Mobile Glossary

From MobileActive Wiki

3G: Third generation mobile services

Bluetooth: Phone to phone communication up to 10 meters. Can be used to pass files, pictures address book contacts to another phone.

Carriers or Operators : These words are used in different countries to mean the same thing. In the USA they are usually described as Wireless Carriers while in most of the rest of the world they are called Mobile Operators.

Cell/Mobile: This document uses Mobile phone. In the USA this is usually called a Cell Phone.

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access A cellular technology owned mostly by QUALCOMM that competes with GSM. Some countries have both CDMA and GSM networks.

LBS: Location Based Services. Uses a triangulation between the geographic coordinates of the cell base stations to provide an approximate position of the phone. More accurate in cities where the cells are closer together than in the countryside.

GPS: Global Positioning System. A system of satellites that is able to determine the position of less than 20 meters of a receiver anywhere on Earth. Can be a stand alone handheld device or embedded in a mobile phone.

GPRS: General Packet Radio Service Sends data in packets and sometimes known as 2.5G. GPRS is required for delivery of polyphonic ring tones, color graphics, games, and software.

Java (J2ME) : J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition) is a language that allows a device to run small, user-installable software applications written especially for mobile devices such as phones.

IMEI: International Mobile Equipment Identity - a 15 digit Code used to identify the GSM/DCS/PCS phone to the network.

MMS: Multi-Media Message System Used to send pictures and sound to/from mobile phones.

MVNO: Mobile Virtual Network Operator. A company, such as Virgin Mobile, that does not actually own spectrum or the infrastructure of an actual carrier –MVNO’s provide the marketing and front end of a mobile service while partnering with an established carrier to provide the backend.

Polyphonic Ringtones: can create multiple notes simultaneously. This produces a more natural and realistic sound for melodies in that it can include melodies. Most polyphonic ringers can also simulate the sound of various instruments, instead of just tones. Different phones support a different number of simultaneous instruments (chords) - anywhere from 4 to 40 or more.

Ringback Tone: Ringback is the ringing sound you hear from your phone when you call someone else. Ringback tones are now offered by many carriers to compliment their booming downloadable ringtone business. For a small fee, users can download a song or sound effect that callers will hear whenever they dial the users number.

SIM Card: Subscriber Identification Module Used in GSM networks to identify the subscriber. The SIM card allows people to easily switch phones by taking it out of one phone and placing it into another taking the phone number with it. With CDMA the network assigns an account number.

SMS: Short Message System A maximum of 160 characters in each message (72 in countries where the text is double byte e.g. Arabic)

SMS-C: Short Message Service Centre The message Centre that routes messages around the network and between operators. An MMS-C does the same for MMS messages.

WAP: Wireless Application Protocol An open international standard for applications and one of the ways used for mobile phones to access the internet.

WML: Wireless Markup Language. A language developed to control the presentation of web pages on mobile phones and PDAs in the same way that HTML does for PCs. Part of the Wireless Access Protocol (WAP), WML is an open standard and is supported by most mobile phones.

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