Mobile Phone Glossary A to E

Glossary of frequently used terms and acronyms

Bluetooth

A specification for high speed wireless connection between devices such as mobile phones, PDA's and laptops. The specification is now maintained and developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and was named after a Danish King, Harald Bluetooth.

Caller Display

Display of incoming callers number on a mobile phone screen.

CLI

Calling Line Identification. Services which allow the number of a caller to be accessed by the recipient though services such as Caller Display.

Coverage

Denotes the area in which a mobile phone can make and receive calls. It is often described by networks in terms of the percentage of population that can use the service rather than actual geographic coverage.

DCS1800

A term for GSM1800 referring to a digital mobile phone system using the 1800MHz band.

DECT

Digital Enhance Cordless Telecommunication. A digital cordless phone standard that is often found on domestic digital cordless phones.

Digital

Electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data in terms of two states. In mobile phones speech is converted into digital data, transmitted and then converted back to normal sound by the receiving mobile phone.

DTMF

Dual Tone Multi-Frequency. A method of sending multi-frequency tones across a telephone network. These tones are used for tone dialing and accessing various services.

Dual band

A term that describes mobile phones which are able to switch between GSM frequency bands. In the UK some network operators utilise switching between GSM1800 and GSM900 to overcome capacity restrictions. All new mobile phones in the UK can utilise this service if available. The term is also used to describe mobile phones that switch between GSM900 and GSM 1900 for use in the USA, although only a few handsets offer this functionality.

Dual mode

A phone that can operate on two standards such as GSM and DECT

EFR

Enhanced Full Rate. A system that, when implemented by both the phone and network operator, is designed to improve voice quality.

EMS

Enhanced Messaging Service. Allows simple graphics and tunes to be exchanged in addition to SMS text messages. Requires that both phones are capable of EMS.

ETSI

European Telecommunications Standards Institute. Organisation responsible for formulating GSM and DECT standards.

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