American Standard Code for Information
Interchange
: Also known as: ASCII
The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) is a standard coding system developed by the USA Standards Institute. ASCII is universally used to represent letters, numbers, punctuation marks, symbols and control codes, which makes it possible to pass data between computers and within communication systems (e.g. to mobile phones).
Digital equipment can only understand numbers, and ASCII code gives every symbol or character a unique number in order to identify it. The coding system is efficient, with each character being represented by a single byte. There is a basic character set of 128 codes numbered 0 to 127 (which uses 7 bits per character), or an extended character set of 256 codes numbered 0 to 255 (which uses 8 bits per character).
ASCII files appear as unformatted plain text, i.e. without any tabs, bold, italics, or other codes that word processors introduce when formatting text. ASCII files are the standard text format for SMS messages
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AMPS
: Also known as: Advanced Mobile Phone Service
Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) is a first generation analogue cellular telephone system that originated in the USA in the 1980s. AMPS is still the most widely deployed cellular system in the United States, and has been used in other countries of North and South America, as well as the Asia/Pacific region, although it is not compatible with European mobile phone standards. AMPS can be found in countries such as Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Israel.
AMPS operates in the 800 and 900 MHz frequency bands. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is used to divide each band of operating frequencies into 30 kHz channels. Adjacent cells will then employ different channels for their transmitted and received signals, so that one cell does not interfere with another, and as a user moves between cells the channels change without any noticeable transition.
AMPS was updated with digital cellular service, i.e. digital AMPS (DAMPS), by adding Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to each channel
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Animated Screensaver
: Animated screensaver is a changing pattern or animation, which replaces the original screen image when a mobile phone has been idle for a predetermined period of time.
The use of a screensaver is designed to prevent damage that might result when fixed bright images remain on the screen for long periods. Only the more recent mobile phone models currently include animated screensavers
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Animation
: Animation is a moving image produced by sequentially displayed image frames, which creates the illusion of movement.
Mobile phone animations usually consist of short, animated greetings and messages in a variety of sizes, colours, and levels of complexity
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Answering Machine
: Answering machine is a device that automatically answers a telephone call when the recipient is for some reason unable to answer it personally. Typically, a user stores an outgoing message to tell callers that the phone cannot be answered personally, and the caller is then requested to leave a recorded message stating the purpose of their call, which the user can playback at a convenient time.
Conventional landline answering machines often use magnetic tape or a microchip memory to record messages. Some mobile handsets are capable of storing messages in their internal memory, and most mobile operators provide an answering service whereby subscribers can dial a special number and listen to their stored messages
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Audible Keypad Tone
: Audible Keypad Tone is a facility that can be set on some handsets, which causes them to play a tone when the keys are pressed, so confirming that they have operated correctly. This was introduced to reduce airtime charges to incorrect numbers, although it also provides a better interface and positive feedback for the user.
The sound played is usually the DTMF tone relevant to that particular number, and for consistency, another non-DTMF tone can be played when control keys are pressed
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Automatic Answer
: Automatic answer is a phone feature that allows a recipient to answer a call without the need to press any keys. Once the phone has started to ring the conversation can be started immediately, because the sound of the recipient's voice speaking into the phone's microphone will trigger the answering of the call |
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Automatic Backlight
: Automatic backlighting means that touching any key will illuminate the display and keypad for ease of viewing. The backlight will turn itself off automatically after a preset period, so avoiding excessive drain on the battery. This feature will only be available on mobile phones that have a backlight |
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Automatic Redial
: Automatic redial is a feature designed to make it easier to dial numbers that are engaged. After the dialled number is found to be engaged, the phone will either repeatedly redial the number automatically, or it can be set to redial by pressing the appropriate key. This feature saves the user from dialling the number many times until a ringing tone can be obtained.
Automatic redial will usually operate for a set number of redials before giving up, to avoid the negative consequences of battery drain, blocking the phone, and causing unnecessary network traffic
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Broadband
: Sometimes referred to as a high-speed internet, broadband is an ‘always on’ fast connection to the internet. Today there are a wide variety of broadband technologies available in most areas; two of the more commonly found and used technologies are cable and DSL broadband. |
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Churn
: Churn is a term referring to customer turnover. The word churn is
used to describe those customers abandoning a service or product,
and it is particularly applied to Internet and cell-phone
subscribers, who tend to often switch providers as a result of
intense competition. Churn rate is calculated as the number of
customers lost over a time period, divided by the average total
number of customers during that period.
For commercial reasons providers will be anxious to understand why
the churn rate is high, and whether it is due to customer
dissatisfaction with the price or type of services offered. Some
providers even offer special deals of free equipment or an initial
charge-free period to attract new customers. Also, to discourage
churn, the customer may be asked to sign a service agreement
containing penalty clauses, to ensure that they stay with the
provider for a minimum period |
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Band
: content Band Go back to BackboneSkip content Also known as: Frequency Band Band (Frequency Band) is a term used in telecommunications to refer to a range of frequencies authorised for specific purposes. Each band will be a continuous spectrum of frequencies, with upper and lower limits, and international use of these bands is regulated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to prevent interference. For example, the medium wave band is approved for several purposes, the most well-known being its use for public service AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio broadcasts |
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Bandwidth
: Bandwidth is a measure of the information carrying capacity of a communications channel, whether it be of the wired or wireless type.
In analogue systems bandwidth is measured as a frequency in Hertz (Hz), and it is calculated as the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies of a band. The term bandwidth can apply to various types of equipment, e.g. audio, radio, video, etc., and in each case the bandwidth is calculated by subtracting the lower frequency limit of the band from its upper frequency limit.
The range of frequencies that a particular signal will occupy can also be referred to as its bandwidth (as all signals inherently occupy a certain amount of bandwidth), or alternatively it may mean the range of frequencies that a piece of equipment will respond to. Furthermore, because the rate at which digital data flows through a system will depend on the bandwidth, this data rate can also be shown to be a measure of the system's bandwidth.
In digital systems the bandwidth is usually described as the maximum transmission speed that a channel will support, and is measured as a data rate in bits per second (bps).
If the bandwidth of a system is too narrow for a particular signal to pass through it, then there will be some distortion to that signal, or loss of its information content.
Because bandwidth is closely related to the signal frequencies being transmitted, it gives an indication of the capacity of the system to cope with different signals. This means that a wide bandwidth will allow higher data rates, and conversely a narrow bandwidth will restrict the data rate. A voice signal requires only about a 3 kHz bandwidth, whereas a TV video signal needs about 6 MHz of bandwidth, because it contains much more information. Signals outside the band of interest are usually suppressed, in order to prevent interference to or from other equipment.
Bandwidth has a general meaning of how much information can be carried in a given time period (usually a second). For example, a broadband link (i.e. one with a wide bandwidth) may be able to carry enough information to present moving video images. If one link or piece of equipment in a communication network has a much smaller bandwidth than the rest, then this will determine the data rate for the whole system
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Base Station
: Also known as: BS
Base Station (BS) is a fixed radio station in the cellular network, which communicates with mobile telephones using radio waves. The Base Station will include transmitters, receivers, tower and antenna, and control equipment to interconnect with other base stations and the public switched network via landline or microwave links.
A mobile telephone service consists of a network of many Base Stations, each of which covers one cell or geographical area within a total cellular service area. The Base Station communicates with the mobile phones within its given cell, and then transfers calls to other base stations and the fixed telephone network
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Base Station Colour Code
: Also known as: BCC
Base Station Colour Code (BCC) is the code transmitted in the SB (Synchronisation Burst) of GSM systems. The BCC is used by the MS (Mobile Station) to distinguish between cells using the same frequencies, when the MS is deciding on which cell to select and to lock-on to.
The BCC is also important during the receiving of the BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel), to identify the TSC (Training Sequence Code) to be used
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Base Station Identity Code
: Also known as: BSIC
Base Station Identity Code (BSIC) is a 6 bit 'colour code' broadcast on the SCH (Synchronisation Channel) in GSM systems, which uniquely identifies the beacon frequency.
The BSIC is broadcasted in order to identify the NCC (Network Colour Code) and the BCC (Base Station Colour Code) to the Mobile Stations in the area. Adjacent cells in the cellular system will have different 'colours' or BSICs
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Base Station Subsystem
: Also known as: BSS
Base Station Subsystem / System (BSS) refers to a segment of a GSM system, comprising a Base Station Controller (BSC) and the one or more Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) that are associated with it.
The Base Station Controller manages the Base Transceiver Stations, and at a higher level a Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) controls one or more of these Base Station Subsystems. The BSS is the interface between the Mobile Station (MS) and the Mobile Switching Centre (MSC).
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Base Tranceiver Station
: Also known as: BTS
Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is a fixed radio station in the cellular network, which communicates with mobile telephones using radio waves. The Base Transceiver Station will include transmitters, receivers, tower and antenna, and control equipment to interconnect with other base transceiver stations and the public switched network via landline or microwave links.
A mobile telephone service consists of a network of many Base Transceiver Stations, each of which covers one cell or geographical area within a total cellular service area. The Base Transceiver Station communicates with the mobile phones within its given cell, and then transfers calls to other base transceiver stations and the fixed telephone network. A BTS may also be called a Base Station (BS).
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Battery
: Also known as: Power Cell
Battery is the normal power source used to operate a mobile phone. The battery capacity is usually measured in units of mAh (milliamps x hours), which is the electric current output that the battery can produce over a specified time. The higher the mAh rating of the battery the longer it will be able to power the phone. Mobile phone batteries are often available in "standard" or "extended" versions, the latter having a larger capacity to power the phone for a longer period of time.
Several types of battery have been used in mobile phones, the main types being: Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) and Lithium Polymer (Li-Po). NiCd and NiMH (to a lesser degree) suffer from memory effect.
All batteries slowly lose their charge with time, even when unused. The rate at which batteries self-discharge will depend on their type, and it is found that an unused Li-Ion battery is the best at holding its charge, a NiMH battery the worst, and NiCd is somewhere in between
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Battery Indicator
: Battery indicator is either a visual or audible warning message that alert the user to the state of the battery.
The phone may give out an audible "beeping" tone, or a "LoBat" message might appear on the display to indicate that the battery is running low. The warnings usually give the user sufficient time to recharge the battery before the phone stops working
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