|
P |
|
Partitioning |
Dividing a
spectrum license into two or more geographic areas. |
| PCS
Phone |
A wireless
telephone that uses radiofrequency signals in the 1850-1990 megahertz
(MHz) portion of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum. PCS stands for
portable communication system. |
| Peak |
Highest-usage period of the business day when a cellular system carries
the most calling traffic. |
|
Penetration |
The total
number of subscribers for a carrier divided by the population that it
serves expressed as a percentage. |
|
Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA) |
A trade
group representing PCS, SMR, private radio and other wireless users and
carriers. |
|
Personal Communications Service (PCS) |
A
second-generation digital voice, messaging and data cell phone system in
the 2GHz range. PCS is supported mostly by GSM. PCS systems use a
different radio frequency (1.9 GHz band) than cellular phones and
generally use all digital technology for transmission and reception.
"Digital PCS" is a redundancy, as all PCS are digital, but the phrase is
used in marketing to distinguish PCS from cellular. |
|
Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) |
The
Japanese cellular standard. |
|
Personal Identification Number (PIN) |
A code
used by a mobile telephone number in conjunction with an SIM card to
complete a call. |
| PIN
Unblocking Key (PUK) |
If a GSM
or GAIT subscriber enters the wrong PIN three times in a row, then the
wireless mobile phone is locked until the PUK is entered. |
| Project
25 |
A joint
government/industry standard setting effort to develop technical
standards for the next generation of two-way communications equipment. |
| Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) |
Traditional landline network that mobile wireless systems connect with
to complete calls. |
| Public
Utility Commission (PUC) |
The state
regulatory body charged with regulating utilities, including
telecommunications. |
|
Public-Safety Answering Point (PSAP) |
The
dispatch office that receives 911 calls from the public. A PSAP may be
local fire or police department, an ambulance service or a regional
office covering all services. |
| Pull
SMS |
The
ability to request services (e.g. ringtones or games) from a wireless
handset via Wireless Internet. The service requested is sent back to the
handset via SMS. |
| Push
SMS |
The
ability to request services (e.g. ringtones or games) from a wireless
handset via sending a preset SMS code to a predetermined number. The
service requested is sent back to the handset via SMS. |
| R |
|
Radiation |
The
emission and transmission of energy through space or through a material
medium. |
| Radio
Frequency (RF) |
The
spectrum of electromagnetic energy between audio and light: 500 KHz to
300 GHz. |
| Radio
Waves |
Electromagnetic energy with frequencies in the 3000 hertz (3 kHz) to 300
billion Hertz (300 GHz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. |
|
Radio-Frequency Fingerprinting |
A process
that identifies a cellular phone by the unique "fingerprint" that
characterizes its signal transmission. RF fingerprinting is one process
used to prevent cloning fraud, because a cloned phone will not have the
same fingerprint as the legal phone with the same electronic
identification numbers. |
| Rate
Center |
The
geographic area used by local exchange carriers to set rate boundaries
for billing and for issuing phone numbers. |
|
Repeater |
Device
that receives a radio signal, amplifies it and retransmits it in a new
direction. Used in wireless networks to extend the range of base station
signals, expanding coverage more economically than building additional
base stations. Repeaters typically are used for buildings, tunnels or
difficult terrain. |
| Roaming |
The
ability to use your cellular phone outside your usual service area –
when traveling outside of the "home" service area defined by a service
provider. Higher per-minute rates are usually charged for calls made or
received while roaming. Long distance rates and a daily access fee may
also apply. |
| Roaming
Agreement |
An
agreement between two or more wireless telephone companies outlining the
terms and conditions under which the participating companies will
provide wireless service to each others subscribers. Roaming agreements
commonly are used where no one company can offer complete national and
international coverage. |
|
Round-Up Calls/Billing |
When calls
are billed by the minute, any call that uses a portion of a minute is
rounded up and billed for the whole minute. For example, if you make a
call that lasts 3 minutes and 2 seconds, you are billed for a 4-minute
call. |
