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  #
1-ESS x-ESS series of "Electronic Switching Systems" from AT&T/Lucent
3G Third Generation (Mobile Network)
3GPP Third-Generation Partnership Project
3WC Three Way calling
4GL Fourth-Generation Language
800 or 888 Freephone
802.x Series of LAN standards developed by IEEE
911 Emergency telephone number in North America

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  A
AAV Alternative Access Vendor
ABR Available Bit Rate
AC Access Control, or Alternating Current, or Authentication Center (also AUC)
ACD Automatic Call Distributor
ACE Authentication Encryption
ACEK Authentication Encryption Key
ACK Acknowledgement
ACP Access Control Point
ACRE Authorization and Call Routing Equipment
ADM Add-Drop Multiplexer (SDH Element)
ADPCM Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
AGRAS Air-Ground Radiotelephone Automated Service
AIOD Automatic Identification of Outward Dialed calls
AIN Advanced Intelligent Network (ANSI IN Standard)
A-key Authentication key
ALI Automatic Location Information
AM Amplitude Modulation
AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone System
ANI Automatic Number Identification
ANS Advanced Network Services
ANSI American National Standards Institute
ANSI-41 ANSI standard for mobile management (ANSI/TIA/EIA-41)
ANT ADSL Network Terminator
AOA Angle of Arrival
AOL America On Line (ISP)
API Application Programming Interface
APPC Advanced Program-to Program Communications (IBM SNA)
APPN Advanced Peer-to-Peer Network (IBM SNA)
ARCnet Attached Resource Computer Network (Datapoint)
ARDIS Advanced Radio Data Information Service
ARP Address Resolution Protocol
ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency
ARPU Average Revenue Per User
ARPANET ARPA Network
ARQ Automatic Repeat Request
ARS Automatic Route Selection
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASIC Application-Specific Integrated Circuit
ASN.1 Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ISO)
ASP Application Service Provider
ASR Automatic Send Receive, Automatic Speech Recognition
AT&T American Telephone & Telegraph
ATIS Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (formerly ECSA)
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Automatic Teller Machine
ATSC Advanced Television Systems Committee
AUI Attachment Unit Interface
AWG American Wire Gauge
AXE 10 Series of electronic telephone exchanges from L.M. Ericsson

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  B
B2B Business-to-Business
B2C Business-to-Consumer
B8ZS Binary Eight Zero Substitution
BACP Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol
BBS Bulletin Board System
Bellcore Bell Communications Research, Inc. (Now Telcordia)
BEP Back-End Processor
BER Bit Error Rate
BERT Bit Error Rate Test (or Tester)
BIOS Basic Input-Output System
B-ISDN Broadband ISDN
BOC Bell Operating Company (USA)
BONDING Bandwidth On Demand Interoperability Group
bps bits per second
BRI Basic Rate Interface (ISDN)
BS Base Station
BSC Base Station Controller, or Binary Synchronous Communications (IBM)
BSS Base Station Sub-system (GSM)
BSS Business Support Systems
BTS Base Transceiver Station

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  C
CAD Computer-Aided Design
CAM Computer-Aided Manufacturing
CAMEL Customized Applications for Mobile-network Enhanced Logic (GSM/ETSI)
CAN Campus Area Network
CANARIE Canadian Network for Advancement of Research, Industry, Education
CAP Competitive Access Provider
CAPS Common ISDN API Service
CARS Cable Antenna Relay Services
CASE Computer-Aided Software Engineering
CATV Cable Television or Community Antenna Television
CAVE Cellular Authentication and Voice Encryption
CB Citizens Band
CBR Constant Bit Rate
CCC Clear Channel Capability
CCCH Common Control Channel
CCD Charge Coupled Device
CCIR Comit้ Consultatif International des Radiocommunications (now ITU-R)
CCITT Comit้ Consultatif International des T้l้graphes et T้l้phones (now ITU-T)
CCR Customer Controlled Reconfiguration
CCS Common Channel Signaling
CCSS6 Common Channel Signaling System # 6
CD-R Compact Disk-Recordable
CD-ROM Compact Disk-Read-Only Memory
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CDO Community Dial Office
CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Data
CDR Call Detail Record
CENTREX Central Office Exchange (PBX-like Service)
CEPT Conference of European Posts and Telecommunications
CERN Centre Europ้en de Recherche Nucl้aire
CGSA Cellular Geographic Service Areas
CIR Committed Information Rate
CLASS Custom Local Area Signaling Services
CLEC Competitive Local Exchange Carrier
CLI Calling Line Identification
CMA Communications Management Association
CMIP Common Management Information Protocol (ISO)
CMIS Common Management Information Services (ISO)
CMISE Common Management Information Service Element (ISO)
CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors
CMRS Commercial Mobile Radio Service
CNET Centre National d'ษtudes en T้l้communications (France Telecom)
CNI Calling Number Identification
CO Central Office
Codec Coder/decoder
CON Concentrator
COO Cell of Origin
CORBA Common Object Request Broker Architecture (OMG)
COT Central Office Terminal
cPCI Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect
CPE Customer Premises Equipment
CPN Cisco Powered Network (Ingredient Band)
CPP Calling Party Pay
CPS Cycles per second (Hertz)
CPU Central Processing Unit
CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check
CRM Customer Relationship Management
CSA Carrier Servicing Area
CSM Communications Services Management
CSMA/CD Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection
CSR

Customer Service Representative
CSU Channel Service Unit
CT Cordless Telecommunications
CTI Computer Telephony Integration
CTIA Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
Cu Copper Local Loop
CUG Closed User Groups

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  D
D-AMPS Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service
DA Destination Address
DAP Demand Access Protocol
DARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
DAT Digital Audio Tape
dB deciBel
DBMS Database Management System
DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite
DCE Data Communications Equipment, or Distributed Computing Environment
DCU Distribution and Control Unit
DDD Direct Distance Dialing
DDS Dataphone Digital Service
DECT Digital Enhanced (formerly, European) Cordless Telecommunication
DES Data Encryption Standard
DLCS Digital Loop Carrier System
DLL Dynamic Link Library
DLU Digital Line Unit
DM Distributed Management
DME Distributed Management Environment (OSF)
DMI Distributed Management Interface
DMS Digital Multiplex Switch (Nortel Networks Switching Product Family DMS 100, 200, …)
DMT Discrete Multitone
DMTF Desktop Management Task Force
DNA Digital Network Architecture (Digital Equipment Corporation)
DNS Domain Name Service DoD Department of Defense (USA)
DOS Disk Operating System
DOV Data Over Voice
DPCM Differential Pulse Code Modulator
DS Digital Service, Digital Signal
DS-0 Digital Signal, Level 0 (64 kbps)
DS-1 Digital Signal, Level 1 (1.544 Mbps)
DS-1C Digital Signal, Level 1C (3.152 Mbps)
DS-2 Digital Signal, Level 2 (6.312 Mbps)
DS-3 Digital Signal, Level 3 (44.736 Mbps)
DS-4 Digital Signal, Level 4 (274.176 Mbps)
DSI Digital Speech Interpolation
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
DSP Digital Signal Processor
DSS Decision Support System
DSU Digital Service Unit
DTAM Document Transfer and Manipulation (ISO)
DTE Data Terminal Equipment
DTMF Dual-Tone MultiFrequency
DTU Data Transfer Unit
DTV Digital Television
DVB Digital Video Broadcasting
DWDM Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
DXI Data Exchange Interface

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  E
E2E End-to-End
E-911 Enhanced emergency telephone number (USA)
E&M Ear and Mouth, or recEive and transMit (signaling)
E-TDMA Expanded Time Division Multiple Access
EAI Enterprise Application Integration
EBCDIC Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (IBM)
EC European Community
ECMA European Community Manufacturers Association
ECSA Exchange Carrier Standards Association (now ATIS)
EDGE Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
EEROM Electronically Erasable Read-Only Memory
EF&I Engineering, Furnishing and Installation
EFT Electronic Funds Transfer
EHF Extremely High Frequency (more than 30 GHz)
EIA Electronic Industries Association
EIR Equipment Identity Register
EISA Extended Industry Standard Architecture
EMEA Europe, Middle East & Africa (Business Region)
EML/EMS Element Management Layer/ Element Management Service
EMS Enhanced Messaging Services
ENS Enhanced Network Services
EOT End of Transmission
EPI External Provisioning Interface
ERMES European Radio Message System (standard for pagers)
ERP Enterprise Resource Management
ESCON Enterprise System Connection (IBM)
ESMR Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio
ETSI European Telecommunications Standard Institute
EU European Union

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  F
FASB Financial Accounting Standards Board (USA)
FAT File Allocation Table
FC Frame Control, or Fiber Channel
FCAPS

Fault, Configuration, Accounts, Performance, Security (ISO)
FCC Federal Communications Commission (USA)
FCS Frame Check Sequence
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
FDDI Fiber Distributed Data Interface
FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (USA)
FDMMA Frequency Division Multiplexing Multiple Access
FEP Front-End Processor
FHSS Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
FIFO First-In First-Out
FITL Fiber In The Loop
FM Frequency Modulation
FMS Fraud Management System
FO Fiber Optic
FOD Fax on Demand
FR Frame Relay
FRAD Frame Relay Access Device, or Assembler/ Disassembler
FRS Family Radio Service
FSK Frequency-Shift Keying
FSS Fixed Satellite System
FTAM File Transfer, Access, and Manipulation (ISO)
FT1 Fractional T1
FTP File Transfer Protocol (TCP/IP)
FTS Federal Telecommunications System
FTTB Fiber To The Building
FTTC Fiber To The Curb
FTTK Fibre To The Kerb
FTTH Fiber To The Home
FWA Fixed Wireless Access

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  G
GAN Global Area Network
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
Gb gigabit
GB gigabyte
GDS Generic Digital Services
GEO Geostationary-Earth-Orbit
GHz gigaHertz (billions of cycles per second)
GIS Geographic Information System
GMRS General Mobile Radio Service
GOSIP Government Open Systems Interconnection Profile (USA)
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GPS Global Positioning System
GRX GPRS Roaming Exchange
GSA General Services Administration (USA)
GSM Global System for Mobile telecommunications, or Groupe Sp้cial Mobile
GUI Graphical User Interface
GVPN Global Virtual Private Network

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  H
H0 High-capacity ISDN channel operating at 384 kbps
H11 High-capacity ISDN channel operating at 1.536 Mbps
H323 ANSI standard for format over IP
HDLC High-level Data Link Control (ISO)
HDSL High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line
HDTV High-Definition Television
HF High Frequency (3 MHz to 30 MHz)
HFC Hybrid Fiber/Coax
HIC Head-end Interface Converter
HLR Home Location Register
HomePNA Home Phoneline Networking Alliance
HPPI High-Performance Parallel Interface

HTML

 HyperText Markup Language
HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol
HVAC Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Hz Hertz (cycles per second)

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  I
I/O Input/Output
IA5 International Alpha Set No. 5
IAB Internet Architecture Board
IAC Install And Commission
IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
ICI Interexchange Carrier Interface
ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol
ICR Intelligent Call Routing
ICS Intelligent Calling System ID Identification
IDDD International Direct Dialing Designator
iDEN integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network
IDPR Interdomain Policy Routing
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission, or InterExchange Carrier
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IESG Internet Engineering Steering Group
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
ILEC Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier
IM Instant Messaging
IMAP Internet Mail Access Protocol (IETF)
IMEI International Mobile Equipment Identity
IMN Intelligent Mobile Network
IMT-2000 International Mobile Telecommunications 2000 (ITU)
IMSI International Mobile Subscriber Identity
IN Intelligent Network
IN7 Compaq SS7 stack (previously DECss7)
INAP Intelligent Network Application Part (IN)
INMS Integrated Network Management System
INTELSAT International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
I/O Input/Output
IOC InterOffice Channel
IOPS Internet Operators' Providers Services
IP Intelectual Property
IP Intelligent Peripheral (IN)
IP Internet Protocol (IETF)
IPN Intelligent Peripheral Node
IPO Initial Public Offering
IPoATM Internet Protocol over ATM
IPR Intellectual Property Rights
IPX Internetwork Packet Exchange
IrDA Infrared Data Association
IrLAN Infrared LAN
IrLAP Infrared Link Access Protocol
IRC International Record Carrier
IRR Internal Rate of Return (Financial Modelling)
IRQ Interrupt Request
IRTF Internet Research Task Force
IS Information System, or Interim Standard (TIA/EIA)
IS-41 TIA/EIA Interim Standard for mobile management
ISA Industry Standard Architecture
ISC International Switching Center
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISM Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (frequency bands)
ISO International Standards Organization
ISOC Internet Society
ISP Internet Service Provider
ISUP ISDN Service User Part
IT Information Technology
ITR Intelligent Text Retrieval
ITT International Telegraph and Telephone
ITT Invitation To Tender
ITU International Telecommunication Union
ITU-R

International Telecommunication Union-Radiocommunications
ITU-T International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunications
IVR Interactive Voice Response
IXC IntereXchange Carrier (also IEC)

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  J
JDC Japan Digital Cellular
JIT Just In Time
JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group

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  K
KB Kilobyte: One thousand and twenty-four bytes kbps kilo bit per second
KSR Key Send Receive
KSU Key Service Unit
KTS Key Telephone System
kHz kiloHertz (thousands of cycles per second)

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  L
LAN Local Area Network
LAP Link Access Protocol (or Procedure)
LAP-B Link Access Protocol-Balanced
LAP-D Link Access Procedure- Digital channel (ISDN)
LAT Local Area Transport (Digital Equipment Corporation)
LATA Local Access and Transport Area (USA)
LBA Location Based Advertising
LBS Location Based Services
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LCN Local Channel Number
LCR Least Cost Routing
LD Laser Diode
LD Long Distance
LDC Long Distance Carrier
LEC Local Exchange Carrier
LED Light-Emitting Diode
LEO Low-Earth-Orbit
LF Low Frequency (30 kHz to 300 kHz)
LLC Logical Link Control
LMDS Local Multipoint Distribution Services
LMS Location and Monitoring Service
LRC Longitudinal Redundancy Check
LSI Large-Scale Integration
LU Logical Unit (IBM)

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  M
MB megabyte
MAC Media Access Control, or Move, Add, and Change
MAN Metropolitan Area Network
MAP Manufacturers Application Protocol (ISO, General Motors), or Mobile Applications Port
MAPI Messaging Applications Programming Interface (Microsoft)
MAPS Maps Application Provisioning System
MAU Multistation Access Unit
MC Management Center or Message Center
MCA Micro Channel Architecture (IBM)
MCU Multipoint Control Unit
MD Mediation Device
MDF Main Distribution Frame
MDN Mobile Directory Number
MEO Middle-Earth-Orbit
MES Master Earth Station
MF Mediation Function, or Medium Frequency (300 kHz to 3 MHz)
MHS Message Handling Source MHz megahertz (millions of cycles per second)
MIB Management Information Base
MIC Management Integration Consortium
MILNET Military Network (USA)
MIME Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions
MIN Mobile Identification Number
MIPS Millions of Instructions Per Second
MIS Management Information Services, or Marketing Intelligence System
MLS Mobile Location Services
MMDS Multichannel, Multipoint Distribution Service
MMS Multimedia Message Service
MO Magneto-Optical Modem Modulator/demodulator
MOU Minutes of Use, or Memorandum of Understanding
MPEG Motion Picture Experts Group
MPLS Multi Protocol Label Switching (IETF)
MPPP Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol
MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging
ms millisecond (thousandth of a second)
MS Mobile Station
MSC Mobile Switching Center
MSN Microsoft Network
MSRN Mobile Station Roaming Number
MSS Mobile Satellite Service