Our comprehensive resource compiles over 300 essential abbreviations related to mobile phones and mobile technology. This meticulously curated list offers straightforward explanations for each abbreviation, helping you demystify the complex jargon of the mobile tech world. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a mobile device user, or a professional in the field, our page is your one-stop reference guide for unlocking the meanings behind common and specialized abbreviations. Stay informed and confident in your mobile tech discussions with this invaluable resource at your fingertips.
Popular phones
| Abbreviation | Definition/Expanded Form |
|---|---|
| 1G | First-generation (of mobile networks) |
| 2.5G | Second and a half-generation (of mobile networks) |
| 2D | Two dimensional |
| 2G | Second generation (of mobile networks) |
| 3D | Three dimensional |
| 3G | Third generation (of mobile networks) |
| 3GPP | 3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| 4G | Fourth generation (of mobile networks) |
| 4G+ | Long Term Evolution Advanced/Advanced Pro |
| 4K | Four thousand (resolution/pixels horizontally) |
| 5G | Fifth Generation (of mobile networks) |
| 5GCN | 5G Cloud Native (core network) |
| 5GHz | 5 GigaHertz frequency band |
A | |
| ADSL | Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line |
| AM | Amplitude Modulation |
| AMPS | Advanced Mobile Phone System |
| APAC | Asia Pacific |
| API | Application Programming Interface |
| APN | Access Point Name |
| Apps | Applications |
| ARFCN | Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number |
| ARPU | Average Revenue Per User |
| ATM | Asynchronous Transfer Mode |
| ATM | Automated Teller Machine |
| AuC | Authentication Centre |
B | |
| B2B | Business to Business |
| B2C | Business to Consumer |
| BAU | Business As Usual |
| BC | Business Case |
| BoM | Bill of Materials |
| BRD | Business Requirements Document |
| BRS | Business Requirements Specification |
| BSC | Base Station Controller |
| BSS | Base Station Subsystem |
| BSS | Business Support Systems |
| BTS | Base Transceiver Station |
| BU | Business Unit |
C | |
| C Level | “Chief” Level (executives) |
| C Netz | Funktelefonnetz C (Radio Telephone Network C) |
| CAPEX | Capital Expenditure |
| CCTV | Closed Circuit Television |
| CD | Compact Disc |
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access |
| CDMA2000 | Code Division Multiple Access 2000 |
| cdmaONE | Code Division Multiple Access One |
| CDR | Call Detail Record |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CET | Central European Time |
| CFO | Chief Finance Officer |
| CIO | Chief Information Officer |
| CIOT | Cellular Internet of Things |
| CLI | Calling Line Identity |
| CMO | Chief Marketing Officer |
| CNR (C/N) | Carrier to Noise Ratio |
| COO | Chief Operations Officer |
| CoP | Close of Play |
| CPE | Customer Premise Equipment |
| CPU | Central Processing Unit |
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management |
| CS | Circuit Switched |
| CSD | Circuit Switched Data |
| CSP | Communications Service Provider |
| CSSR | Call Setup Success Rate |
| CSV | Comma Separated Values |
| CTO | Chief Technology Officer |
| CX | Customer Experience |
D | |
| D–AMPS | Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System |
| DAS | Distributed Antenna Systems |
| dB | Decibel |
| DECT | Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications |
| DPI | Deep Packet Inspection |
| DSL | Digital Subscriber Line |
| DSP | Digital Signal Processing |
| DSS | Dynamic Spectrum Sharing |
| DVD | Digital Versatile Disc |
E | |
| EBITDA | Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation |
| EDGE | Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution |
| E-GPRS | Enhanced General Packet Radio Service |
| E-GSM | Extended GSM (band) |
| EIR | Equipment Identity Register |
| eMBB | Enhanced Mobile Broadband or Extreme Mobile Broadband |
| eMBMS | Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service |
| EMEA | Europe, the Middle East and Africa |
| eNB | Evolved Node B |
| eNodeB | Evolved Node B |
| EoB | End of Business |
| EPC | Evolved Packet Core (core network) |
| eSIM | Embedded SIM |
| EULA | End-User License Agreement |
| EVDO | Evolution-Data Optimised |
F | |
| FAT | Factory Acceptance Test |
| FAX | Facsimile |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| FCF | Free Cash Flow |
| FDD | Frequency Division Duplex |
| FDMA | Frequency Division Multiple Access |
| FHD | Full High Definition (Full HD) |
| FM | Frequency Modulation |
| FOA | First Office Application |
| FTE | Full-time Equivalent |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol |
| FTTC | Fibre to the cabinet |
| FTTH | Fibre to the home |
| FTTP | Fibre to the premises |
| FY | Fiscal Year |
G | |
| GB | Gigabyte |
| Gbps | Gigabits per second |
| GERAN | GSM EDGE Radio Access Network |
| GGSN | Gateway GPRS Support Node |
| GHz | Gigahertz |
| GIF | Graphics Interchange Format |
| GMSC | Gateway Mobile Switching Centre |
| gNB | Next Generation Node B |
| gNodeB | Next Generation Node B |
| GPRS | General Packet Radio Service |
| GPS | Global Positioning System |
| GRN | Goods Receipt Note |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications |
| GUI | Graphics User Interface |
H | |
| HD | High Definition |
| HDMI | High-Definition Multimedia Interface |
| HDTV | High Definition Television |
| HLD | High-Level Design |
| HLR | Home Location Register |
| HQ | Head Quarter(s) |
| HR | Human Resources |
| HSCSD | High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data |
| HSDPA | High-Speed Downlink Packet Access |
| HSPA | High-Speed Packet Access |
| HSPA+ | Evolved High-Speed Packet Access or HSPA Evolution |
| HSS | Home Subscriber Server |
| HSUPA | High-Speed Uplink Packet Access |
| HTML | Hypertext Markup Language |
| HTTP | Hypertext Transfer Protocol |
| HTTPS | Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL |
I | |
| IaaS | Infrastructure as a Service |
| IC | Integrated Circuit |
| ICCID | Integrated Circuit Card Identifier |
| ICT | Information and Communications Technology |
| IEEE | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers |
| IM | Instant Messaging |
| IMAP | Internet Message Access Protocol |
| IMEI | International Mobile Equipment Identity |
| IMS | IP Multimedia Subsystem |
| IMSI | International Mobile Subscriber Identity |
| IoT | Internet of Things |
| IOT | Interoperability Testing |
| IP | Intellectual Property |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| IP PBX | Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange |
| IPS | In Plane Switching |
| IPTV | Internet Protocol Television |
| IPv4 | Internet Protocol version 4 |
| IPv6 | Internet Protocol version 6 |
| IRAT | Inter Radio Access Technology |
| IRR | Internal Rate of Return |
| IS-95 | Interim Standard 1995 |
| ISDN | Integrated Services Digital Network |
| ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider |
| ISV | Independent Software Vendor |
| IT | Information Technology |
| ITIL | Information Technology Infrastructure Library |
| ITU | International Telecommunications Union |
| IVR | Interactive Voice Response |
J | |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
K | |
| KB | Kilobyte |
| Kbps | Kilobits per second |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicators |
| KQI | Key Quality Indicators |
L | |
| LAN | Local Area Network |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display |
| LED | Light Emitting Diode |
| LLD | Low-Level Design |
| LoS | Line of Sight |
| LTE | Long Term Evolution |
| LTE+ | Long Term Evolution Advanced/Advanced Pro |
| LTE-A | Long-Term Evolution Advanced |
| LTE-A Pro | Long-Term Evolution Advanced Pro |
M | |
| M2M | Machine to Machine |
| MAN | Metropolitan Area Network |
| MB | Megabyte |
| Mbps | Megabits per second |
| MHz | Megahertz |
| MIMO | Multiple Input Multiple Output |
| MME | Mobility Management Entity |
| MMS | Multimedia Messaging Service |
| mMTC | Massive Machine Type Communication |
| mmWave | Millimetre-Wave |
| MNO | Mobile Network Operator |
| MoIP | Mobile communications over Internet Protocol |
| MoU | Memorandum of Understanding |
| MoU | Minutes of Use |
| MP4 | Moving Picture Experts Group 4 (MPEG4) |
| MPEG | Moving Picture Experts Group |
| MPLS | Multi-Protocol Label Switching |
| MRD | Marketing Requirements Document |
| MRS | Marketing Requirements Specification |
| MSC | Mobile Switching Centre |
| MSISDN | Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number |
| MU-MIMO | Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output |
| MVNO | Mobile Virtual Network Operator |
N | |
| NDA | Non Disclosure Agreement |
| NFC | Near Field Communications |
| NFV | Network Function Virtualisation |
| ng-eNodeB | Next Generation Evolved Node B |
| NG-RAN | Next Generation Radio Access Networks |
| NMT | Nordisk MobilTelefoni (Nordic Mobile Telephone) |
| NOC | Network Operations Centre |
| Non LOS | Non Line of Sight |
| NPD | New Product Development |
| NPV | Net Present Value |
| NR | New Radio |
| NSA | Non-Stand-Alone (5G) |
| NSS | Network Switching System (NSS) |
O | |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer |
| OFDM | Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing |
| OFDMA | Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access |
| OLED | Organic Light Emitting Diode |
| OMC | Operations and Maintenance Centre |
| OMC-R | Operations & Maintenance Centre-Radio |
| OpCo | Operating Company (e.g. Mobile operator) |
| OPEX | Operational Expenditures |
| Ops | Operations department |
| OS | Operating System |
| OSI | Open System Interconnection |
| OSS | Operations Support Systems (aka Operational Support Systems) |
| OTT | Over The Top |
P | |
| PaaS | Platform as a Service |
| PAC | Porting Authorisation Code |
| PAYG | Pay As You Go |
| PBX | Private Branch Exchange |
| PC | Personal Computer |
| PCRF | Policy and Charging Rules Function |
| PDA | Personal Digital Assistant |
| PDN-GW | Packet Data Network Gateway |
| PESQ | Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality |
| P-GSM | Primary GSM band |
| PIN | Personal Identification Number |
| PLMN | Public Land Mobile Network |
| PMO | Project Management Office |
| PNG | Portable Networks Graphics |
| PO | Purchase Order |
| PoC | Proof of Concept |
| PRD | Product Requirements Document |
| PS | Packet Switched |
| PSTN | Public Switched Telephone Network |
| PUK | Personal Unlocking Key |
Q | |
| QA | Quality Assurance |
| QAM | Quadrature Amplitude Modulation |
| QoE | Quality of Experience |
| QoS | Quality of Service |
R | |
| R&D | Research & Development |
| RAG | Red, Amber, Green |
| RAM | Random Access Memory |
| RAN | Radio Access Network |
| RF | Radio Frequency |
| RFI | Request For Information |
| RFP | Request For Proposal |
| RFQ | Request For Quotation |
| RMA | Return Merchandise Authorisation |
| RNC | Radio Network Controller |
| ROI | Return On Investment |
| ROM | Read-Only Memory |
S | |
| SA | Stand-Alone (5G) |
| SaaS | Software as a Service |
| SAR | Specific Absorption Rate |
| SBA | Service-Based Architecture |
| SC-FDMA | Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access |
| SDK | Software Development Kit |
| SDM | Service Delivery Manager |
| SDMA | Space Division Multiple Access |
| SDN | Software-Defined Networking |
| SDTV | Standard Definition Television |
| SGSN | Serving GPRS Support Node |
| S-GW | Serving Gateway |
| SIM | Subscriber Identity Module |
| SIMO | SIM Only (deal) |
| SIP | Session Initiation Protocol |
| SISO | Single Input Single Output |
| SLA | Service Level Agreement |
| SMB | Small Medium Business |
| SME | Small Medium Enterprise |
| SME | Subject Matter Expert |
| SMS | Short Message Service |
| SNR | Signal to Noise Ratio |
| SoHo | Small Office Home Office |
| SoW | Statement/Scope of Work |
| SPoC | Single Point of Contact |
| SS7 | Signalling System 7 |
| SSID | Service Set Identity |
| SSL | Secure Sockets Layer |
| STB | Set-Top Box |
| SU-MIMO | Single-User Multiple Input Multiple Output |
| SWOT | Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats |
T | |
| TACS | Total Access Communications System |
| TCO | Total Cost of Ownership |
| TCP | Transmission Control Protocol |
| TDD | Time Division Duplex |
| TDMA | Time Division Multiple Access |
| Telco | Telecommunications company |
| TN | Twisted Nematic |
| TTM | Time To Market |
U | |
| UAT | User Acceptance Testing |
| UC | Unified Communications |
| UE | User Equipment |
| UHD | Ultra High Definition |
| UI | User Interface |
| UMTS | Universal Mobile Telecommunication System |
| UPS | Uninterrupted Power Supply |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| uRLLC | Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| USIM | Universal Subscriber Identity Module |
| USP | Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point |
| UTRAN | Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network |
| UX | User Experience |
V | |
| VAS | Value-Added Services |
| VAT | Value Added Tax |
| VGA | Video Graphics Array |
| VIR | Volume Incentive Rebate |
| VLR | Visitor Location Register |
| VLSI | Very Large Scale Integration |
| VoD | Video On Demand |
| VoIP | Voice over Internet Protocol |
| VoLTE | Voice over Long Term Evolution |
| VoNR | Voice over New Radio |
| VoWiFi | Voice over WiFi |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network |
| VROM | Very Rough Order of Magnitude |
W | |
| WAN | Wide Area Network |
| WAP | Wireless Application Protocol |
| WCDMA | Wideband Code Division Multiple Access |
| WebRTC | Web Real-Time Communication |
| Wi-Fi 6 | WiFi 6th generation |
| WiMAX | Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access |
X | |
| XML | Extensible Markup Language |
