Cellular & Wireless Glossary
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Call Waiting: A feature that allows a user to be notified of another incoming call while a call is already in progress, and gives the user the ability to answer the second call while the first call remains on hold.

Caller I.D.: A call-screening feature that allows the user to pinpoint the origin of an incoming call prior to answering the phone. The caller's number is displayed on the wireless handset's screen.

Calling Plan: A rate plan selected by subscribers when they start up cellular service, usually consisting of a base rate for system access and a per-minute rate for usage. Service plans are designed to provide the most cost-effective rates for different types and amounts of usage by the cellular subscriber.

Carrier: A Company providing wireless telecommunications services, using equipment to transmit the frequencies upon which the cellphone calls, signals and data are carried.

CDMA (code division multiple access): A spread spectrum approach to digital transmission. With CDMA, each conversation is digitized and then tagged with a code. Also known as IS-95A or cdmaOne.

CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data): A technology for transmitting data over analog cellular networks. Requires a special modem and the wireless carriers network must be upgraded to accommodate such data transmissions.

Cell: The basic geographic unit of a cellular system and the basis for the generic industry term "cellular." A city or county is divided into small "cells," each of which is equipped with a low-powered radio transmitter/receiver. The cells can vary in size depending on terrain and capacity demands. By controlling the transmission power and the radio frequencies assigned from one cell to another, a computer at the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) monitors the movement and transfers (or hands off) the phone call to another cell and another radio frequency as needed.

Cell Site: The transmission and reception equipment, including the base station antenna, that connects a cellular phone to the network.

Cellular: The type of wireless communication that is most familiar to mobile phones users. Called "cellular" because the system uses many base stations to divide a service area into multiple "Cells". Cellular calls are transferred from base station to base station as a user travels from cell to cell.

Channel: A path for electrical transmission between two or more points without common carrier-provided terminal equipment; also called a link, line, circuit or facility

Circuit: Physical connection of channels, conductors and equipment required to provide a complete communications pathway.

Coverage Area: The area which a wireless network company offers service for their cell phone subscribers.

Cross-talk: Energy-leak from one channel to another. On the telephone network you hear somebody else's conversation. If transmitting data, a noise source.

Digital: Information represented by non-continuous values or signals sent between cell phones. It is binary, or consists of 0 and 1.

Digital modulation: A method of decoding information for transmission. Information, or in this case, a voice conversation is turned into a series of digital bits; the 0s and 1s of computer binary language. At the receiving end, the information is reconverted.

Dual Band: A wireless phone which is capable of operating on two different frequencies, 800MHz cellular and 1900 MHz PCS.

Dual mode: Describes a handset that works on both analog and digital networks.

Duplex: As in ordinary telephone service, a characteristic of a communications system where simultaneous transmission and reception is possible.

Email: The ability to send and receive text messages through a wireless handset (cellphone).

ESN (Electronic Serial Number): A unique ID number embedded in a wireless phone by its manufacturer to minimize chance of fraud. Each cellular phone is assigned a unique ESN, which identifies it to the cellular system for the purpose and placing and receiving calls.. The Mobile Telephone Switching Office validates the ESN with each call. An ESN is different from the Mobile Identification Number (MIN), which is the identifier used by the wireless carrier.

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