Some Definitions

Tanvir A Niazi

What is "HSCSD"?• HSCSD stands for High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data. • It was a system used for data calls on GSM networks

before packet based systems such as GPRS and EDGE became prevalent.

• HSCSD is variant of CSD that allows for multiple call channels to be bonded together to provide faster connection speeds.

• It was capable of offering speeds roughly equivalent to those offered by 56kbps dial-up modems.

• The system was never widely adopted outside of Europe.

• Also known as: "High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data"

What is "GPRS"?• GPRS is a wireless data standard used on

GSM networks. • It offers theoretical data rates as high as

120kbps on the downlink side, but real world speeds are typically significantly slower.

• Also known as: "General Packet Radio Service"

What is "EDGE"?• EDGE is a data system used on top of GSM

networks that provides faster data speeds than GPRS, the technology it makes obsolete.

• It has a theoretical maximum downlink data rate of nearly 475Kbps, which qualifies it as a 3G technology based on ITU guidelines, even if typical implementations are configured for non-3G speeds.

• Generally, it is referred to as 2.75G.• Also known as: "Enhanced Data for Global

Evolution"

What is "CSD"?• CSD, or Circuit-Switched Data, was a system used on

early GSM networks to provide data access to mobile devices by allowing them to place a data call.

• CSD was capable of uplink and downlink rates of up to 9.6kbps.

• Later replaced by the faster HSCSD variant, circuit-switched data on wireless networks were eventually made completely obsolete by packet based networks such as GPRS and EDGE.

• Also known as: "Circuit-Switched Data"

What is "uplink"?• The uplink part of a network connection is used to send,

or upload, data from a mobile device to a remote server. • The downlink connection on a mobile device is used

receive data from the remote server.

What is "downlink"?• The downlink part of a network connection on a mobile

device is used to receive, or download, data to the mobile device from the remote server.

• The uplink connection is used to send data from the mobile device back to the remote server.

What is "EDGE Evolution"?

• EDGE Evolution is an updated version of EDGE that will allow for broadband-like data rates on existing GSM networks.

• The spec promises downlink speeds two to three times faster than previous EDGE networks, which will make 1Mbps connections possible.

What is "EV-DO Rev. A"?• EV-DO Rev A is a 3G CDMA technology

that is an upgrade of traditional EV-DO. • Rev A is capable of slightly faster downlink

speeds than is EV-DO Rev 0, at 3.1Mbps, as well as significantly faster uplink speeds of 1.8Mbps.

• Also known as: "1xEV-DO Rev A", "EV-DO Rev A"

What is "HSUPA"?• HSUPA stands for high-speed uplink packet

access, and is an upgrade to UMTS that allows for uplink connections as fast as 5.76Mbps. HSUPA is similar to EV-DO Rev A in that it can be added to existing networks to increase upload speeds from compatible devices.

• Also known as: "High-Speed Uplink Packet Access"

What is "UMTS"?• UMTS, short for Universal Mobile Telecommunications

System, is a 3G networking standard used throughout much of the world as an upgrade to existing GSM mobile networks.

• UMTS makes use of WCDMA, a technology that shares much with CDMA networks used throughout the world, though it is not compatible with them.

• Base level UMTS networks are generally capable of downlink speeds as fast as 384kbps.

• Newer HSDPA variants are capable of rates as high as 3.6Mbps or more.

• Originally used only on the 2100MHz frequency band in Europe, UMTS is now supported on the 850MHz and 1900MHz bands in North America.

What is "Enhanced Data Rate"?• EDR is a part of the Bluetooth specification that

allows for faster file transfers. • It is an optional part of the Bluetooth spec, and

as such is not implemented by all devices. • Connections between two Bluetooth EDR

capable devices can reach transfer speeds of over 2Mbps.

• Also known as: "EDR"

What is "Bluetooth"?• Bluetooth is a wireless technology developed by Ericsson that is designed

to be a cable replacement. • It operates on the 2.4GHz frequency band, like WiFi, and is officially known

as IEEE standard 802.15.1.• It is most commonly used with wireless headsets and car kits, but can also

be used for network access, moving files from one device to another, or with wireless input devices such as a mouse and keyboard - among many other uses.

• These other uses are dependent on the Bluetooth profiles that are supported by the devices in question.

• There are multiple versions of the Bluetooth specification in use, and in order for full functionality to be possible, the devices on both sides of a connection must be of the same version.

• This is not to say that a Bluetooth 1.1 headset, for example, will not work with a Bluetooth 2.0 phone - it will.

• It is only to say that in order to enjoy the benefits of Bluetooth 2.0's features, such as faster connection times, a Bluetooth 2.0 (or later) headset would have to be used.

• Also known as: "802.15.1"

What is "WiFi"?• A brand of wireless LAN (WLAN)

technologies defined by the IEEE 802.11 group of standards.

• The two WiFi standards most commonly used by personal computers and mobile devices, such as phones, are 802.11b and 802.11g.

• Also known as: "802.11", "Wi-Fi"

What is "EV-DO"?• Commonly known simply as EV-DO, CDMA 1xEV-DO is

a 3G technology add-on for CDMA networks that allows for theoretical download speeds as fast as 2.4576Mbps, though actual rates tend to be far slower.

• Originally known as CDMA Evolution Data Only, EV-DO is today generally regarded as standing for Evolution Data Optimized for what are likely marketing purposes. 1xEV-DV (Evolution Data Voice) is the technology that was originally destined to handle the future 3G voice and data needs of CDMA networks, but has failed to catch on in North America. Instead, 1xEV-DO Rev A has been developed, which allows for faster uplink speeds than the original EV-DO spec, which relies on the older, and much slower, 1xRTT system for uplink connections.

• Also known as: "1xEV-DO", "EV-DO Rev 0", "EVDO"

• What is "EV-DO Rev. A"?• EV-DO Rev A is a 3G CDMA technology

that is an upgrade of traditional EV-DO. Rev A is capable of slightly faster downlink speeds than is EV-DO Rev 0, at 3.1Mbps, as well as significantly faster uplink speeds of 1.8Mbps.

• Also known as: "1xEV-DO Rev A", "EV-DO Rev A"

What is "3G"?• 3G, or Third Generation, is a somewhat generic

term for network technologies that the ITU classifies as part of their IMT-2000 specification. Generally, wireless network technologies must be able to provide a mobile device with a downlink connection speed of 384kbps in order to be considered a 3G technology.

• The most used 3G technologies are WCDMA, CDMA 1xEV-DO, and, technically, EDGE and CDMA 1xRTT.

• Also known as: "third generation"

What is "WiMAX"?• WiMAX is a wireless technology put forth by the WiMAX Forum that

is one of the technologies that is being used for 4G networks. • It can be used in both point to point and the typical WAN type

configurations that are also used by 2G and 3G mobile network carriers. Its formal name is IEEE standard 802.16.

• Sprint owns a WiMAX based network that is marketed under the name XOHM, though that will eventually be merged with Clearwire's network and sold under the Clearwire name.

• LTE is a competing technology that has the support of far more carriers worldwide.

• Also known as: "802.16"

What is "LTE"?

• LTE, short for Long Term Evolution, is considered by many to be the obvious successor to the current generation of UMTS 3G technology, which is based upon WCDMA, HSDPA, HSUPA, and HSPA.

• LTE is not a replacement for UMTS in the way that UMTS was a replacement for GSM, but rather an update to the UMTS technology that will enable it to provide significantly faster data rates for both uploading and downloading.

• Verizon Wireless was the first U.S. carrier to widely deploy LTE, though MetroPCS and AT&T have also done so, and Sprint and T-Mobile USA both have plans for LTE.

• In fact, Sprint is phasing out its WiMAX network in favor of LTE. Verizon Wireless and AT&T currently have incompatible LTE networks, even though they both make use of 700MHz spectrum. AT&T and Verizon Wireless LTE customers often see download speeds that exceed 15Mbps, and upload speeds in the 10Mbps range.

• Also known as: "Long Term Evolution"

What is "4G"?• 4G is the term used to refer to the next wave of

high-speed mobile technologies that will be used to replace current 3G networks.

• The two top contenders are LTE and WiMAX, both of which are IP based networks that are built from similar, yet incompatible, technologies. Sprint and Clearwire are currently offering 4G WiMAX service in the USA, while Verizon and AT&T have committed to the use of LTE and are trialing their own 4G networks.

• Also known as: "fourth generation"

What is "3GPP"?• The 3GPP is a standards body that works within

the scope of the ITU to develop 3rd (and future) generation wireless technologies that build upon the base provided by GSM.

• The group is responsible for the UMTS standard, as well as HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, and LTE.

• Also known as: "3rd Generation Partnership Project"

What is "FRAND"?• FRAND is a legal term that stands for "Fair,

Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory" and is typically used to describe patent licensing terms.

• It is normal for companies to have to agree to licensing a patent in FRAND terms before it will be accepted to become part of a standards body approved technical standard.

• Such would be the case for the use of Qualcomm's WCDMA patents that make up part of the UMTS standard put together by the 3GPP that is used in most phones today.

What is "WCDMA"?• WCDMA stands for Wideband Code Division Multiple

Access, and is the 3G technology, as defined by the ITU's IMT-2000 spec, that is used by UMTS and NTT DoCoMo's FOMA network. WCDMA makes use of many core CDMA technologies created by Qualcomm, though not nearly as many as do regular CDMA carrier networks.

• WCDMA networks and devices are not compatible with regular CDMA networks and devices, they merely share some of the same core technologies.

• Also known as: "W-CDMA", "Wideband Code Division Multiple Access"

What is "Qualcomm"?• Qualcomm is a technology company based in

San Diego, California. It is the developer and creator of CDMA technology, MediaFLO digital television, and BREW, an application platform supported by most CDMA handsets sold in North America. Qualcomm previously manufactured CDMA handsets, but sold that part of its business of to Kyocera, which then formed Kyocera Wireless.

What is "FOMA"?

• FOMA is the 3G network developed by NTT DoCoMo, the world's first.

• It is based on WCDMA technology, but is not compatible with the European UMTS standard.

• NTT DoCoMo has stated that they are working to transition their FOMA network over to be compatible with the widely supported UMTS specification

What is "NTT DoCoMo"?• NTT DoCoMo is Japan's largest wireless

network carrier. • They offer 2G PDC service and were the

first in the world to offer 3G service with their WCDMA based FOMA network.

• The company is the developer and licensor of the i-mode internet browsing system for mobile phones.

What is "2G"?

• 2G is short for Second Generation, the name usually given to original GSM, CDMA, and TDMA networks.

• 1G, a term rarely used, would refer to the original analog (AMPS) type mobile networks first used in the early 1980s.

• Also known as: "second generation"

What is "GSM"?• GSM is a TDMA based wireless network technology developed in

Europe that is used throughout most of the world. • GSM phones make use of a SIM card to identify the user's account. • The use of the SIM card allows GSM network users to quickly move

their phone number from one GSM phone to another by simply moving the SIM card.

• Currently GSM networks operate on the 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, and 1900MHz frequency bands.

• Devices that support all four bands are called quad-band, with those that support 3 or 2 bands called tri-band and dual-band, respectively.

• In the United States, Cingular operates on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, while T-Mobile operates only on the 1900MHz band.

• Also known as: "Global System for Mobile Communications", "Groupe Special Mobile"

What is "TDMA"?• TDMA stands for time division multiple access. • TDMA is a multiplexing method that divides network

connections into time slices, where each device on the • TDMA network connection gets one or more time slices

during which it can transmit or receive data. • TDMA is often used to refer to early digital mobile phone

networks that made use of TDMA multiplexing, such as the original network implemented by AT&T/Cingular before it moved to GSM, which is itself based on TDMA technology.

• Also known as: "Time Division Multiple Access"

What is "iDEN"?• iDEN is a TDMA based digital mobile network system

developed by Motorola and used most notably by Nextel in the United States.

• Its main draw, from the consumer's viewpoint, is its low-latency Push-To-Talk system that emulates the use of walkie-talkies on mobile phones.

• The system's future is uncertain, however, since US carrier Sprint bought Nextel and stated that it plans on transitioning all Nextel clients to its CDMA based network.

• Dual-mode iDEN/CDMA handsets are already available to Sprint customers.

• Also known as: "Integrated Digital Enhanced Network"

What is "dual-mode"?• Dual-mode devices are capable of

supporting more than one network type. Examples of such are those that support both CDMA and AMPS, CDMA and GSM, or CDMA and iDEN.

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