Cellular & Wireless Glossary
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Radio-frequency Fingerprinting: An electronic process that identifies each individual wireless handset by examining its unique radio transmission characteristics. Fingerprinting is used to reduce fraud since the illegal phone can not duplicate the legal phone's radio-frequency fingerprint.

Speed Dialing: Sometimes known as "memory dialing" or "repertory." Allows the caller to recall phone numbers from a phone's memory.

RF (Radio Frequency): A radio signal.

Ringback Tone: The sound tone you hear when you are placing a call and are waiting for the phone to be answered.

Ringtone: A sound from your phone used to signal an incoming call or message.

Roaming: The ability to use a cellular phone outside of a usual service area.

RSA (rural service area): One of the 428 FCC designated rural markets across the United States.

Service 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.

SMS (Short Messaging System): Some cellphones allows users to receive and send short text messages using their wireless phone. Also "text messaging."

Standby time: The amount of time one can leave a fully charged cellular phone turned on before the phone will completely discharge the batteries.

Subscriber: A user of wireless service bought from a service provider.

Talk time: The length of time one can talk on a cellular phone without recharging the battery.

TDMA (time division multiple access): A method of digital wireless communications transmission allowing a large number of users to access (in sequence) a single radio frequency channel without interference by allocating unique time slots to each user within each channel.

Telecommunications Act of 1996: Federal legislation passed in 1996 intended to increase competition among wireless and wireline carriers for the benefit of consumers.

Termination Charges: Charges incurred by the carrier for having a cellphone call completed by a different carrier network.

Voice-activated dialing: A feature that permits you to dial numbers by calling them out to your cellular phone, instead of dialing them manually.

Voice mail: (voice messaging) A computerized answering service that automatically answers your call, plays a greeting in your own voice and records a message.

Voice Recognition: A feature allowing cellphones to be operated by spoken words.

Vibrating Alert: A cellphone feature telling the user of an incoming call by means of a vibration.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): A standard for wireless access to the Internet.

WCDMA( Wideband CDMA): Technology for wideband wireless access supporting 3G cellphone services, and allows very high-speed multimedia services like internet access and videoconferencing.

Wi-Fi: A wireless data networking protocol generally used connect computers to a network.

Wireless Data: The service that allows you to send digital information on a cellular phone.

Wireless Internet: A service granting access to the World Wide Web or internet e-mail via wireless networks.

WLL (Wireless Local Loop): A wireless system meant to bypass a local landline telephone system.

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