Cellular Abbreviations

Terms mentioned here are mostly from cellular industry, however selected terminology is taken from telecommunications and computers for their recent juxtaposed usage in cellular industry

SIM Subscriber Identity Module

GSM Global System for Mobile Communications GPRS General Packet Radio Service MSISDN Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network

EDGE Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution TDMA Time Division Multiple Access CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

IVR Interactive Voice Response Bluetooth A wireless personal area network (PAN) technology MSC Mobile Switching Center MTSO Mobile Telephone Switching Office

BTS Base Transceiver Station MMS Multimedia Messaging Service WAP Wireless Application Protocol SMS Short Messaging Service

PIN Personal Identification Number JPG Joint Photographic Group PNG Portable Network Graphics GIF Graphics Interchange Format

UPF Universal Picture Format Bitmap graphics TIFF Tagged Image File Format EXIF Exchangeable Image Format AoC Advice of Charge

AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone System BBS Bulletin Board Service CLI Caller Line Identification

CeBIT The world's largest telecommunications exhibition, held in Hanover in Germany each spring

coax A shortening of the term "coaxial cable". A type of shielded cable used between a mobile transceiver and its antenna
D-AMPS D-AMPS has been renamed TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). DCS 1800 Digital Communications System based on GSM, working on a radio frequency of 1800 MHz. Also known as GSM1800 or PCN

DECT Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications

DTMF Dual Tone Multi Frequency Signal DTX Disconnector Unit in a mobile phone that automatically turns off the transmitter when you are not talking. This saves your battery time EFR Enhanced Full Rate voice coding

EPOC An operating system, designed especially for mobile use, being put forward by Ericsson, Nokia, Psion, Motorola and Matsushita. ERMES European Radio Messaging System ETACS Extended Total Access Communications System

GSM 1800 also known as DCS 1800 or PCN, GSM 1800 is a digital network working on a frequency of 1800 MHz. It is used in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Australia

GSM 1900 also known as PCS 1900, GSM 1900 is a digital network working on a frequency of 1900 MHz. It is used in the US and Canada and is scheduled for parts of Latin America and Africa

GSM 900 GSM 900, or just GSM, is the world's most widely used digital network and now operating in over 100 countries around the world, particularly in Europe and Asia Pacific NiCd Nickel Cadmium (Handset Battery Type) NiMH Nickel Metal Hydride (Handset Battery Type)

PCN Personal Communications Network PCS 1900 Personal Communications Service working on a radio frequency of 1900 MHz.
PDC Personal Digital Cellular NAM Number Assignment Module

PIN2 Personal Identification Number 2 - an authorization code which is used only for special services
PUK Personal Unblocking Key

RLP Radio Link Protocol

SIM card Subscriber Identity Module Card

TACS Total Access Communication System TAPI Telephone Application Programming Interface
PCU Packet Control Unit VOX Voice Operated Transmitter

WCDMA Wideband CDMA

URL Uniform Resource Locator HTTP Hyper Text Transport Protocol MHz Mega Hertz - One million cycles per second

GHz Giga hertz means one billion cycles per second

HLR Home Location Register HSCSD High Speed Circuit Switch Data Service USSD Unstructured Supplementary Services Data

HTML Hyper Text Markup Language

PDA Personal Digital Assistant IP Internet Protocol IP address Internet Protocol address

CUG Closed Users Group

GUI Graphical user interface CLI Caller Line Identification / Command Line Interface TUI Text User Interface

IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity

HNI The Home Network Identity MCC Mobile Country Code IrDA Infrared Data Association

AUC Authentication Centre

VLR Visitors Location Register EIR Equipment Identity Register EMI/UCP External Machine Interface/Universal Computer Protocol

SMSC Short Messaging Service Centre

MMSC Multimedia Messaging System Centre SMPP Short message peer-to-peer CIMD Computer Interface to Message Distribution

OIS Open Interface Specification

MVNO Mobile Virtual Network Operator BSS Base Station Subsystem BSC Base Station Controller

3G 3G (or 3-G) is short for third-generation mobile telephone technology UMTS Universal Mobile Telephone System PSTN The public switched telephone network
RF Radio frequency

UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply

IN Intelligent Network

AIN Advanced Intelligent Network

Thank You