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CTIA develops a monthly series of videos on new products, services and initiatives that benefit consumers. Wireless is constantly and dramatically changing the way we live, work and play. While each month's theme changes, these "Wonder of Wireless" features highlight:
Wireless at Work – Focuses on innovative products and services.
Industry Insider – Interviews with policymakers and influentials on various issues.
Policy Point – Explains CTIA's position on a variety of policy topics.
Wireless Lifesaver – Identifies individuals who have used their mobile devices and services to save a life, stop a crime or in the event of medical emergency.
To select which monthly WOW segment you would like to receive notices about, please click here.
To view this month's WOW webcasts, please click here.
Wireless Glossary of Terms
A-B C-D E-F G-I L-M N-P Q-S T-V W-Z
NAM (Number Assignment Module): The NAM is the electronic memory bank in the wireless phone that stores its specific telephone number and electronic serial number.
Number Pooling: A means by which phone numbers are conserved, and the need to create new area codes is reduced. Unused phone numbers are returned to a central authority which then makes them available to other carriers based on need. Carriers receive numbers in blocks of 1,000, not 10,000 as was originally the case. Smaller blocks of numbers reduce the carriers’ cost and maximize the availability of new numbers to meet public demand.
Number Portability: The ability of a customer to retain their telephone number when changing service providers in a specific area, whether changing from one wireless company to another, one wireline company to another, or between wirelesss and wireline companies.
Operating System (OS): As of August 2010, there are 10 wireless operating system platforms. They are: Android (Open Handset Alliance); BlackBerry OS (Research in Motion); BREW (Qualcomm); Java (Sun Microsystems); LiMo (Open Source Linux for Mobile); iOS (Apple); Palm OS (Palm); WebOS (Palm); Windows Mobile (Microsoft); and bada (Samsung).
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing): A system for the transmission of digital message elements spread over multiple channels within a frequency band, in order to achieve greater throughput while minimizing interference and signal degradation through the use of multiple antennas.
Packet: A piece of data sent over a packet-switching network, such as the Internet. A packet includes not just the data comprising the message but also address information about its origination and destination.
Packet Data: Information that is reduced into digital pieces or ‘packets’, so it can travel more efficiently across networks, including radio airwaves and wireless networks.
Parental Control Tools: Services offered by wireless carriers or third parties or built-in to a wireless device that allow parents to limit or monitor their child’s cell phone use. CTIA developed voluntary Guidelines for Carrier Content Classification and Internet Access.
PCS (Personal Communications Services): Defined by the FCC as a broad family of wireless services, commonly viewed as including two-way digital voice, messaging and data services. One set of “PCS” licenses established by the FCC operates in the 1900 MHz band.
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant): A portable computing device capable of transmitting data. These devices offer services such as paging, data messaging, e-mail, computing, faxes, date books and other information management capabilities.
PIN (Personal Identification Number): An additional security feature for wireless phones, much like a password. Programming a PIN into the Subscriber Information Module (SIM) on a wireless phone requires the user to enter that access code each time the phone is turned on.
POPs: For wireless, POPs generally refers to the number of people in a specific area where wireless services are available (the population). For traditional ‘landline’ communications, a “Point of Presence” defines the interconnection point between the two networks.
Prepaid Plan: This plan allows customers to purchase a pre-determined amount of minutes for a set price and then “re-fill” the minutes at the customer’s choice. Some prepaid plans include text messaging and other wireless data services. CTIA developed the voluntary Consumer Code to help consumers make informed choices when selecting wireless service.
Premium Text: Text to or from a commercial entity that delivers news, information, images, ringtones or entertainment for a fee above standard messaging rates.
Privacy Settings: Ability to determine how much personally identifiable information (PII) is shared digitally. Many wireless services and apps allow users to determine the PII available to third parties including friends, advertisers and the general public.
Protocol: A standard set of definitions governing how communications are formatted in order to permit their transmission across networks and between devices.
PSD (Packet Switched Data): A technological approach in which the communication “pipe” is shared by several users, thus making it very efficient. The data is sent to a specific address with a short delay. This delay depends on how many users are using the pipe at any one time as well as the level of priority requested for your information. PSD is the technology used for data communication across the Internet and makes more efficient use of the network.
Public Service/Utility Commission (PSC/PUC): A state government’s agency responsible for regulating intrastate communications. Although many states preempt a PSC/PUC’s authority to regulate wireless, federal law permits non-preempted states to regulate a wireless carriers’ terms and conditions but not rates.
Last Updated: September 2010
