematic | Display technology for LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screens, most commonly used in LCD monitors and notebook computers. It supports the quick switching of images when watching fast-moving objects. However, the colours on the screen get distorted when viewed from different angles. |
| TTM | Time To Market | The duration of time from a product idea being conceived to the product being available on the market to the buyers. |
| UAT | User Acceptance Testing | A type of testing usually carried out for a software product after all the functional testing has been completed and when the product is ready to be tested by the intended users. This testing covers test cases from a user-perceived performance and user experience perspective. |
| UC | Unified Communications | An umbrella term which represents a range of communication tools and capabilities that provide a consistent and unified experience across all customer end-points. |
| UE | User Equipment | An umbrella term introduced in 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) networks to refer to any device used by an end-user to communicate with the mobile network. |
| UHD | Ultra High Definition | A display resolution used by television and other media device manufacturers which is 3840 x 2160 (8.3 megapixels) and therefore slightly lower than 4K but a lot higher than high-definition (HD). |
| UI | User Interface | The visual part of a computer application that a user interacts with to get access to certain capabilities within an electronic device. It mainly consists of Graphical User Interface (GUI) and command line. |
| UMTS | Universal Mobile Telecommunication System | A technology which provides the 3G upgrade path to mobile networks on the GSM track such as GSM, GPRS and EDGE networks. It uses Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) as its radio access network. Look at this post for details: 3G UMTS networks. |
| UPS | Uninterrupted Power Supply | A device used by telecom and IT companies to provide emergency power backup in the event of a power failure to ensure uninterrupted network operations. |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator | A web link unique to a resource on the Internet that points to a website or a web page within a website. |
| uRLLC | Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication | A use case category in 5G networks that refers to the ability to achieve latencies of as low as 1 millisecond with a reliability of 99.99%. |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus | An interface commonly used by most IT and media devices such as computers, monitors and televisions to connect them to peripherals, accessories and other devices. |
| USIM | Universal Subscriber Identity Module | A SIM card designed for 3G UMTS mobile networks that makes the SIM forwards and backwards compatible i.e. allows it to connect to 3G, 4G, 5G as well as 2G networks. |
| USP | Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point | A Marketing concept that focuses on the uniqueness of a product or service and determines what a product or service can offer to the market that the competitors can’t. |
| UTRAN | Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network | The radio access part of the 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) network that consists of NodeB (base station) and Radio Network Controller (RNC). |
| UX | User Experience | The feeling and experience of a user when interacting with all aspects of a specific product or service. |
| VAS | Value-Added Services | The non-core services from a service provider which increase the customer benefits from a certain product offering and hence lead to additional revenues. |
| VAT | Value Added Tax | A type of tax paid for the purchase of goods and services mostly in the EU and the UK which applies at every stage of the production of goods and services when the value of goods and services increases. |
| VGA | Video Graphics Array | A standard used for video and graphics display with a resolution size of 0.3 megapixels (640 x 480 pixels). |
| VIR | Volume Incentive Rebate | A type of discount where the customers who buy higher volumes get higher discounts on the purchase of goods from the supplier and are thereby rewarded for buying in bulk. |
| VLR | Visitor Location Register | A network component within 2G GSM and 3G UMTS mobile core networks that works alongside Home Local Register (HLR) and contains the exact location of subscribers present in the area served by the network. |
| VLSI | Very Large Scale Integration | A process used in the manufacturing of microchips that allows the integration of hundreds of thousands of transistors into a single microchip. |
| VoD | Video On Demand | A system that provides the ability to select and view live or pre-recorded video content as and when requested (or demanded) by the customer. |
| VoIP | Voice over Internet Protocol | A technology that enables voice calls over the internet as an over-the-top service where the quality of service is based on best effort and hence not guaranteed. |
| VoLTE | Voice over Long Term Evolution | A technology that uses virtually dedicated data packets to enable mobile voice calls over the LTE (Long Term Evolution) network as opposed to dedicated circuits which are traditionally used for voice calls. |
| VoNR | Voice over New Radio | The packet-switched voice calling and messaging capability in 5G NR networks that uses 5G core network and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). |
| VoWiFi | Voice over WiFi | The packet-switched voice calling and messaging capability in 4G and 5G networks that establishes a connection via any available Wi-Fi network to connect to a mobile core network. |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network | A technology used by businesses to protect sensitive company data by adding security and privacy to the connection used for the exchange of information over a less secure network such as the public Internet. |
| VROM | Very Rough Order of Magnitude | A cost estimate provided in the early stages of a project when the scope is not fully defined. |
| WAN | Wide Area Network | A group of computers and devices communicating and sharing information within a much larger area than Local Area Network (LAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). |
| WAP | Wireless Application Protocol | A standard that allows wireless devices such as mobile phones to be able to access the internet. |
| WCDMA | Wideband Code Division Multiple Access | The access technology used in the third generation (3G) of mobile cellular networks on the GSM track ( Universal Mobile Telecommunications System aka UMTS) where a single frequency channel of 5 MHz bandwidth is used to transmit the information for multiple users who are each allocated special codes to avoid interference. |
| WebRTC | Web Real-Time Communication | A technology standard that enables real-time communications such as instant messaging and video conferencing directly in a web browser. |
| Wi-Fi 6 | WiFi 6th generation | The latest generation of Wi-Fi networks based on the IEEE 802.11ax standard that uses the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands. Wi-Fi 6E uses the 6 GHz band. |
| WiMAX | Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access | A technology standard for high-speed wireless internet as well as 4G mobile networks and uses radio waves to provide high-bandwidth services within large geographical areas. |
| XML | Extensible Markup Language | A computer language used to describe the information (data) which can be stored on a computer and/or transported over the internet but requires another application to display the data in the desired format. |
Here are some helpful downloads
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it helped you in developing a better understanding of cellular networks. Sometimes, we need extra support, especially when preparing for a new job, studying a new topic, or buying a new phone. Whatever you are trying to do, here are some downloads that can help you:
Students & fresh graduates: If you are just starting, the complexity of the cellular industry can be a bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, I have created this FREE ebook so you can familiarise yourself with the basics like 3G, 4G etc. As a next step, check out the latest edition of the same ebook with more details on 4G & 5G networks with diagrams. You can then read Mobile Networks Made Easy, which explains the network nodes, e.g., BTS, MSC, GGSN etc.
Professionals: If you are an experienced professional but new to mobile communications, it may seem hard to compete with someone who has a decade of experience in the cellular industry. But not everyone who works in this industry is always up to date on the bigger picture and the challenges considering how quickly the industry evolves. The bigger picture comes from experience, which is why I’ve carefully put together a few slides to get you started in no time. So if you work in sales, marketing, product, project or any other area of business where you need a high-level view, Introduction to Mobile Communications can give you a quick start. Also, here are some templates to help you prepare your own slides on the product overview and product roadmap.
