Wireless and mobile
Terms related to wireless and mobile technology, including definitions about consumer mobile technology devices and communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX and LTE.CIT - GSM
- Citizen's Band Radio (CB) - The Citizen's Band (CB) Radio Service, also known simply as CB, is a public, two-way personal radio service.
- Citrix X1 Mouse - The Citrix X1 Mouse is a small Bluetooth device that allows users to navigate Windows virtual desktops and applications on mobile devices.
- Citrix XenMobile - Citrix XenMobile is mobile management software that provides mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM) and cloud file-sharing capabilities.
- cloud radio access network (C-RAN) - C-RAN, or cloud radio access network, is a centralized, cloud computing-based architecture for radio access networks (RAN) that enables large-scale deployment, collaborative radio technology support and real time virtualization capabilities.
- coaxial antenna - A coaxial antenna is a variant of the dipole antenna, designed for use with an unbalanced feed line.
- coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM) - Coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM) is a telecommunications modulation scheme that divides a single digital signal across 1,000 or more signal carriers simultaneously.
- coexistence testing - Coexistence testing, similar to compatibility testing, is a method of measuring the ability of multiple devices to interact in a single environment with limited bandwidth.
- commodity - A commodity is a type of widely-available product that is not markedly dissimilar from one unit to another.
- common short code (CSC) - Common short codes (CSC) are short telephone numbers, usually consisting of five digits, that are used to address SMS and MMS messages from cellular telephones.
- communication portal - A communication portal is a service that allows individuals, businesses, schools and government agencies to share information from diverse sources using unified communications (UC) media.
- configuration profile (CP) - A configuration profile (CP) is an XML file that an IT administrator can use to customize settings on an end user's Apple iOS or Mac OS X device.
- contactless payment - A contactless payment is a wireless financial transaction in which the customer authorizes monetary compensation for a purchase by moving a security token in close proximity to the vendor's point of sale (PoS) reader.
- context awareness - Context awareness is the ability of a system or system component to gather information about its environment at any given time and adapt behaviors accordingly.
- COPE (corporate-owned, personally enabled) - COPE (corporate-owned personally-enabled) is a business model in which an organization provides its employees with mobile computing devices and allows the employees to use them as if they were personally-owned notebook computers, tablets or smartphones.
- cord cutting - Cord cutting, in a telecommunications context, is the practice of stopping a cable or satellite television service in favor of less expensive options, or getting rid of your landline phone and relying solely on cellular or VoIP (voice over IP) service.
- corporate mobility policy - A corporate mobility policy is a set of guidelines, established by a corporation, that govern the use and security of mobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs and tablets within the corporate network.
- corporate VM (corporate virtual machine) - A corporate VM (corporate virtual machine) is a virtual computing environment (VM) that is allocated to an end user for business use.
- Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) - Counter Mode with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code Protocol (CCMP) is an encryption protocol based on the U.
- creative destruction - Creative destruction is a process through which something new brings about the demise of whatever existed before it.
- CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) - CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) is a protocol for carrier transmission in 802.
- customer proprietary network information (CPNI) - Customer proprietary network information (CPNI) in the United States is information that telecommunications services -- such as local, long-distance and wireless telephone companies -- acquire about their subscribers.
- CYOD (choose your own device) - CYOD (choose your own device) is an alternative model to BYOD (bring your own device) that involves allowing employees to select the device they want from among a limited number of options.
- data cap (broadband cap) - A data cap is a specific amount of mobile data that a user account can access for a given amount of money, usually specified per month.
- data plan (mobile data plan) - Since the advent of the smartphone made mobile Internet possible, most carriers offer data plans at varying rates based on the amount of data transfer allowed before a data cap is imposed.
- dead zone (Wi-Fi dead zone) - A dead zone (Wi-Fi dead zone) is an area within a wireless LAN location where Wi-Fi does not function, typically due to radio interference or range issues.
- DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) - Unlike the analog cordless phones you may have in your home, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) is a digital wireless telephone technology that is expected to make cordless phones much more common in both businesses and homes in the future.
- dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) - Dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) is a wireless communication technology designed to allow automobiles in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) to communicate with other automobiles or infrastructure technology.
- device ID (device identification) - A device ID (device identification) is a distinctive number associated with a smartphone or similar handheld device.
- device-agnostic (device agnosticism) - Device agnosticism, or device-agnostic, is the capacity of a computing component to work with various systems without requiring any particular adaptations.
- digital audio broadcasting (DAB) - .
- digital pen - A digital pen is a battery-operated writing instrument that allows the user to digitally capture a handwritten note or drawing.
- digital tattoo - With more than one meaning, a digital tattoo is to a temporary tattoo that is outfitted with electronics, such as sensors or a near field communication (NFC) chip.
- digital wallet - A digital wallet is a software application that serves as an electronic version of a physical wallet, digitizing credit and debit card information to enable consumers to make purchases from their smartphones.
- digital wellness (digital wellbeing) - Digital wellness (digital wellbeing) is the use of technology to ensure an employee's physical and mental health.
- direct broadcast satellite (DBS) - Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) refers to satellite television (TV) systems in which the subscribers, or end users, receive signals directly from geostationary satellites.
- direct mobile billing - Direct mobile billing is a method of paying for merchandise by charging the purchase to a cellular telephone (mobile phone) account.
- directional antenna - A directional antenna is a radio-frequency (RF) wireless antenna designed to function more effectively in some directions than in others.
- discontinuous transmission (DTX) - Discontinuous transmission (DTX) is a method of momentarily powering-down, or muting, a mobile or portable wireless telephone set when there is no voice input to the set.
- disposable phone number - A disposable phone number is a virtual phone number that is usable temporarily.
- distributed antenna system (DAS) - A distributed antenna system (DAS) is a way to deal with isolated spots of poor coverage inside a large building by installing a network of relatively small antennas throughout the building to serve as repeaters.
- distributor - A distributor is an intermediary entity between a the producer of a product and another entity in the distribution channel or supply chain, such as a retailer, a value-added reseller (VAR) or a system integrator (SI).
- downlink and uplink - These terms should not be confused with downstream and upstream.
- driver assistance - Driver assistance, also known as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), are technologies used to make motor vehicle travel safer by automating, improving or adapting some or all of the tasks involved in operating a vehicle.
- dual persona (mobile device management) - Dual persona, in a mobile management context, is the provisioning and maintenance of two separate and independent end user environments on a single mobile device.
- dual Wi-Fi antenna - A dual Wi-Fi antenna is a pair of identical antennas on a wireless router or Wi-Fi-equipped device, intended to eliminate signal fading and dead spots.
- dual-SIM phone - A dual SIM phone is a mobile phone, typically a smart phone, with the capacity to use two subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
- dumbphone (dumb phone) - A dumbphone (also seen as dumb phone) is a mobile telephone that, unlike a smartphone, has little-to-no computing or internet capacity.
- E.164 - E.164 is an international numbering plan for public telephone systems in which each assigned number contains a country code (CC), a national destination code (NDC), and a subscriber number (SN).
- E911 (Enhanced 911) - In the United States, E911 (Enhanced 91 is support for wireless phone users who dial 911, the standard number for requesting help in an emergency.
- electret microphone - An electret microphone is a widely-used electronic communications and audio recording device.
- electric vehicle charging station - An electric vehicle charging station is equipment that connects an EV to a source of electricity to recharge electric cars, neighborhood electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
- electronic paper display (EPD) - An electronic paper display (EPD) is an electrically-charged surface that replicates the look and experience of ink on paper.
- embedded device - An embedded device is an object that contains a special-purpose computing system.
- emoji - An emoji is a small image, either static or animated, that represents an emotion, an item or a concept (among other possibilities) in digital communications.
- enterprise mobility management (EMM) - Enterprise mobility management (EMM) is software that allows organizations to securely enable employee use of mobile devices and applications.
- enterprise wipe - Enterprise wipe is a security feature offered by many Mobile Device Management (MDM) products which selectively erases only those device settings, user data, applications, and application data that were previously installed by that MDM.
- enterprise-mobile integration (EMI) - Enterprise-mobile integration (EMI) is a form of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) that provides integration between communications carriers and enterprise networks.
- ephemeral messaging - Ephemeral messaging is the mobile-to-mobile transmission of multimedia messages that automatically disappear from the recipient's screen after the message has been viewed.
- EUTELSAT (European Telecommunications Satellite Organization) - EUTELSAT (European Telecommunications Satellite Organization) refers to both the organization and its set of satellites that were placed in geostationary orbits over Europe beginning in 1983.
- evil twin attack - An evil twin attack is a rogue Wi-Fi access point (AP) that masquerades as a legitimate one, enabling an attacker to gain access to sensitive information without the end user's knowledge.
- Evolved Packet Core (EPC) - Evolved Packet Core (EPC) is a flat architecture that provides a converged voice and data networking framework to connect users on a Long-Term Evolutio (LTE) network.
- Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) - The Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) is a protocol for wireless networks that expands the authentication methods used by the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), a protocol often used when connecting a computer to the internet.
- Facebook Messenger - Facebook Messenger is a mobile app that enables chat, voice and video communications between Facebook web-based messaging and smartphones.
- FaceTime - FaceTime is an Apple video telephony application that allows users to make a video call over the internet with a forward-facing camera on iOS and macOS devices.
- Fairphone - Insofar as possible, Fairphone is made from recycled, recyclable and responsibly-sourced goods as well as minimal packaging.
- Family Link - Family Link is the parental control app for Android devices.
- FDMA (frequency division multiple access) - .
- feed line - In a wireless communications or broadcasting antenna system, the feed line connects the antenna to the receiver, transmitter, or transceiver.
- FeliCa - .
- field of view (FOV) - Field of view (FOV) is the open, observable area a person can see through their eyes or via an optical device, such as a camera.
- field-effect transistor (FET) - A field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor commonly used for weak-signal amplification (for example, for amplifying wireless signals).
- Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) - Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), formerly called Google Cloud Messaging (GCM), is a free cloud service from Google that allows app developers to send notifications and messages to users across a variety of platforms, including Android, iOS and web applications.
- Firefox OS - Firefox OS is a Linux-based mobile operating system designed for smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.
- Firesheep - Firesheep is a Firefox plug-in that automates session hijacking attacks over unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
- fixed wireless - Fixed wireless networking refers to the operation of wireless devices in fixed locations such as homes and offices.
- fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) - Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is the trend towards seamless connectivity between fixed and wireless telecommunications networks.
- FlashMob supercomputer - A FlashMob supercomputer is a group of computer enthusiasts who gather together in one physical location for a brief time period in order to function as a supercomputer and work on a single problem.
- FOMO (fear of missing out) - The fear of missing out (FOMO) is an emotional response to the belief that other people are living better, more satisfying lives or that important opportunities are being missed.
- FPV drone (first-person view drone) - An FPV drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a camera that wirelessly transmits video feed to goggles, a headset, a mobile device or another display.
- free-space optics (FSO) - Free-space optics (FSO), also called free-space photonics (FSP), refers to the transmission of modulated visible or infrared (IR) beams through the atmosphere to obtain broadband communications.
- frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) - In frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), multiple signals are combined for transmission on a single communications line or channel, with each signal assigned to a different frequency (subchannel) within the main channel.
- frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) - Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transmission is the repeated switching of the carrier frequency during radio transmission to reduce interference and avoid interception.
- fronthaul - Fronthaul, also known as mobile fronthaul, is a term that refers to the fiber-based connection of the cloud radio access network (C-RAN), a new type of cellular network architecture of centralized baseband units (BBUs) and remote radio heads (RRHs) at the access layer of the network.
- full-disk encryption (FDE) - What is full-disk encryption (FDE)?Full-disk encryption (FDE) is encryption at the hardware level.
- gamification - Gamification is the application of game theory concepts and techniques to non-game activities.
- geo-fencing (geofencing) - Geo-fencing is a feature in a software program that uses the global positioning system (GPS) or radio frequency identification (RFID) to define geographical boundaries.
- geolocation - Geolocation is the detection of the physical location of an Internet connected computing device.
- geolocation data - Geolocation data is information associated with an electronic device that can be used to identify its physical location.
- geostationary satellite - A geostationary satellite is an earth-orbiting satellite, placed at an altitude of approximately 35,800 kilometers (22,300 miles) directly over the equator, that revolves in the same direction the earth rotates (west to east).
- Global Positioning System (GPS) - The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a 'constellation' of approximately 30 well-spaced satellites that orbit the Earth and make it possible for people with ground receivers to pinpoint their geographic location.
- Good Technology - Good Technology is a mobile security platform provider headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
- Google Fi - Google Fi is virtual carrier network service for pervasive Wi-Fi.
- Google Maps - Google Maps is a Web-based service that provides detailed information about geographical regions and sites around the world.
- Google Pay (Android Pay) - Google Pay is the search company’s electronic wallet and payment service offering.
- Google Voice - Google Voice allows registered members to link their mobile phones, IP telephony applications and land line phones to a single Google Voice phone number.
- Gorilla Glass - Gorilla Glass is a scratch-resistant and durable glass product from Corning that is used to protect the screens of tablets, smartphone and other mobile devices.
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) - General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a best-effort packet-switching protocol for wireless and cellular network communication services.
- GPS coordinates - GPS coordinates are a unique identifier of a precise geographic location on the earth, usually expressed in alphanumeric characters.
- GPS navigation system - A GPS navigation system is a GPS receiver and audio/video (AV) components designed for a specific purpose such as a car-based or hand-held device or a smartphone app.
- GPS tracking - GPS tracking is the surveillance of location through use of the Global Positioning System (GPS ) to track the location of an entity or object remotely.