A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X

1 Gb/s One gigabit per second. Equivalent to 1 billion bits per second

1 Mb/s One megabit per second. Equivalent to 1 million bits per second.

2.5G Describes the current state of wireless communications and is usually associated with GPRS. Each generation provides a higher data rate and additional capabilities. GPRS offers data speeds of 28 kbps to 384kbps.

3G 3G-Next generation wireless network technology. These networks promise the ability to deliver voice, data and multimedia content at rates as high as 2 Mbps.

802.11 In wireless LAN (WLAN) technology, 802.11 refers to a family of specifications developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). There are three specifications in the family: 802.11, 802.11a, and 802.11b. Data speeds are 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps for 802.11 and 5.5 Mbps or 11 Mbps for 802.11b.

A

Access Method The rules by which a network device gains the rights to transmit a communication on the network. Common methods include carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD), token passing, and demand priority.

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) In TCP/IP, a Network layer protocol used by an end station to determine the physical address of another station on the same LAN. AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone Service; commonly known as analog cellular. AMPS service is available in the US, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and several other countries. It is used in the 800 MHz frequency band.

Analog Signals that are continually changing, as opposed to being digitally encoded.

Apache A freely available web server from the Apache Group that is distributed under an "open source" license. Apache runs on most UNIX operating systems and on Windows NT/2000.

API Application Programming Interface is a method prescribed by a computer's OS or application program that allows a programmer who is writing an application to make specific requests.

Applet Java application program designed to run inside a web browser, providing users with easy accessibility and availability.

Air-time Charges Charges to users of wireless networks based on a flat rate or on the actual minutes of use. In cellular/PCS networks, charges are typically on a per minute basis. In dispatch networks, charges are typically on a flat rate basis.

ASP Invented by Microsoft, Active Server Pages is a special type of document that permits hypertext markup codes in HTML documents to be combined on the same page with scripts. The scripts execute on the server at runtime to provide so-called active content on screen.

ASP Application Service Provider - An application service provider (ASP) is a company that offers individuals or enterprises access over the Internet to applications and related services that would otherwise have to be located in their own personal or enterprise computers. Sometimes referred to as "apps-on- tap," ASP services are expected to become an important alternative, not only for smaller companies with low budgets for information technology, but also
for larger companies as a form of outsourcing and for many services for individuals as well. Open Terra's “mSolve" offers an affordable, monthly subscription-based ASP model based on bandwidth usage that makes it possible for small to medium sized enterprises to go mobile without incurring expensive software licensing fees or paying for extensive programming.

Asynchronous Transmission where sending and receiving devices are not synchronized. Data must carry signals to indicate data division.

ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A high speed, switching transfer mode in which the information is organized into fixed cells to transmit data, voice, and video. It is asynchronous in the sense that the recurrence of cells containing information from an individual user is not necessarily periodic.

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B

Bandwidth The range of frequencies required for proper transmission of a signal. Expressed in Hertz (cycles per second). The higher the bandwidth, the more information that can be carried. A continuous range starting from zero is said to be "baseband", while a range starting substantially above zero is "broadband".

Baud The number of changes in signal per second. A given baud rate does not necessarily transmit an equal number of bits/sec. For example, a signal with four voltage levels may be used to transfer two bits of information for every baud.

BER see Bit Error Rate

BGP Border Gateway Protocol. An IP protocol used to exchange routing information between network domains.

BGP-4 BGP-4 provides a new set of mechanisms for supporting classless interdomain routing. These mechanisms include support for advertising an IP prefix and eliminates the concept of network "class" within BGP.

Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) Algorithm used with CSMA/CD (Ethernet) networks to schedule retransmissions after a collision. So called because the backoff delay expands exponentially (becomes longer) with repeated collisions. Bit One binary digit. Bit Error Rate A measure of data integrity, expressed as the ratio of received bits that are in error, relative to the amount of bits received. Often expressed as a negative power of ten.

Bit-rate The speed at which bits are transmitted over the physical layer, also called signaling rate. This is quite different than throughput, which is an end measure of a network's speed.

Bit Stream A continuous transfer of bits over some medium.

Bit Time The length of time required to transmit one bit of information.

BPS Bits per second.

Bluetooth A short-range transmission technology for multiple device networking. Bluetooth has a range of about 10 meters, a raw data transmission rate of 1 Mbps., and supports ad hoc networking of up to 80 devices within a 10-meter radius (supporting voice and data). The Bluetooth Consortium was founded in 1998 by IBM, Intel, Toshiba, Ericsson and Nokia and is supported by about 700 organizations in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.

BREW Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless - A technology developed by Qualcomm.

Bridge A device which connects two or more networks at the data link layer (layer 2). Bridge devices are specified in the IEEE 802.1D standard. Bridges are not form part of the collision domain (i.e. Bridges may be used to split a network into multiple collision domains).

Broadcast The act of sending a frame to all stations. Also describes the class of media for which CSMA/CD Ethernet is designed, in which all stations are capable of receiving a signal transmitted by any other station.

Broadcast Address A multicast address identifying the group of all stations on a network.

Broadcast Domain Segments joined together by bridges form a broadcast domain.

Broadcast Storm A condition that may occur in networks that can cause a large number of broadcast packets to be propagated unnecessarily across an enterprise-wide network, thereby causing network overload.

Byte A group of 8 bits. Also known as an "octet".

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C

Carrier 1. An electrical signal of a set frequency that can be modulated in order to carry data. 2. Company that provides telecommunication services.

Carrier Sense A method of detecting the presence of signal activity on a common channel. With Ethernet, a method of detecting whether another station is transmitting.

Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection A network access method used by Ethernet in which a station listens for traffic before transmitting. If two stations transmit simultaneously, a collision is detected and both stations wait a brief time before attempting to transmit again. So called because it
a) allows multiple stations to access the broadcast channel at will,
b)avoids contention via carrier sense and deference,
c) resolves contention via collision detection and retransmission.

CDMA Code Division Multiple Access (also known as IS-95) is a digital wireless technology pioneered by Qualcomm. Each wireless call is distinguished by a unique code resulting in higher user capacity. SprintPCS and Verizon utilize CDMA within their wireless networks. CDMA differs from GSM and TDMA by its use of spread spectrum techniques for transmitting voice or data over the air. Rather than dividing the radio frequency spectrum into separate user channels by frequency slices or time slots, spread spectrum technology separates users by assigning them digital codes within the same broad spectrum. Advantages of CDMA include higher user capacity and immunity from interference by other signals. Used in either 800 MHz or 1900 MHz frequency bands.

CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Data is a wireless transmission protocol designed and deployed over analog wide-area networks (typically AMPS cellular networks). CDPD allows information to be transmitted on idle voice channels, is sent in packets, and transparently piggybacks on cellular analog conversations to enable simultaneous voice/data transmission. The data rate on CDPD is 19.2 kbps.

Cellular Cellular technology sends analogue or digital transmissions from transmitters that have areas of coverage called cells. A cell is the basic geographic unit of a cellular system and is the basis for the generic industry term ""cellular."" A city is divided into small ""cells"", each of which is equipped with a low powered radio transmitter/receiver or base station. The cells can vary in size depending on terrain and capacity demands. The system utilizes 50 MHz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band and is interconnected to the PSTN. There are two 25 MHz licenses operating, one in the US, one in Canada. As a cell phone user travels between transmitters from one cell to another, the user's call travels uninterrupted from transmitter to transmitter.

Channel A logical medium in a communication system over which data is transmitted.

Churn An industry term that refers to customer turnover. A wireless subscriber is said to “churn” when they cancel their mobile service with their current wireless carrier. A subscriber may either “churn” to another carrier, or they may simply choose not to have any wireless service. Churn is measured on a monthly basis.

CHTML Compact Hyper Text Markup Language (basis for iMode) CHTML is a variant of HTML, which optimizes web text content for display on small screens, such as those of mobile phones and other devices.

Circuit 1. A system of conducting media designed to pass a signal or voltage between two points. 2. A bidirectional communications path between two pieces of associated equipment.

Clamshell A computer system that weighs less than three pounds and opens lengthwise to expose a keyboard and screen.

Class I Repeater A Class I Repeater operates by translating the line signal on the incoming port to a digital signal. This allows the translation between different types of Fast Ethernet media systems such as 100Base-TX and 100Base-FX. A Class I repeater introduces delays when performing this conversion such that only one repeater= can be put in a single Fast Ethernet LAN segment.

Class II Repeater A Class II Repeater immediately repeats the signal on the incoming port to all the ports on the repeater. Very little delay is introduced by this quick movement of the data across the repeater, thus two class II repeaters are allowed per Fast Ethernet segment.

Classical IP Reference to traditional IP (Internet Protocol) protocol definitions, which require all traffic crossing between subnets to pass through a router.

CLEC Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. A competitor to the local telephone companies that has been granted permission by the State Regulatory Commission to offer local telephone services. CLECs are sometimes called alternative local exchange carriers.

Codec Short for "compressor/decompressor"; refers to the hardware in a cell phone and in the cell network that compresses digitized voice info before transmission, receives compressed voice info and decompresses it prior to transmitting to a cell phone speaker or into a wireline system. Codec allows the cell network to pass a lot of data in compressed form in order to conserve bandwidth. Human voices are highly "lossy" and a significant part of the conversation can be removed - our ear fills in the removed gaps at the other end. Each technology has different "codec" algorithms -- for CDMA there is 13K and 8K.

Collision A condition that occurs on a CSMA/CD (Ethernet) transmission medium when two or more stations transmit signals concurrently.

Collision Detect A method of detecting two or more simultaneous transmissions on a common signal channel.

Collision Domain A single CSMA/CD network. If two or more Ethernet stations are within the same collision domain and both transmit at the same time, a collision will occur. Ethernet stations that are separated by a repeater are in the same collision domain. Ethernet stations that are separated by a bridge are in different collision domains. The concept of collision domain applies only to half duplex Ethernet. Collisions do not occur in full duplex Ethernet configurations.

Concentrator LAN equipment that allows multiple network devices to be connected to the LAN cabling system through a central point. Sometimes called a "hub".

Connection Pooling Efficient way of handling multiple database connections from multiple database clients.

Contention Interference between colliding transmissions (see Collision). Normal part of Ethernet CSMA/CD protocol.

Continuity An uninterrupted pathway for electrical signals.

CORBA Common Object Request Broker Architecture is an architecture and specification for creating, distributing, and managing distributed program objects in a network. CORBA allows programs in different locations and developed by different vendors to talk to each other in a network through an "interface broker".

Coverage The combined geographic footprint of all the cell sites that comprise a wireless system.

CPE Customer Premises (or Provided) Equipment. This is equipment such as telephone systems, modems, and terminals installed at the customer's site.

CRC see Cyclic Redundancy Check CRM Customer Relationship Management is an industry term for methodologies and software that help businesses systematically manage customer relationships.

CRM software usually stores information about customers and related activities in a SQL database.

CRP Conference Room Pilots

CSC Circuit Switched Cellular offers a wide coverage area and is good for large data transfers.

CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access): A MAC method of listening before transmitting (collision avoidance) and listening while transmitting (collision detection). For wireless networks, this type of collision detection is usually not possible since the strength of a radio's own transmissions would mask all other signals on the air. So for wireless networks, collision avoidance is employed.

CSMA/CD see Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detect.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) An error checking technique used to ensure the accuracy of transmitting digital code over a communications channel. The transmitted messages are divided into predetermined lengths which, used as dividends, are divided by a fixed divisor. The remainder of the calculation is appended and sent with the message. At the receiving end, the computer recalculates the remainder. If it does not match the transmitted remainder, and error is detected.

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D

D/A Digital to Analog Converter

Data Link Layer Layer 2 of the OSI reference model. This layer takes data from the network layer and passes it on to the physical layer (layer 1). The data link layer is responsible for transmission and reception of Ethernet frames, 48-bit addressing, etc. It includes both the media access control (MAC) and logical link control (LLC) layers.

Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) Any source or destination of data connected to the local area network.

DBMS Database Management System - sometimes called a database manager, is a program that lets one or more computer users create and access data in a database. The DBMS manages user requests (and requests from other programs) so that users and other programs are free from having to understand where the data is physically located on storage media and, in a multi-user system, who else may also be accessing the data. The most common DBMS is a relational database management system (RDBMS). A standard user and program interface is the Structured Query Language (SQL). A newer kind of DBMS is the object-oriented database management system (ODBMS).

Destination MAC Address Address identifying the station or stations on a LAN to which a frame is being sent.

Diffserve Enables the marking of relative priority for IP packets. Differentiated Services enable the marking of packets with a code point value, called the DiffServe code point, which is used by network devices such as routers to determine the per-hop behavior (PHB) treatment to which the packet is subjected. Essentially, differentiated services specifies a packet's transmission priority as it passes through each network device on its journey through the network.

Digital Describes a method of storing, processing and transmitting information through the use of distinct electronic or optical pulses that represent the binary digits 0 and 1. Digital transmission and switching technologies employ a sequence of discrete, distinct pulses that represent voice, video, or data.

Distortion Any undesired change in a wave for or signal.

Distributed Computing is said to be "distributed" when the programming and data that computers process are spread out over a network. Distributed computing is a trend away from a centralized model.

DLEC Data Local Exchange Carrier

DMZ Demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a small network inserted as a "neutral zone" between a company's private network and the public network. It prevents outside users from getting direct access to company data.

DTD A Document Type Definition is a specification that accompanies an XML document and identifies and processes the markup language that separate paragraphs, identify topic headings, etc. By providing a DTD with an XML document, any device/location that has a DTD "reader" or compiler will be able to process, read, and print the document.

Dual Band Dual band phones are capable of using two different frequencies. For example, a TDMA or CDMA phone that can use either the 800 or 1900 MHz band. There are also Triple Band phones in the GSM market that support 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz. Dual band phones allow access to different frequencies in the same or different geographic regions, giving a wider coverage area.

Dual Mode Dual mode phones support more that one technology, e.g. CDMA and AMPS or TDMA and AMPS.

Duplex 1. (data communications) A circuit used to transmit signals simultaneously in both directions. 2. (general) Two receptacles or jacks in a common housing which accepts two plugs.

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E

EAI Enterprise Application Integration is a acronym used for the process of modernizing, consolidating, and coordinating a business's applications.

EDGE Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution. A high data rate (up to 384 Kbps) packet-based technology being developed for TDMA-based networks (IS-54, IS-136, and GSM).

EJB Enterprise Java Beans is an efficient architecture for creating program components. Written in Java programming language, EJB runs on the server side of a client/server model and is built using the JavaBeans technology for distributed program components. A major advantage of EJB is the ability to control change at the server rather than updating individual clients. Open Terra's on-line mobile application and creation environment employs this important architecture to efficiently reuse components in applications.

Electromagnetic Field A region of space within which electrical and magnetic forces are present

Electromagnetic Interference An interfering electromagnetic signal. Network wiring and equipment may be susceptible to EMI as well as emit EMI.

ELFEXT Equal Level Far End Crosstalk

E-mail A system for storing and forwarding messages that allows for attachments - typically 1,000 characters long.

EMI see Electromagnetic Interference.

EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service): messaging consisting of simple pictures, sounds, animations and modified text.

Encryption Conversion of data into a form, called a ciphertext, that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people. This data has to be decrypted into its original format. Encryption is especially important in wireless links because they are easier to "tap" than their hard-wired counterparts. Open Terra's “mSolve" software supports multiple SSL encryption algorithms, is password protected, employs a means for ID verification, and allows for group and user access control.

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning is an integrated information system that serves all departments within a business. Originating in the manufacturing industry, ERP modules are designed to interact with an organization's own software and interface with the vendor's proprietary tools as well as proprietary or standard programming languages. An ERP system includes software for manufacturing, order entry, accounts receivable and payable, general ledger, purchasing, warehousing, transportation and human resources. The major ERP vendors are SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, Baan and J.D. Edwards.

ESN Electronic Serial Number. Every cell phone is assigned a unique ESN, which is automatically transmitted to the cellular base station every time a call is made. The MTSO validates the ESN with each call.

Ethernet A local area network (LAN) protocol defined in the IEEE 802.3 standard in which computers access the network through a Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Detect (CSMA/CD) protocol.

Ethernet Standards Not all Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 standards are identical. In fact, in some instances, there are enough differences in Ethernet standards to cause major problems. In a network environment (such as Ethernet Version 1.0 and IEEE 802.3) nodes can coexist and communicate properly on a network but the important link is overall transceiver to node integrity.

Excessive Collision Error If a station receives 16 consecutive collisions when attempting to transmit a single frame, then the frame is dropped due to an excessive collision error.

Exchange Server A popular email messaging and collaboration server developed by
Microsoft.

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F

Fast Ethernet Ethernet standard supporting 100 Mb/s operation.

Fault Tolerance The ability of a system to respond expediently to an unplanned hardware or software failure.

FCC Federal Communications Commission.

FEC "Forward Error Correction. A technique used to overcome some types of errors created by transmission on noisy channels by adding redundancy bits to the main data transmission."

FFA Field Force Automation is the coordination and integration of people, process and technology to optimize customer-touching functions. FFA creates an opportunity for companies to better serve their customers.

Firewall A method of providing security to prevent unwanted, or unauthorized users from accessing a computer network, file storage system, or personal computer. Firewalls can involve anything from sophisticated password requirements to management of file sizes to be allowed into and out of the system.

Fixed Wireless The operation of wireless devices or systems in homes and offices. (Includes equipment in your home connected to the Internet via specialized modems.)

Flow A set of packets being transmitted between a set of hosts or a pair of transport protocol ports on a pair of hosts.

Flow Control The process of controlling data transmission at the sender to avoid overfilling buffers and loss of data at the receiver.

Forwarding The process of transmitting a packet from a source to a destination on either a switch or router.

Frame The sequence of bits that form the unit of data transmission at the LAN data link layer or medium access control layer. In Ethernet, a frame consists of the sequence of bits transmitted by a station from the "preamble" through the "frame check sequence". Also called "packet".

Frame Bursting A technique permitted only in half-duplex Gigabit Ethernet networks that optionally allows a station to transmit a series of frames without relinquishing control of the transmission medium. It improves the performance of Gigabit Ethernet when transmitting short frames.

Frequency The number of times a periodic action occurs in a unit of time. Expressed in hertz (abbreviated Hz). One hertz equals one cycle per second.

Full Duplex Data transmission over a circuit capable of transmitting in both directions simultaneously. For Ethernet, full duplex operation was defined in the IEEE 802.3x standard.

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G

Gateway A gateway is a network point that acts as a door or entrance to another network.

Gb/s Gigabits per second. One Gb/s equal one billion bits per second.

Giga A prefix meaning one billion

Gigabit Ethernet (Gbe) A version of Ethernet that operates at 1 Gb/s (1000 Mb/s).

Gigahertz (GHz) One billion hertz. Gigahertz is one billion hertz in the frequency spectrum for RF communications.

GPRS General Packet Radio Services is a packet-switched data technology that is being primarily deployed for GSM networks. It is a communications service that promises data rates from 56 to 114 kbps and continuous or "always on" connection to the Internet for mobile phones and devices. AT&T Wireless and Voicestream plan to rollout GPRS service in the US

GPS Global Positioning System (GPS) allows drivers, captains and pilots to ascertain their location anywhere on earth.

Group Address An address specifying a group of logically related stations on a network. Also called a
"multicast" address.

GSM Global System for Mobile communication is a digital telephone system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM is based on narrowband TDMA technology. GSM operates at either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band and is the standard in Europe.

GUI Graphical User Interface - Open Terra's GUI is a 100% browser based environment that features easy to use "drag and drop" technology. It includes 3rd party connectors to existing data sources including SQL databases and MQ systems and offers WYSIWYG mobile screen objects.

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H

Half Duplex Data transmission over a circuit capable of transmitting in a single direction.

Handoff The process by which the MTSO passes a cellular phone conversation from one radio frequency in one cell to another radio frequency in another.

Header Information added by the protocol in front of the payload in the packet for its own use (addresses, packet type, sequence number, CRC...). Each protocol adds a different header, so in a typical TCP/IP transmitted packet there is a MAC header, an IP header and a TCP header followed by the payload.

HDML Handheld Device Markup Language, developed by Unwired Planet, is often compared to Wireless Markup Language (WML) HBML is a language that enables the text portions of Web pages to be viewed on mobile devices (cellular phones, PDA's, etc.) that have wireless access. Although similar to WML, the major difference is that WML is XML-based and HDML is not.

Hertz The unit of frequency, one cycle per second (abbreviated Hz). Hertz. The dimensional unit for measuring the frequency that an electromagnetic signal cycles through (between lowest and highest states.) One hertz equals one cycle per second. KHz (kilohertz) stands for thousands of hertz; MHz (megahertz) stands for millions of hertz; and GHz (gigahertz) stands for billions of hertz.

Host A site connected to a network.

Hot Spots "Wireless access points that are found in public places such as airports, conventions centers, hotels, coffee shops and in select neighborhoods"

HTML Hypertext Mark-up Language

HTTP Hypertext Transport Protocol is the set of rules for exchanging files (text, graphics, sound, video, etc.) on the web. Web servers are essentially HTTP servers that service HTTP requests from browsers.

HTTPS Hypertext Transport Protocol Secure - The protocol for accessing a secure Web server. Using HTTPS in the URL instead of HTTP directs the message to a secure port number rather than the default Web port number of 80. The session is then managed by a security protocol.

Hub A device at the center of a star topology network. Hubs can be active (where they repeat signals set to them) or passive (where they do not repeat but merely split signals sent through them). Hub may refer to a repeater, bridge, switch, router, or any combination of these.

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I

iDEN Integrated Digital Enhanced Network is a wireless technology developed by Motorola that combines the capabilities of a digital cellular telephone, a two-way radio, an alphanumeric pager, and a data/fax modem into a single network. iDEN operates in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, and 1.5 GHz bands and is based on TDMA and GSM architecture with a data rate of 64 kbps. The digital signals, resistant to interference and dropped calls are more easily manipulated for enhanced system capacity. iDEN systems employ up to six-times TDMA digital transmission technology. iDEN phones run on a different frequency than other cellular services and are therefore incompatible with them.

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. A professional organization responsible for setting industry standards. The IEEE Project 802 is the group within IEEE that is responsible for LAN technology standards.

IEEE 802.1 The IEEE standards committee defining High Level Interfaces, Network Management, Internetworking, and other issues common across LAN technologies.

IEEE 802.17 The IEEE standards committee defining Resilient Packet Ring Technology.

IEEE 802.1p The IEEE 802.1P signaling technique is an OSI Layer 2 standard for prioritizing network traffic at the data link/Mac sublayer. It can also be defined as best effort QoS at Layer 2. 802.1P traffic is simply classified and sent to the destination; no bandwidth reservations are established.

IEEE 802.1q The EEE 802.1Q is a VLAN standard that specifies a tag that appends to a Mac frame. The VLAN tag carries VLAN information. The VLAN tag has two parts: The VLAN ID (12-bit) and Prioritization (3-bit).

IEEE 802.2 The IEEE standards committee defining Logical Link Control (LLC).

IEEE 802.3 The IEEE standards committee defining Ethernet networks.

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force. The organization that provides the coordination of standards and specification development for TCP/IP networking.

IFMP Ipsilon Flow Management Protocol. The label binding protocol which an IP Switch uses to notify its neighbors that a flow has been selected for label switching.

IM (Instant Messaging): messaging with the ability to view who is online. IM is capable via all network types.

IMAP Internet Message Access Protocol is a standard client/server protocol for accessing email from your local server. A less sophisticated protocol is POP3.

I Mode Network service provided by Japan's NTT DoCoMo that enables subscribers to access the Internet via mobile telephones. The current imode data transmission is 9.6 kbps but its next-generation system based on W-CDMA can support speeds of 384 kbps or higher.

Individual Address A MAC address that identifies a single station. The low order bit of the first byte (first bit transmitted) of an individual address is always "0".

Infrared A band of the electromagnetic spectrum used for airwave communications and some fiber optic transmission systems. Infrared is commonly used for short-range [up to 20 feet] through-the-air data transmission.

Inter-Frame Gap (IFG) The delay or time gap between frames. Also called Inter-Packet Gap.

Inter-Packet Gap (IPG) The delay or time gap between packets. Also called Inter-Frame Gap. IP Internet Protocol. A Layer 3 (network layer) protocol that contains addressing information and some control information that allows packets to be routed.

IP Address An identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination. The format of an IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods. Each number can be zero to 255. For example, 1.160.10.240 could be an IP address.

IP Flow Classification A function performed by an edge LSR that categorizes IP traffic flows, assigns QoS values and associates labels with identified FECs.

IP Subnet An IP network that can be reached through a single IP address.

IP Switching First generation label switching technology developed by Ipsilon (now Nokia).

ISP An Internet Service Provider is a company that provides individuals and other companies with access to the Internet.

ISO International Standards Organization

IVR Interactive Voice Response: A software application that is used in conjunction with corporate telephony hardware that can recognizes spoken commands. IVR is used for helping callers navigate corporate directories, phone books and other types of menu-driven services. Usually limited in the number of commands that can be recognized.

IR wireless The use of devices that convey data via IR (infrared) radiation. Used in certain limited-range communications and control systems.

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J

JaQue Open Terra's proprietary messaging middleware product is a robust message queuing and message alerting system that is 100% Sun JMS compliant.

J2EE Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition is a Java platform designed for mainframe-scale computing for large enterprises. J2EE was designed by Sun and IBM to simplify application development in a thin client tiered environment.

J2ME Java 2 Platform Micro Edition, developed by Sun MicroSystems, is a technology that allows programmers to use the Java programming language and related tools to develop programs for mobile wireless devices such as cellular phones and PDA's.

JAD Java Application Descriptor - A properties file to describe a MIDlet suite to the Java Application Manager on a J2ME enabled handset.

JAR A Java Archive file is a file that contains the classes for a Java applet or servlet gathered into a single, compressed file.

Java Java is an object-oriented programming language used to develop applications that can be run on a single computer or distributed among servers and clients in a network. A major characteristic of Java is application portability across the network and any device with a Java Virtual Machine.

JavaBeans JavaBeans is an interface that lets you build re-usable components that can be deployed in a network. These components are combined with other components on the same computer or distributed across the network to form an application.

JDBC Java Database Connectivity is an API specification for connecting programs written in Java to the data in popular databases.

JINI JINI network technology is an open architecture that enables developers to create network-centric services that are highly adaptive to change. JINI technology can be used to build adaptive networks that are scaleable, flexible, and collaborative.

jitter In voice over IP (VoIP), jitter is the variation in the time between packets arriving at their destination. This is sometimes caused by network congestion, timing drift, or route changes. A jitter buffer can be used to handle jitter.

JMS Java Message Service is an API (Application Programming Interface) that supports the formal communication known as messaging between computers on a network. JMS provides a common interface to standard messaging protocols used for exchanging data between computers rather than between individual users (see JaQue).

JNDI Java Naming and Directory Interface enables Java-based applications to access multiple naming and directory services. This can include files systems, LDAP, CORBA, Java RMI, and EJB's.

JSP Java Server Pages is a servlet based technology for controlling the content or appearance of Web pages. Servlets run on the web server. JSP is comparable to Microsoft's ASP technology.

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K

KHz Kilohertz (1000 Hz).

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L

LAMBDA Wavelength

LAN Local Area Network.

Late Collision A late collision is an Ethernet CSMA/CD collision that takes place after 64-bytes of a frame has been transmitted on the network by an originating station. It is considered a failure in the network because the collision arrives too late in the frame transmission to be automatically dealt with by the Ethernet medium access control function. The frame being transmitted will be dropped, requiring that application software detect its loss and initiate a retransmission. Late collisions may be caused by overly long cable lengths that result in excessive delay in propagating collisions through the network. In a normal Ethernet network, collisions should propagate throughout the network before the first 64-bytes of a frame are transmitted.

Layer 1 Part of the OSI reference model. The PHYSICAL LAYER. This layer transmits the raw data stream across a physical medium (such as the network cable). It describes how the cable is connected to the network card and which technique will be used for transmission.

Layer 2 Part of the OSI Reference model. The DATA LINK. Layer 2 protocols specify how to organize data into frames and how to transmit those frames over a network. It is responsible for providing error free transfer of those frames from one machine to another.

Layer 3 Part o the OSI Reference model. The NETWORK. Layer 3 protocols specify how addresses are assigned and how packets are forwarded from one end of a network to another. This layer manages traffic problems, such as routing, packet switching and congestion.

Layer 4 Part of the OSI Reference model. TRANSPORT. The most complex of protocols exist in Layer 4. These protocols specify how to handle details of reliable transfer and delivery of information, including sequencing, error handling, reassembly, and flow control.

Layer 5 Part of the OSI Reference model. SESSION. Layer 5 protocols specify how to establish a communications session with a remote system. Security procedures, synchronization and name recognition are handled by this layer.

Layer 6 Part of the OSI Reference model. PRESENTATION. Layer 6 protocols determine the format used to exchange data among networked machines. This layer is responsible for translation of data to a common format, protocol conversion, encryption and compression.

Layer 7 Part of the OSI Reference model. APPLICATION. Each Layer 7 protocol specifies how one particular application uses the underlying network resources. They handle network access, flow control, and error recovery.

LBS Location-Based Services: Services or applications that center around a user’s location in a mobile environment. Location-based services utilize location-sensitive technology, such as Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) or network-based solutions to deliver services or applications to a wireless device such as a mobile phone. These services can include finder applications that let mobile phone users locate friends or family, businesses or landmarks. They can also deliver maps, directions, or traffic reports.

LDAP Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is a software protocol for enabling users to locate organizations, individuals, and other resources on the public Internet or on a corporate intranet.

Link A transmission path between two points not including terminal equipment, work area cables, or equipment cables.

Link Aggregation Link Aggregation provides for increased link availability and bandwidth between two Ethernet stations by allowing multiple "physical" links to be combined to operate as a single "logical" link. Defined by the 802.3ad Working Group. Also called "Trunking".

Link Light An optional status LED on an Ethernet transceiver that indicates the status of the link integrity test. If this light is lit on the transceivers at both ends of the link, it indicates that the link has passed the integrity test.

Linux A UNIX-like operating system that was designed to provide PC users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional and more expensive UNIX systems.

Load Balancing Distributing the amount of work that a single computer has to do between two or more other computers in order to get more work done in the same amount of time. Load balancing can be implemented in hardware and or software platforms and benefits the user in terms of time spent on a given task.

Local Area Network (LAN) A term used to refer to a form of networking technology that implements a high speed, relatively short distance form of computer communications. Ethernet is one type of LAN.

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M

MAC Address The 48-bit address used in Ethernet to identify a station. Generally a unique number that is programmed into a device at time of manufacture.

MAC Frame Name for the data unit exchanged between peer Medium Access Control sublayer entities. Also called simply a "frame".

Margin The additional amount of loss that can be tolerated in a link.

Mb/s Megabits per second. One Mb/s equals one million bits per second.

Mbaud Megabaud. One million baud.

M-Commerce Mobile Commerce, or Mobile Electronic Commerce refers to commercial transactions and payments conducted in an untethered, non-PC-based environment. Transactions are made using wireless devices that can access data networks and send and receive information, including personal financial information.

MCD Mobile Computing Device - The ultimate recipient of the data entered from the MED.

MED Message Entry Device - A device which sends information into a paging network using TDP. This may be any type of device from a hand-held type of unit to a host computer.

Media Wire, cable, or conductors used for transmission of signals.

Medium Attachment Unit (MAU) The transceiver in Ethernet networks. Also a common name for the MSAU (Multistation Access Unit) in Token-Ring networks.
Mega A prefix meaning one million

Megahertz (MHz) One million hertz. Megahertz is one million hertz in the frequency spectrum of RF communications.

Messaging 1. messaging (or electronic messaging) is the creation, storage, exchange, and management of text, images, voice, telex, fax, email, paging, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) over a communications network. 2. In the language of programming, messaging is the exchange of messages to a messaging server which acts as a message exchange program for client programs. Messaging enables programs to share common message-handling code, to isolate resources and interdependencies, and to easily handle an increase in message volume. Messaging also makes it easier for programs to communicate across different programming environments (languages, compilers, and operating systems) because the only thing that each environment needs to understand is the common messaging format and protocol. Open Terra's JaQue proprietary messaging middleware product is a robust message queuing and message alerting system that is 100% Sun JMS compliant.

MHS Message Handling System - This is a general-purpose system used for receiving, storing, and sending messages with a consistent set of protocols to connect to external devices.

Microbrowser Modified Web browser that allows users to get Internet data on a handheld wireless device.

MIDlet Mobile Information Device Applet. Midlets are tiny Java programs, such as might run in a Java powered cell phone that conform to the MIDP standard (see MIDP).

MIDP Mobile Information Device Profile - Set of J2ME APIs that define how software applications interface with cellular phones and two-way pagers.

Middleware General term for any programming that serves to "glue together" or mediate between two separate and usually already existing programs.

MIME The standard format developed and adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force [IETF] for including non-text information in Internet mail. This format supports the transmission of mixed-media messages across TCP/IP networks. In addition to covering binary, audio, and video data, MIME is the standard for transmitting foreign language text which cannot be represented in ASCII code.

MMDS MMDS: Multi-channel Multipoint Distribution Service, a fixed wireless service for data, voice and video which operates in the 2.5 GHz band in North America and in the 3.5 GHz bandwidth internationally.

MMS Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a store and forward messaging service that allows mobile subscribers to exchange multimedia messages with other mobile subscribers. It is similar to SMS, but MMS supports additional media types such as text, pictures, audio and video.

MNO MNO: Mobile Network Operator. An operator of a wireless network for mobile phones.

Modem Modem: Modulator/demodulator. A radio device that converts bits in order to transmit them into a modulation of radio waves and then back again. It converts analog to digital and generates the frequency, modulation and the amplification.

Mobitex Wireless network architecture developed by Ericsson that uses packet-switching technology for data transmission instead of circuit switching. In the US, Mobitex networks operate at 900 MHz.The popular RIM and Palm VII handheld devices in the US operate over Mobitex networks.

mSolve Open Terra's powerful, unique agent is the first and only product that provides efficient, browser based, always current, mobile information management from your server or a hosted server to any mobile device. mSolve provides an affordable, ASP subscription based service that transparently deploys databases, web services, message queuing, and enterprise application in minutes, not months. This new product will revolutionize the way businesses do business! For more information visit openterra.com.

MTSO Mobile Telephone Switching Office. The central switch that controls the entire operation of a cellular system.

Multicast Single packets copied to a specific subset of network addresses. These addresses are specified in the destination address field. In contrast, in a broadcast, packets are sent to all devices in a network.

Multicast Address An address specifying a group of logically related stations on a network. Also called a "group" address.

MVNO Mobile Virtual Network Operator. A company that appears to an end user to be a wireless network operator. Unlike a standard wireless carrier, an MVNO does not own the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) like Mobile Network Operators (MNO) do. MVNOs do not hold licenses to the radio spectrum. They purchase network capacity from wireless carriers that hold licenses and operate the network infrastructure necessary for wireless phone communication.

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N

NAM Number Assignment Module. The electronic memory in a cellular phone that stores the telephone number. Phones with dual or multi-NAM features offer users the option of registering the phone with a local number in more than one market.

Nanometer (nm) A unit of measure , 10-9 m, used to measure the wavelength of light.

Network An interconnection of computer systems, terminals or data communications facilities.

Network Interface Card (NIC) A circuit board installed in a computing device used to attach the device to a network. A NIC performs the hardware functions that are required to provide a computing device with physical communications capabilities. Also Network Interface Unit (NIU).

Next Page Function Additional feature of auto-negotiation. Next pages are a means by which devices can transmit additional information beyond their link code.

NIC see Network Interface Card.

Node End point of a network connection. Nodes include any device connected to a network such as file servers, printers, or workstations.

Noise Any unwanted signal. Includes background noise, interference, or transmissions from nodes not belonging to the network. See also SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio).

NSP Network Service Provider

N-Way Name originally used for the
Ethernet "auto-negotiation" algorithm.

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O

OAM&P Operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning.

Octet Eight bits (also called "byte")

ODBC Open Database Connectivity is an open API for accessing databases. Using ODBC statements, you can access files from popular databases.

ODBMS An object-oriented database management system (OODBMS), sometimes shortened to ODBMS for object database management system), is a database management system (DBMS) that supports the modeling and creation of data as objects.

Open Systems Interconnect reference model (OSI) A communications model developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO) to define all of the services a LAN should provide. This model defines seven layers, each of which provides a subset of all of the LAN services. This layered approach allows small groups of related services to be implemented in a modular fashion that makes designing network software much more flexible.

Open Terra Open Terra is ReDefining Mobility with Online, ‘On Demand’ mobile solutions that are simple to deploy, fast to market, affordable and profitable.

OSPF Open Shortest Path First. A standard link state Internet Protocol (IP) routing protocol.

OTA Over the air.

Out of Window Collision, OOW Collision Same as "late collision". Output The useful signal or power delivered by a circuit or device.

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P

Packet Bits grouped serially in a defined format, containing a command or data message sent over a network. Same as a "frame". A bundle of data organized in a specific way for transmission. The three principal elements of a packet include the header, the text, and the trailer [error detection and correction bits].

Packet Switching Sending data in packets through a network to a remote location. The data sent is assembled by the PAD, often called a 'modem,' into individual packets of
data.

PAD see Modem

Palm A popular handheld device introduced by Palm, Inc. that is used mainly for personal management, note-taking, wireless email and for access to the Internet. It is best known for its simplicity and ease of use that requires the user to use a stylus for data entry.

PalmOS Computer operating system that provides a software platform for the Palm series of handheld devices developed by Palm, Inc.. It was designed to fit into palm-sized devices with specific display size. Several device manufacturers have licensed the PalmOS including Handspring, Symbol, Sony, IBM, Kyocera.

PC Personal Computer

PCS "Personal Communications Services - Mobile communications system interconnected with the PSTN (public switched telephone network.) In Canada and the United States, the PCS spectrum has been allocated for use by public systems at the 2.0 GHz frequency range. "

PDA A Personal Digital Assistant is a term used for small handheld devices that provide computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use. PalmOS and PocketPC devices are often referred to as PDA's.

PCN "Personal Communication Network. This standard corresponds to a high-frequency version of the GSM standard."

Physical Address The unique address value associated with a given station on the network. An Ethernet physical address is defined to be distinct from all other physical addresses on the network.

Physical Layer Layer one of the seven layer ISO Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection. The physical layer is responsible for the transmission of signals, such as electrical signals, optical signals, or radio signals, between computing machines.

PIM 1. Protocol Independent Multicast. A multicast routing protocol being standardized in the IETF. 2. Personalized Information Management or 'Contact Manager' - it is a form of software that logs personal and business information such as contacts, appointments, lists,
notes, occasions, etc.

Pocket PC A derivative of the Windows CE operating system developed by Microsoft. Pocket PC was designed to run on palm-sized mobile devices like HP's Jornada and
Compaq's iPAQ

POP3 Post Office Protocol 3 is a version of a standard client/server protocol for retrieving email. Popular email programs like Eudora and MS Outlook support accessing email via POP3.

Port (1) A physical interface to a switch or router. (2) An identifier used by transport protocols to distinguish application flows between a pair of hosts.

POS POS (Point-of-Sale) Terminal: a device that accepts credit/debit card payments. Visit openterra.com and sign up for Online "On Demand" Mobile information solutions before your competition does!

POTS Plain Old Telephone System

PPC Power PC

PPP Point To Point Protocol

Promiscuous Mode A mode of operation where a device receives every frame on the LAN, regardless of destination address.

Protocol A set of agreed upon rules and message formats for exchanging information among devices on a network. In IT, a protocol is a special set of rules that telecommunication "end points" use when they communicate. Both ends must recognize and observe a protocol. Protocols are often described in an industry or international standard.

PSNEXT Power Sum Near End Crosstalk

Pulse A current or voltage which changes abruptly from one value to another and back to the original value in a finite length of time.

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Q

QoS Quality of Service. The capability to differentiate between traffic and service types so that one or more classes of traffic can be treated differently than other types.

Queries Queries to databases are expressed as questions and are in the form of a select query or action query. Languages used to interact with databases are called query languages. Structured Query Language (SQL) is the well known standard.

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R

RAM Random Access Memory.

RAS Remote Access Server allows users to gain access to LAN resources from a remote location, usually through a dial-up connection. Once the user is authenticated, he can access files and other resources as if he was physically connected to the LAN.

RDBMS A relational database management system (RDBMS) is a program that lets you create, update, and administer a relational database. Most commercial RDBMS's use the Structured Query Language (SQL) to access the database, although SQL was invented after the development of the relational model and is not necessary for its use.

Receiver A device whose purpose is to capture transmitted signal energy and convert that energy for useful functions.

ReDefining Mobility Open Terra’s suite of software and service solutions will ReDefine the way successful companies do business by ReDefining the speed of business communication across your enterprise, ReDefining operational efficiencies, and most importantly, ReDefining productivity and profitability. Provide your mobile workforce, customers, suppliers and partners with anytime, anywhere access to mission critical information.

Repeater A device that receives, amplifies (and sometimes reshapes), and retransmits a signal. It is used to boost signal levels and extend the distance a signal can be transmitted. It can connect two or more LAN segments and physically extend the distance of a LAN. It immediately copies all bits arriving on each segment to all other segments, whether or not they are part of a valid frame.

RF Radio frequency refers to alternating current (AC) If the current is input to an antenna, an electromagnetic (EM) field is generated that permits wireless communications.

RFI Radio Frequency Interference. Electromagnetic interference at radio frequencies.

RIM Commonly referred to popular handheld devices for business made by Research in Motion. RIM devices are two-way devices that operate over the Mobitex network. RMI Remote Method Invocation is a programming methodology that utilizes the Java programming language and development environment. It can write object-oriented programming in which objects on different computers can interact in a distributed network.

RMI is the Java version of what is generally known as a remote procedure call (RPC) RMI has the ability to pass one or more objects along with the request.

Roaming Taking a mobile or portable terminal from one network to another. The ability to use cellular phone outside your home service area and make calls seamlessly without operator intervention.

ROI Return on Investment - What an enterprise will realize when realizing operational efficiencies afforded by the use of Open Terra's Online, On- Demand mobile information management systems.

Round-Trip Propagation Time In bit times, the time required in the worst case for a transmitting station's collision detect signal to be asserted due to normal contention on the channel. This delay is a primary component of the slot time.

Routers Routers are complex Internet working devices that read Network Layer Protocol Information within each packet to route it from one LAN to another.

RRL (Referred Roaming List) A list of SID's stored inside a phone to permit roaming on other wireless networks. RSA Key Encryption RSA is an Internet encryption and authentication system that uses an algorithm developed in 1977 by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman. The

RSA algorithm is the most commonly used encryption and authentication algorithm and is included as part of the Web browser from Netscape and Microsoft.

RSVP Resource Reservation Protocol. A protocol for reserving network resources to provide quality of service guarantees to application flows.

Rx Receive

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S

S/N see Signal to noise ratio

Schema The organization or structure for a database.

SCM Supply Chain Management is the management of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies.

Screen see Shield

SDH synchronous digital hierarchy

Servlet A small Java program that runs on a server. It is necessary that programs that access databases based on user input are located on the server.

SFA Sales Force Automation automates business tasks such as inventory control, sales processing, tracking of customer interactions, and analyzing sales forecasts and performance.

Shared Ethernet Same as "halfduplex" (CSMA/CD) Ethernet.

SID "System Identification. A five digit number that indicates which service area a phone is in. Most carriers have one SID assigned to their service area."

SIM card A small memory card not much bigger than a postage stamp. Used in GSM phones to hold phone numbers and other information. Can be removed and inserted into other GSM phones allowing callers to retain their stored numbers and to continue to place and receive calls.

Signal to noise ratio The ratio of received signal level to received noise level, expressed in dB. Abbreviated S/N. A higher S/N ratio indicates better channel performance.

Simplex Transmission Data transmission over a circuit capable of transmitting in one preassigned direction only.

Smart Agent see mSolve - Open Terra's “mSolve" is smart. Instead of downloading an entire program or application every time one is requested, mSolve employs a “smart agent” that utilizes complex compression algorithms to efficiently deliver only the information that is needed.

SMS Short Message Service. Service through which users can send simple text-based messages from one device to another - generally up to 160 characters.

SMTP Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a TCP/IP protocol used in sending and receiving e-mail. However, since it's limited in its ability to queue messages at the receiving end, it's usually used with one of two other protocols, POP3 or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).The association enables users to save messages in a server mailbox and download them periodically from the server.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) Protocol designed for TCP/IP networks used in a wide variety of networking environments.

SNR see Signal to noise ratio

Speech Recognition A software application that can recognize the human voice.

Spectrum Range of electromagnetic radiation from low frequency to high frequency.

Speech Recognition Speech or voice recognition is the ability of a machine or program to recognize and carry out voice commands or take dictation. In general, speech recognition involves the ability to match a voice pattern against a provided or acquired vocabulary.

SQL Structured Query Language is a standard interactive and programming language for accessing and updating information from a database. Queries take the form of a command language that allows a user to select, insert and update data. Most database products on the market support SQL.

SSL Secure Sockets Layer is the industry standard method for protecting web communications. This protocol provides data encryption, server authentication, message integrity and optional client authentication. SSL is built into most major web browsers and comes in two strengths, 40-bit and 128-bit session key lengths.

Station A unique, addressable device on a network. A station is identified by a destination address (DA).

Station Address see MAC Address Switch A switch is a multi-port bridge. Each port on the switch is in its own collision domain.

Switching A general term given to the processing of a message, packet, cell, or frame. Most often is applied to Layer 2 _ Data Link Control services.

Symbian A joint venture among Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Psion to develop new operating systems for wireless devices such as phones and handhelds. The Symbian OS is based on Psion's EPOC32 platform. The first operating system, called EPOC, was released in 2001.

Synchronous Transmission in which the data character and bits are transmitted at a fixed rate with the transmitter and receiver being synchronized. Open Terra's “mSolve" is an efficient, unique, ‘real time’ device resident agent that allows your mobile workforce to remain mobile. There is never a need to return to the office for daily hardware synchronizations.

SyncML Protocol designed to allow synchronizing data between multiple devices. SyncML is based on HTTP and XML whose specifications are released by the SyncML consortium founded by Ericsson, IBM, Motorola, Nokia, Palm,Psion and others.

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T

T1 Telephone facility carrying 1.544 Mbits/sec of bandwidth, the equivalent of 24 DS-0's.

T3 Telephone Facility carrying 45 Mbits/sec of bandwidth, the equivalent of 28 T1's, or 672 DS-0's

Talk time The length of time a caller can talk on their cellular phone without recharging the battery. The battery capacity of a cellular phone is expressed in minutes of talk time OR hours of standby time.

TCP Transmission Control Protocol. The widely used reliable byte stream delivery protocol.

TDM Time division multiplexing

TDMA Time Division Multiple Access is a technology used in digital cellular telephone communication that divides each cellular channel into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried. TDMA is used in GSM and DAMPS systems.

Third Generation Wireless See 3G - The next generation of wireless devices that use a common worldwide standard for broadband mobile communications. Analog cellular and digital PCS are considered to be the first and second generations of wireless telecommunications.

Throughput A measure of performance for a network transferring large amounts of (such as FTP, NFS, HTTP 1.1). This speed is expressed in bits per seconds.

Tomcat Tomcat is the servlet container used for Java Servlet and Java Server Pages technologies. Tomcat and the Apache web server is opensource software developed by the Apache Software Foundation.

Topology The physical or logical interconnection pattern of a network.

TOS Type of Service. Transceiver A combination of the words TRANSmitter and reCEIVER. A transceiver is the set of electronics that send and receive signals on the Ethernet media system.

Transceivers may be small outboard devices, or may be built into an Ethernet port. Also called Media Attachment Unit, or MAU.

Transmission Medium The cable or other physical circuit that is used to interconnect systems in a network.

Transmitter A device that converts electrical signals for transmission to a distant point. In fiber optic systems, the electronic component that converts electrical energy to light energy.

TRI-BAND A cellular phone that can operate on three bands, typically a GSM phone operating on 900 MHz,
1800 MHz, and 1900 MHz.

Trunking See "Link Aggregation".

TTS Text-to-speech (TTS) is a type of speech synthesis application that is used to create a spoken sound version of the text in a computer document, such as a web application.

Tx Transmit

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U

UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a third generation (3G) mobile system, providing
data speeds of up to 2 Mbps thus making portable videophones a reality.

UWB Ultra Wideband. A method of transmitting information that encompasses a large portion of the radio spectrum.

UWC Universal Wireless Consortium

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V

Voice channel The channel that a caller is assigned by the switch to commence the call after the exchange of subscriber data.

VoIP</