| A1-Net |
Austrian Name for GSM 900 networks |
| B-CDMA |
Broadband CDMA. Now known as
W-CDMA (see below). To be used in UMTS. |
|
Bluetooth |
The technology enables short-range communication
networks between consumer devices incorporating a Bluetooth interface, and is
set to greatly improve the way consumers access data and services wirelessly.
|
|
Composite CDMA/TDMA |
Wireless
technology that uses both CDMA and TDMA. For large-cell licensed band and
small-cell unlicensed band applications. Uses CDMA between cells and TDMA within
cells. Based on Omnipoint technology. |
|
CDMA |
Code Division Multiple Access.
There are now a number of variations of CDMA, in addition to the original
Qualcomm-invented N-CDMA (originally just 'CDMA', also known in the US as IS-95.
See N-CDMA below).
Latest variations are B-CDMA, W-CDMA and
composite CDMA/TDMA. Developed originally by Qualcomm,
CDMA is characterized by
high capacity and small cell radius, employing spread-spectrum technology and a
special coding scheme.
It was adopted by the Telecommunications Industry
Association (TIA) in 1993. The first CDMA-based networks are now operational.
B-CDMA is the basis for 3G UMTS (see below). Click HERE
for more technical details... |
| cdmaOne |
First Generation Narrowband
CDMA
(IS-95). See above. |
|
cdma2000 |
The new second-generation
CDMA MoU
spec for inclusion in IMT-2000.
Click HERE for more technical
details. It consists of various iterations, inclusing 1xEV, 1XEV-DO, and MC 3X |
| cdma2000
1XEV |
1xEV (Evolution) is an enhancement
of the cdma2000 standard of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).
The CDMA 1xEV specification was developed by the Third Generation Partnership
Project 2 (3GPP2), a partnership consisting of five telecommunications standards
bodies: CWTS in China, ARIB and TTC in Japan, TTA in Korea, and TIA in North
America. The 1xEV specification is known as TIA/EIA/IS-856 "CDMA2000 High
Rate Packet Data Air Interface Specification." It promises around 300 kbps
speeds on a 1.25Mhz channel. |
| cdma2000
1XEV-DO |
1xEV-DO or data-only is an
enhancement of the cdma2000 1X standard. It promises around 300 kbps speeds on a
1.25Mhz channel. |
| CT-2 |
A second generation digital
cordless telephone standard. CT2 has 40 carriers x 1 duplex bearer per carrier =
40 voice channels. |
| CT-3 |
A third generation digital
cordless telephone, which is very similar and a precursor to DECT. |
| CTS |
GSM Corldless
Telephone System. In the home environment, GSM-CTS phones communicate with a
CTS Home Base Station (HBS), which offers perfect indoor radio coverage. The
CTS-HBS hooks up to the fixed network and offers the best of the fixed and
mobile worlds: low cost and high quality from the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN), services and mobility from the GSM. |
D-AMPS
(IS-54)
|
Digital AMPS, a variation of AMPs.
Uses 3-timeslot variation of TDMA, also known as IS-54. An upgrade to the
analogue AMPS. Designed to address the problem of using existing channels more
efficiently, DAMPS (IS-54) employs the same 30 kHz channel spacing and frequency
bands (824-849 and 869-894 MHz) as AMPS. By using TDMA instead of FDMA, IS-54
increases the number of users from 1 to 3 per channel (up to 10 with enhanced
TDMA). An AMPS/D-AMPS infrastructure can support use of either analogue AMPS
phone or digital D-AMPS phones. This is because the Federal Communications
Commission mandated only that digital cellular in the U.S. must act in a
dual-mode capacity with analogue. Both operate in the 800 MHz band. |
| DCS
1800 |
Digital Cordless Standard. Now
known as GSM 1800. GSM operated in the 1,800 MHz range. It is a different
frequency version of GSM, and (900 MHz) GSM phones cannot be used on DCS 1800
networks unless they are dual band. |
| DECT |
Digital European Corldless
Telephone. Uses 12-timeslot TDMA. This started off as Ericsson's CT-3, but
developed into ETSI's Digital European Cordless Standard. It is intended to be a
far more flexible standard than the CT2 standard, in that it has more RF
channels (10 RF carriers x 12 duplex bearers per carrier = 120 duplex voice
channels). It also has a better multimedia performance since 32kbit/s bearers
can be concatenated. Ericsson has developed a dual GSM/DECT handset. |
|
DVB-H |
Digital Video Broadcast
(Handheld). The Digital
Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) is an industry-led consortium of over 270
broadcasters, manufacturers, network operators, software developers, regulatory
bodies and others in over 35 countries committed to designing global standards
for the global delivery of digital television and data services. |
|
EDGE |
UWC-136,
the
next generation of data heading towards third generation and personal multimedia
environments builds on GPRS and is known as Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution
(EDGE). It will allow GSM operators to use existing GSM radio bands to
offer wireless multimedia IP-based services and applications at theoretical
maximum speeds of 384 kbps with a bit-rate of 48 kbps per timeslot and up to
69.2 kbps per timeslot in good radio conditions. |
| E-Netz |
The German name for GSM 1800
networks. |
|
Flash-OFDM |
Flash-OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexing) is a new signal processing scheme from Lucent/Flarion
that will support high data rates at very low packet and delay losses, also
known as latencies, over a distributed all-IP wireless network. The low-latency
will enable real-time mobile interactive and multimedia applications. It
promises to deliver higher quality wireless service and better cost
effectiveness than current wireless data technologies. |
| FDMA |
Frequency Division Multiple Access |
|
FLO |
FLO Technology (or MediaFLO) from
Qualcomm is a multicast Mobile innovation TV designed to increase capacity and
coverage and reduce cost for multimedia content delivery to mobile handsets. It
supports up to 20 streaming channels of QVGA (320x240 pixels) quality video at
up to 30 frames per second, 10 stereo audio channels (HE AAC+ parametric stereo)
and up to 800 minutes of stored Clipcast™ content per day (short-format video
clips) and has an average channel switching time of 1.5 seconds without
buffering or progress bars |
| GERAN |
GERAN is a term used to describe a
GSM and EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) based 200 kHz radio access
network. The GERAN is based on GSM/EDGE Release 99, and covers all new features
for GSM Release 2000 and subsequent releases, with full backward compatibility
to previous releases. |
|
GPRS |
GSM's new
GPRS
(General Packet Radio Services) data transmission
technology is optimized for "bursty" datacom services such as wireless
Internet/intranet and multimedia services. It is also known as GSM-IP
(Internet Protocol) because it will connect users
directly to Internet
Service Providers. |
| GMSS |
Geostationary Mobile Satellite
Standard, a satellite air interface standard developed from GSM and formed by
Ericsson, Lockheed Martin, U.K. Matra Marconi Space and satellite operators Asia
Cellular Satellite and Euro-African Satellite Telecommunications. |
|
GSM |
Global System for Mobile
Communications. The first European digital standard, developed to establish
cellular compatibility throughout Europe. It's success has spread to all parts
of the world and over 80 GSM networks are now operational. It operates at 900
MHz. |
|
HSDPA |
High-speed downlink packet access
technology. HSUPA enables faster data transmission
via W-CDMA networks. HSDPA is a 3GPP Release 5
Standards compliant modification to the UMTS air interface.
|
|
HSUPA
|
High-speed upload packet access
technology. HSUPA enables faster data transmission
via W-CDMA networks. HSDPA is a 3GPP Release 5
Standards compliant modification to the UMTS air interface. |
| IDEN
|
iDEN® (Integrated
Digital Enhanced Network). Launched by Motorola in 1994, this is a Private
Mobile radio system from Motorola's Land Mobile Products Sector (LMPS) iDEN
technology, currently available in the 800 MHz, 900 Mhz and 1.5 GHz bands. It
utilizes a variety of advanced technologies, including state-of-the-art
vocoders, M16QAM modulation and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). It allows
Commercial Mobile Radio Service (CMRS) operators to maximize the dispatch
capacity and provides the flexibility to add optional services such as
full-duplex telephone interconnect, alphanumeric paging and data/fax
communication services. |
|
iMode |
Launched in February 1999, this
fast-growing system from NTT DoCoMo uses compact HTML to provide WAP-like
content to iMode phones. |
|
iPass |
|
| IMT
DS |
Wideband CDMA, or WCDMA. |
| IMT
MC |
Widely known as cdma2000 and
consisting of the 1X and 3X components. |
| IMT
TC |
Called UTRA TDD or TD-SCDMA. |
| IMT
SC |
Called UWC-136 and widely known as
EDGE. |
| IMTFT |
Well-known as DECT. |
|
Inmarsat |
International Martime Satellite
System which uses a number of GEO satellites. Available as Inmarsat A,B,C,and M. |
|
Iridium |
Mobile Satellite phone/pager
network launched November 1998. Uses TDMA for inter-satellite links. Uses 2GHz
band. |
| IS-54 |
TDMA-based technology used by the
D-AMPS system at 800 MHz |
| IS-95 |
CDMA-based technology used at 800
MHz |
| IS-136 |
TDMA-based technology |
| JS-008 |
CDMA based standard for 1,900 MHz. |
| N-CDMA |
Narrowband Code Division Multiple
Access, or plain old original 'CDMA'. Also known in the US as IS-95. Developed
by Qualcomm and characterized by high capacity and small cell radius. Has a
1.25Mhz spread spectrum air interface. It uses the same frequency bands as AMPS
and supports AMPS operation, employing spread-spectrum technology and a special
coding scheme. It was adopted by the Telecommunications Industry Association
(TIA) in 1993. The first CDMA-based networks are now operational. |
|
Near Field Communication |
NFC technology enables short-range communication
networks between consumer devices incorporating an NFC interface, and is set to
greatly improve the way consumers access data and services wirelessly.
|
|
Flash-OFDM |
Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing, a new signal processing scheme from Lucent/Flarion
that will support high data rates at very low packet and delay
losses, also known as latencies, over a distributed all-IP
wireless network |
| PACS-TDMA |
An 8-timeslot TDMA-based standard,
primarily for pedestrian use. Derived from Bellcore's wireless access spec for
licensed band applications. Motorola supported. |
| PCS |
Personal Communications Service.
The PCS frequency band is 1850 to 1990 MHz, which encompasses a wide range of
new digital cellular standards like N-CDMA and GSM 1900. Single-band GSM 900
phones cannot be used on PCS networks. PCS networks operate thoughout the North
America. |
| PDC |
Personal Digital Cellular is a
TDMA-based Japanese standard operating in the 800 and 1500 MHz bands. |
| PHS |
Personal Handy System. A TDD TDMA
Japanese-centric system that offers high speed data services and superb voice
clarity. Really a WLL system with only 300m to 3km coverage. |
| SDMA |
Space Division Multiple Access,
thought of as a component of Third Generation Digital Cellular/UMTS |
| TDMA |
Time Division Multiple Access. The
first U.S. digital standard to be developed. It was adopted by the TIA in 1992.
The first TDMA commercial system began in 1993. A number of variations exist. |
| Telecentre-H |
A proprietary WLL system by Krone.
Range 30km, in the 350-500 MHz and 800-1000 Mhz range. Uses FDD FDM/FDMA and
TDM/TDMA technologies. |
|
TETRA |
TErrestrial
Trunked RAdio (TETRA) is a new open digital trunked radio
standard which is defined by the European Telecommunications Standardisation
Institute (ETSI) to meet the needs of the most demanding professional mobile
radio users. |
|
TETRA-POL |
Proprietary TETRA
network from Matra and AEG. Does not conform to TETRA MoU specifications |
|
TDtv |
TDtv technology, a mobile TV and multimedia solution based
on the 3GPP Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS) standard.
Orange will launch this technical trial in the UK in its unpaired 3G
spectrum, starting mid-2006. TDtv operates in the universal unpaired 3G
spectrum bands that are available across Europe and Asia at 1900MHz and
2010MHz. It allows UMTS operators like Orange to fully utilise their
existing spectrum and base stations to offer subscribers attractive mobile
TV and multimedia packages without impacting other voice and data 3G
services. TDtv will allow mobile operators to deliver up to 50 channels of
TV for standard cell phone screens, or 17 higher quality QVGA channels, in
5MHz of unpaired 1.9GHz spectrum.
|
| UltraPhone
110 |
A proprietary WLL system by IDC.
Range 30 km, in the 350-500 MHz range. Uses FDD FDM/TDMA technologies. The
UltraPhone system allows 4 conversations to operate simultaneously on every
25kMhz-spaced channel. A typical UP 24-channel WLL system can support 95 full
duplex voice circuits in 1.2kHz of spectrum. |
|
UMTS |
Universal Mobile Telephone
Standard - the next generation of global cellular which should be in place by
2004. Proposed data rates of <2Mbps, using combination TDMA and W-CDMA.
Operates at around 2GHz |
| W-CDMA |
One of the latest components of
UMTS, along with TDMA & cdma2000.
It has a 5Mhz air interface and is the basis of higher-bandwidth data rates.
Click HERE for more technical
details... |
|
WirelessMAN |
Wi-LAN announced that the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) "WirelessMAN" Standard 802.16a, incorporates Wi-LAN's
patented W-OFDM (Wide-band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)
technology. Wi-LAN is first to market with Standard 802.16a-like
products and is dedicated to advancing the implementation of
this standard |
|
WiMedia UWB |
WiMedia UWB common radio platform is designed to operate with
application stacks developed by the 1394 Trade Association Wireless Working
Group, the Certified Wireless USB Promoter Group and the Bluetooth SIG. WiMedia
UWB is optimized for wireless personal-area networks delivering high- speed
(480Mbps and beyond), low-power multimedia capabilities for the PC, CE, mobile
and automotive market segments. WiMedia's board members include Alereon, HP,
Intel, Kodak, Microsoft, Nokia, Philips, Samsung Electronics, Sony,
STMicroelectronics, Staccato Communications, Texas Instruments and Wisair. |
|
WiMAX |
"WiMAX" is an
acronym that stands for
Worldwide
Interoperability
for Microwave
Access.
WiMax is more robust standard for high-speed broadband wireless delivery to laptops and
desktops has been launched. It is a standards-based technology enabling the
delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and
DSL. WiMAX will provide fixed ,
nomadic, portable and, eventually,
mobile wireless broadband
connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a
typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, WiMAX Forum
Certified™ systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per
channel, for fixed and portable access applications. This is enough
bandwidth to simultaneously support hundreds of businesses with T-1 speed
connectivity and thousands of residences with DSL speed connectivity. Mobile
network deployments are expected to provide up to 15 Mbps of capacity within a
typical cell radius deployment of up to three kilometers.
|
| WLL |
Wireless Local Loop limited-number
systems are usually found in remote areas where fixed-line usage is impossible.
Most modern WLL systems use CDMA technology. See African
WLL coverage implementation details |
Zigbee UWB Standard
|
An alternative physical layer
(PHY) to the 802.15.4 wireless personal area network (WPAN) standard.
Products based on the 802.15.4 standard operate in the
unlicensed 2.4 GHz band at 250Kbps over 10 to 75 meters. Two major new features that an
alternate PHY would provide include precision location determination capability and
high aggregate capacity. For example, in a warehouse environment, such
capabilities would enable quick and precise pinpointing of products, and
allow a scanner to locate a particular sensor among a large number of
sensors in close proximity.
|