802.11 - The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers standard
for wireless local area network interoperability.
3G - The next generation of wireless technology beyond personal
communications services. The World Administrative Radio Conference assigned
230 megahertz of spectrum at 2 GHz for multimedia 3G networks. These networks
must be able to transmit wireless data at 144 kilobits per second at mobile
user speeds, 384 kbps at pedestrian user speeds and 2 megabits per second
in fixed locations.
ACID - ACID is an acronym and mnemonic device for learning
and remembering the four primary attributes ensured to any transaction by
a transaction manager (which is also called a transaction monitor). These
attributes are: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability.
ActiveX - ActiveX is the name Microsoft has given to a set of "strategic"
COM-based object-oriented program technologies and tools.
ADC - Analog-to-digital conversion is an electronic process in which
a continuously variable (analog) signal is changed, without altering its
essential content, into a multi-level (digital) signal.
ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A technology for transmitting
digital information at high bandwidths on existing phone lines to homes
and businesses.
Air Interface - The standard operating system of a wireless network;
technologies include AMPS, TDMA, CDMA and GSM.
Algorithm - A procedure or formula for solving a problem.
AMPS - Advanced Mobile Phone Service. An analog cellular phone service
standard used in the USA and other countries.
API - An API (application program interface) is the specific method
prescribed by a computer operating system or by another application program
by which a programmer writing an application program can make requests of
the operating system or another application.
ASP - An application service provider (ASP) is a company that offers
individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to application programs
and related services that would otherwise have to be located in their own
personal or enterprise computers.
ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode. ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)
is a dedicated-connection switching technology that organizes digital data
into 53-byte cell units and transmits them over a physical medium using
digital signal technology.
Auto PC - An in-vehicle combination AM/FM radio, Windows CE-based
computer, compact disc and CD-ROM player, wireless phone and navigational
system. The units are about the size of a typical car stereo.
AVL - Automatic Vehicle Location. Combining a location-sensing device
(such as a GPS receiver) with a wireless communications link to provide
a home office or dispatcher with the location of a vehicle or mobile asset
(such as a trailer or heavy machinery).
B2B - Business-to-Business, also known as e-biz, is
the exchange of products, services, or information between businesses rather
than between businesses and consumers.
Bandwidth - 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.
Baud - Baud was the prevalent measure for data transmission speed
until replaced by a more accurate term, bps (bits per second).
BeOS - BeOS is a personal computer operating system that its makers
describe as designed for the multimedia applications of the future.
Biometrics - Biometrics is the science and technology of measuring
and statistically analyzing biological data.
Blue Screen Of Death - The blue screen of death is a rather terrifying
display image containing white text on a blue background that is generated
by Windows operating systems when the system has suddenly terminated with
an error.
Bluetooth - A new wireless technology being developed by Ericsson
Inc., Intel Corp., Nokia Corp. and Toshiba. The technology enables data
connections between electronic devices such as desktop computers, wireless
phones, electronic organizers and printers in the 2.4 GHz range. Bluetooth
would replace cable or infrared connections for such devices.
Broadband - Describes a communications medium capable of transmitting
a relatively large amount of data over a given period of time. A communications
channel of high bandwidth.
BTA - Basic Trading Area. Usually composed of several contiguous
counties. BTAs are a service area designed by Rand McNally and adopted by
the FCC. There are 493 BTAs in the United States.
C - C is a structured, procedural programming language
that has been widely used both for operating systems and applications and
that has had a wide following in the academic community. Many versions of
UNIX-based operating systems are written in C.
C++ - C++ is an object-oriented programming language that is viewed
by many as the best language for creating large-scale application programs.
C++ is a superset of the C language.
Carrier - A company that provides a communications service.
CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access. A spread spectrum air interface
technology used in some digital cellular, personal communications services
and other wireless networks.
cdma2000 - A third-generation wireless technology proposal submitted
to the International Telecommunication Union, which is based on the IS-95,
or cdmaOne, standard.
cdmaOne - The IS-95 CDMA standard developed by Qualcomm Inc.; a
word coined by the CDMA Development Group.
CDPD - CDPD stands for Cellular Digital Packet Data. It is also
referred to as "wireless IP" and is a method of sending and receiving
information via mobile devices. CDPD allows information to be sent in "packets"
or blocks over the existing analog cellular network. It is best suited for
short, periodic bursts of information. CDPD is a wireless transmission method
that uses the analog cellular network, also known as Advanced Mobile Phone
System (AMPS). CDPD allows information to be transmitted on idle cellular
voice channels.
Cell - The area surrounding a cell site. The area in which calls
are handled by a particular cell site.
Cell Site - The transmission and reception equipment, including
the base station antenna, that connects a cellular phone to the network.
Cellemetry - Uses the cellular network to carry data messaging used
for remote services such as utility meter reading, vending machine status
and vehicle or trailer tracking.
Certificate - A digital certificate is an electronic "credit
card" that establishes your credentials when doing business or other
transactions on the Web. It is issued by a certification authority (CA).
Certificate Authority - A CA (certificate authority) is an authority
in a network that issues and manages security credentials and public keys
for message encryption and decryption.
CGI - The common gateway interface (CGI) is a standard way for a
Web server to pass a Web user's request to an application program and to
receive data back to forward to the user.
CLEC - Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. A new entrant providing
local wireline phone service.
Client/Server - Client/server describes the relationship between
two computer programs in which one program, the client, makes a service
request from another program, the server, which fulfills the request. Although
the client/server idea can be used by programs within a single computer,
it is a more important idea in a network.
Compiler - A compiler is a special program that processes statements
written in a particular programming language and turns them into machine
language or "code" that a computer's processor uses.
Control Channel - A logic channel carrying network information rather
than the actual voice or data messages transmitted over the network.
CORBA - CORBA is an architecture and specification for creating,
distributing, and managing distributed program objects in a network. It
allows programs at different locations and developed by different vendors
to communicate in a network through an "interface broker."
Cracker - Someone who breaks an encrypted computer code or circuitry.
Crusoe - Crusoe is a family of "smart" microprocessors
from Transmeta that combines a relatively simple, low-powered hardware processor
with software that makes the hardware processor look like an x86 Intel processor
(such as a Pentium III). Because Crusoe requires only one-fourth of the
usual number of transistors, the processor has a small power requirement.
CTIA - A trade group representing cellular, PCS and enhanced specialized
mobile radio carriers.
D-AMPS - Digital AMPS. Used by Ericsson Inc. to describe
IS-136 time division multiple access technology.
Data Warehouse - A data warehouse is a central repository for all
or significant parts of the data that an enterprise's various business systems
collect.
DCOM - DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is a set of Microsoft
concepts and program interfaces in which client program objects can request
services from server program objects on other computers in a network.
Decibel - The decibel (abbreviated as dB) is a common unit of measurement
for the relative loudness of a sound or, in electronics, for the relative
difference between two power levels.
Digital Loop Carrier - Digital loop carrier (DLC) is equipment that
bundles a number of individual phone line signals into a single multiplexed
digital signal for local traffic between a telephone company central office
and a business complex or other outlying service area.
DLL - In computers, a dynamic link library (DLL) is a collection of
small programs, any of which can be called when needed by a larger program
that is running in the computer.
Driver - A driver is a program that interacts with a particular device
or special (frequently optional) kind of software. The driver contains the
special knowledge of the device or special software interface that programs
using the driver do not.
DSP - A specialized microprocessor that performs mathematical operations
on a data stream in real time to produce a second (modified) data stream.
Dual Band - A feature on some wireless phones that allows the handset
to operate using either the 800 MHz cellular or the 1900 MHz PCS frequencies.
Dual Mode - A feature on some wireless phones that allows the handset
to operate on both analog and digital networks.
E911 - 911 service becomes E911 when automatic number
identification and automatic location information is provided to the 911 operator.
EDGE - EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment), a faster
version of the Global System for Mobile (GSM) wireless service, is designed
to deliver data at rates up to 384 Kbps and enable the delivery of multimedia
and other broadband applications to mobile phone and computer users.
Embedded Systems Programming - Embedded systems programming
is the development of programs intended to be part of a larger operating system
or, in a somewhat different usage, to be incorporated on a microprocessor
that can then be included as part of a variety of hardware devices.
Encryption - The process of "scrambling" a
message such as a digital phone signal to prevent it from being read by unauthorized
parties.
EPOC - EPOC is an operating system designed for small,
portable computer-telephones with wireless access to phone and other information
services. EPOC is based on an earlier operating system from Psion, the first
major manufacturer of personal digital assistants (PDAs).
ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP (enterprise resource
planning) is an industry term for the broad set of activities supported by
multi-module application software that help a manufacturer or other business
manage the important parts of its business, including product planning, parts
purchasing, maintaining inventories, interacting with suppliers, providing
customer service, and tracking orders.
Fault-Tolerant - A method of making a network system
or a computer resistant to software errors, hardware problems or power failures.
FibreChannel - Fibre Channel is a technology for transmitting data
between computer devices at a data rate of up to 1 Gbps (one billion bits
per second). (A data rate of 4 Gbps is proposed.) Fibre Channel is especially
suited for connecting computer servers to shared storage devices and for interconnecting
storage controllers and drives.
Frame Relay - Wideband, packet-based interface used to
transmit bursts of data over a wide-area network. Seldom used for voice.
Gateway - Ground-based link to a mobile satellite service network.
Geek - In computers and the Internet, a geek is a person who is inordinately
dedicated to and involved with technology to the point of sometimes not appearing
to be normal. Being a geek also implies a capability with the technology.
GIS - A GIS (geographic information system) enables you to envision
the geographic aspects of a body of data. Basically, it lets you query or
analyze a relational database and receive the results in the form of some
kind of map.
GPRS - General Packet Radio Service. A packet-based wireless communication
service that, when available in 2000, promises data rates from 56 up to 114
Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer
users.
GPS - Global Positioning System. A series of 24 geosynchronous satellites
that continuously transmit their position. Used in personal tracking, navigation
and automatic vehicle location technologies.
GSM - Global System for Mobile communication. A digital mobile telephone
system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses
a variation of time division multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely
used of the three digital wireless telephone technologies (TDMA, GSM, and
CDMA).
GUI - Graphical User Interface. An operating environment that displays
options on the screen as graphical symbols, icons or photographs.
Hacker - A person or group that gains access to secured
computer networks for pleasure or challenge, sometimes to steal information
or to sabotage the system.
HDML - Handheld Device Markup Language. Written to allow
Internet access from wireless devices such as handheld personal computers
and smart phones. Derived from hypertext markup language. One version of HDML
is Unwired Planet Inc.'s UP.Link.
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language. The standard markup
language used on the World Wide Web.
iDEN - A Motorola Inc. enhanced specialized mobile radio
network technology that combines two-way radio, telephone, text messaging
and data transmission into one network.
Intelligent Agent - On the Internet, an intelligent agent
(or simply an agent) is a program that gathers information or performs some
other service without your immediate presence and on some regular schedule.
IP - The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method or protocol
by which data is sent from one computer to another on the Internet. Each computer
(known as a host) on the Internet has at least one address that uniquely identifies
it from all other computers on the Internet.
IPv6 - The latest level of the Internet Protocol (IP)
and is now included as part of IP support in many products including the major
computer operating systems.
IrDA - Infrared Data Association. An industry-sponsored
organization set up in 1993 to create international standards for the hardware
and software used in infrared communication links. In this special form of
radio transmission, a focused ray of light in the infrared frequency spectrum,
measured in terahertz, or trillions of hertz (cycles per second), is modulated
with information and sent from a transmitter to a receiver over a relatively
short distance.
IS-136 - The latest generation of the digital standard
time division multiple access technology (TDMA).
IS-41 - The network standard that allows all switches
to exchange information about subscribers.
IS-54 - The first generation of the digital standard
time division multiple access technology (TDMA).
IS-95 - The standard for code division multiple access
(CDMA).
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. A set of
CCITT/ITU standards for digital transmission over ordinary telephone copper
wire as well as over other media.
IVR - Interactive Voice Response. A software application that accepts
a combination of voice telephone input and touch-tone keypad selection and
provides appropriate responses in the form of voice, fax, callback, e-mail
and perhaps other media.
Java - Java is a programming language expressly designed
for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. It was designed
to have the "look and feel" of the C++ language, but it is simpler
to use than C++ and enforces a completely object-oriented view of programming.
Jini - A new idea that Sun Microsystems calls "spontaneous
networking." Using the Jini architecture, users will be able to plug
printers, storage devices, speakers, and any kind of device directly into
a network and every other computer, device, and user on the network will
know that the new device has been added and is available.
Last Mile Technology - Last-mile technology is any telecommunications
technology, such as wireless radio, that carries signals from the broad
telecommunication infrastructure along the relatively short distance (hence,
the "last mile") to and from the home or business.
Linux - Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i")
is a UNIX-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer
users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional
and usually more expensive UNIX systems. Linux has a reputation as a very
efficient and fast-performing system.
LMDS - Local Multipoint Distribution Service. Located in the 28
GHz and 31 GHz bands, LMDS is a broadband radio service designed to provide
two-way transmission of voice, high-speed data and video (wireless cable
TV). FCC rules prohibit incumbent local exchange carriers and cable TV companies
from offering in-region LMDS.
Middleware - Middleware is the "mix-and-match"
communications software that acts as a universal translator between diverse
radio frequency technologies and protocols. Middleware physically resides
on the remote client and on a communications server, located between the
client and the applications server. The software eases computing and communicating
with corporate information and encourages applications development, making
wireless data more attractive to corporate customers.
MSA - Metropolitan Service Area. An area defined by the US government
for use in grouping census data and other statistics. MSAs include a city
of at least 50,000 people or an urbanized area of at least 100,000 people
and the counties that include these areas. Not all areas of the US are in
an MSA. The FCC used these area definitions to license cellular telephone
service carriers. There are 306 regions of the US designated as MSAs.
MTA - Major Trading Area. An area consisting of two or more Basic
Trading Areas as defined by Rand McNally & Co. These large areas are
used by the FCC determine service areas for some PCS wireless licenses.
The US is divided into 51 MTAs.
MTSO - Mobile Telephone Switching Office. An office housing switches
and computers to which all cell sites in an area are connected for the purpose
of eventual connection to the PSTN. The MTSO handles the connection, tracking,
status and billing of all wireless call activity in an assigned area.
Object-Oriented Programming - A revolutionary new way
of looking at computer programming. Historically, programs have been viewed
as procedures (or we may think of these as "verbs") that operate
on data. OOP takes the view that programs should start by thinking about the
data (or "nouns") first.
ODBC - Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) is a standard
or open application programming interface (API) for accessing a database.
OODBMS - An OODBMS (object-oriented database management
system, sometimes shortened to ODBMS for object database management system)
is a database management system (DBMS) that supports the modelling and creation
of data as objects. This includes some kind of support for classes of objects
and the inheritance of class properties and methods by subclasses and their
objects.
Packet - A packet is the unit of data that is routed
between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched
network.
PalmOS - Palm OS is the computer operating system that
provides a software platform for the PalmPilot series of handheld personal
digital assistants made by Palm Computing. Palm OS was designed from the beginning
to fit into a palm-size device of a specific size and with a specific display
size.
PC Card - Formerly called a PCMCIA card, a detachable
card that can be connected to the mother board inside a personal computer.
It is used to link the PC to other devices to carry out a special function.
PCIA - Personal Communications Industry Association.
A trade group representing PCS, SMR, private radio and other wireless users
and carriers.
PCS - Personal Communications Services. Used to describe
a newer class of wireless communications services recently authorized by the
FCC. PCS systems use a different radio frequency(the 1.9 GHz band) than cellular
phones and generally use all digital technology for transmission and reception.
PDA - Personal Digital Assistant. A portable computing
device capable of storing and, optionally, transmitting data.
PGP - Pretty Good Privacy. A popular program used to
encrypt and decrypt e-mail over the Internet.
Pocket PC -A PDA running the Windows operating
system
POP - Persons of Population. This term is used to designate
the number of potential subscribers in a market.
POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service. Another name for
traditional wired, land based telephone service.
Push-To-Talk (PTT) - Is a two-way communication service
that works like a "walkie talkie". A normal cell phone call is full-duplex,
meaning both parties can hear each other at the same time. PTT is half-duplex,
meaning communication can only travel in one direction at any given moment.
To control which person can speak and be heard, PTT requires the person speaking
to press a button while talking and then release it when they are done. The
listener then presses their button to respond. This way the system knows which
direction the signal should be traveling in. New PTT systems are being introduced
that use VoIP technology to provide PTT service over wireless data networks.
PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network. The worldwide
voice telephone system, also called the Bell System in the United States.
QoS - On the Internet and in other networks, Quality
of Service (QoS) is the idea that transmission rates, error rates, and other
characteristics can be measured, improved, and, to some extent, guaranteed
in advance.
RAS - Remote access is the ability to get access to a
computer or a network from a remote distance.
RBOC - RBOC (regional Bell operating company) is a term
describing one of the U.S. regional telephone companies (or their successors)
that were created as a result of the breakup of American Telephone and Telegraph
Company (AT&T, known also as the Bell System or "Ma Bell") by
a U.S. Federal Court consent decree on December 31, 1983.
RDBMS - An RDBMS is a program that lets you create, update,
and administer a relational database. An RDBMS takes Structured Query Language
(SQL) statements entered by a user or contained in an application program
and creates, updates, or provides access to the database.
Router - On the Internet, a router is a device or, in
some cases, software in a computer, that determines the next network point
to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination.
RSA - Rural Service Area. Areas not included in MSAs
are divided into RSAs. Generally these are the rural areas of the US. The
FCC used RSAs to license cellular carriers in areas not included in MSAs.
There are 428 RSAs in the US.
RTOS - A real-time operating system (RTOS) is an operating
system that guarantees a certain capability within a specified time constraint.
Signal-To-Noise Ratio - A measure of the power of a signal
versus noise. A lower ratio means there is more noise relative to signal.
SIM - Subscriber Identity Module. Synonymous with smart
card.
Smart Card - A plastic card containing important data
about a person's identity to allow access to a network or premises. Also,
a card containing subscriber information, often inserted into GSM phones for
roaming to different countries.
SMR - Specialized Mobile Radio. A dispatch radio and
interconnect service for businesses. Covers frequencies in the 220 MHz, 800
MHz and 900 MHz bands.
SMS - Short Message Service. A feature of PCS phones(primarily
GSM) that allows users to receive and sometimes transmit short text messages
using their wireless phone.
SOAP - SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a way
for a program running in one kind of operating system (such as Windows NT)
to communicate with a progam in the same or another kind of an operating system
(such as Linux) by using the World Wide Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP)and its Extensible Markup Language (XML) as the mechanisms for information
exchange.
Soft Handoff - Procedure in which two base stations-one
in the cell site where the phone is located and the other in the cell site
to which the conversation is being passed- both hold onto the call until the
handoff is completed. The first cell site does not cut off the conversation
until it receives information that the second is maintaining the call.
Spectrum Allocation - Federal government designation
of a range of frequencies for a category of use or uses. For example, the
FCC allocated the 1900 MHz band for personal communications services. Allocation,
typically accomplished in years-long FCC proceedings, tracks new technology
development. However, the FCC can shift existing allocations to accommodate
changes in spectrum demand. As an example, some UHF television channels were
recently reallocated to public safety.
Spectrum Assignment - Federal government authorization
for use of specific frequencies or frequency pairs within a given allocation,
usually at stated a geographic location(s). Mobile communications authorizations
are typically granted to private users, such as oil companies, or to common
carriers, such as cellular and paging operators. Spectrum auctions and/or
frequency coordination processes, which consider potential interference to
existing users, may apply.
Spread Spectrum - Jamming-resistant and initially devised
for military use, this radio transmission technology "spreads" information
over greater bandwidth than necessary for interference tolerance and is now
a commercial technology.
SQL - A standard interactive and programming language
for getting information from and updating a database.
SRAM - Static RAM. A memory technology used in pagers
and handsets. So named because it requires no refresh cycle, as required by
dynamic RAM (DRAM) and therefore consumes less power. SRAM maintains data
only while power is applied.
Symbian - The joint venture between Ericsson Inc., Motorola
Inc., Nokia Corp. and Psion to develop new operating systems based on Psion's
EPOC32 platform for small mobile devices including wireless phones or handheld
personal computers.
TDMA - A technology used in digital cellular telephone
communication to divide each cellular channel into three time slots in order
to increase the amount of data that can be carried.
Telematics - The integration of wireless communications,
vehicle monitoring systems and location devices.
UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. Europe's
approach to standardization for third-generation cellular systems.
UWCC - Universal Wireless Communications Consortium.
An industry group supporting IS-136 time division multiple access and IS-41
wireless intelligent network technology.
VoIP - A term used in IP telephony for a set of facilities
for managing the delivery of voice information using the Internet Protocol
(IP).
VoxML - Voice Markup Language. A technology from Motorola
for creating a voice dialog with a Web site in which a user can call a Web
site by phone and interact with it through speech recognition and Web site
responses.
WAP - The WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is a specification
for a set of communication protocols to standardize the way that wireless
devices, such as cellular telephones and radio transceivers, can be used for
Internet access, including e-mail, the World Wide Web, newsgroups, and Internet
Relay Chat (IRC).
W-CDMA - Wideband CDMA. The third generation standard
offered to the International Telecommunication Union by GSM proponents.
Windows CE - The Microsoft operating system developed
for handheld computing devices. Variations of Windows CE also may eventually
become a platform for applications used by communications devices such as
wireless phones or two-way pagers.
Wireless - Using the radio-frequency spectrum for transmitting
and receiving voice, data and video signals for communications.
Wireless IP - The packet data protocol standard for sending
wireless data over the Internet.
Wireless LAN - Local area network using wireless transmissions,
such as radio or infrared instead of phone lines or fiber-optic cable to connect
data devices.
Wireless Local Loop - A fixed service that competes with
or substitutes for local wireline phone service.
WML - Wireless Markup Language. Formerly called HDML
(Handheld Devices Markup Language), is a language that allows the text portions
of Web pages to be presented on cellular phones and personal digital assistants
(PDAs) via wireless access.
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) The Wi-Fi Alliance put together
WPA as a data encryption method for 802.11 wireless LANs. WPA is an industry-supported,
pre-standard version of 802.11i utilizing the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
(TKIP), which fixes the problems of WEP, including using dynamic keys. WPA
will serve until the 802.11i standard is ratified in the third quarter of
2003.
xDSL - Designation for digital subscriber line technology
enabling simultaneous two-way transmission of voice and high-speed data over
ordinary copper phone lines.
XML - XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a flexible
way to create common information formats and share both the format and the
data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and elsewhere.
