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ADSL - Asynchronous digital subscriber line, fast, always-on broadband Internet connection
AUP - Acceptable Use Policy
Bluetooth - A short range wireless connectivity standard used by mobile and handheld devices such as cell phones, PDAs, headsets and notebook computers.
Broadband - Internet connection faster than 200 Kbps (kilobits per second)
ccTLD - Country-Code Top Level Domain. Internet country domain code, such as .ke for Keny
CD (-ROM) - Compact disk (Read Only Memory)
CD-R - Writeable CD format
CMS - Content management system.
Digital Divide - Divide between those who and do not have access to the Internet.
DNS - Domain name system, which translates Internet domain names to IP addresses.
DSL- Digital subscriber line.
DVD - Digital video disk. High-capacity storage medium for digital video and data.
DVD-R - Writeable DVD format.
E-Rate( Education Rate) - Discounted rates for telecommunications and/or Internet services for educational institutions.
Fat Client - Workstation where applications are stored and run locally rather than on a server.
Firewall - System which provides protection against unauthorized intrusion, worms and viruses by blocking certain types of network traffic.
Free software - Software provided with source code and a license which permits users to modify and redistribute the software under the same license.
HTML - Hypertext markup language.
IANA - Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
IM - Instant messaging.
IMAP - Internet message access protocol.
Information Literacy - The ability to locate, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information from a variety of sources.
IP - Internet protocol. The underlying protocol used by systems on the Internet.
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network: telecommunications service providing fast digital dial-up connections to the Internet (up to128 Kbps).
ISP - Internet Service Provider.
Kbps - Kilobits-per-second.
LAN - Local area network, connecting computers within a building or campus.
LMS - Learning Management System.
Metadata - Structured information that describes an item of content or software.
MP3 - A popular format for digital sound files
Open Source Software - Software provided with source code and a license which permits users to modify and redistribute the software (similar to free software).
Operating System - Underlying software layer which allows application software to be run on a computer or other device.
PC - Personal computer.
PDA - Portable or personal digital assistant
PDF - Portable document format. A platform-independent format for distributing documents.
POP(3) - Post office protocol. Popular method of accessing Internet e-mail from a server.
Proprietary Software - Software which restricts access to source code and does not allow users to freely copy or modify the software.
RAM - Random access memory.
Server - Computer which provides file, printing or other services to other computers on a network.
SMS - Short message service used for text messages on GSM mobile phones.
SMTP - Simple mail transfer protocol. Internet protocol for sending e-mail between systems.
TCO - Total cost of ownership. All costs associated with deploying, operating and maintaining a computer network and applications.
Thin Client - Workstation model which allows users to run applications on a server, rather than on the workstation itself.
TV - Television.
Unicode - System for representing language characters in international character sets.
URL - Uniform resource locator. Internet address format used for Websites and other information services (e.g., www.ictak.com ).
VCD - Video compact disc. A CD which contains digital video material.
VCR - Video cassette recorder.
VPN - Virtual private network. Network which runs on top of an existing network, providing additional security, addressing or management features.
W3C - World Wide Web consortium, which defines the standards used on the World Wide Web.
WAN - Wide area network, connecting networks over a large geographical area.
WiFi - Wireless fidelity, generic term for wireless networks using the 802.11 protocols.
Workstation - Computer used by users to run applications and access network services
WWW - World Wide Web.
Access point - A radio-based bridge that connects a wired LAN to a wireless network or device. Access points may be potential security vulnerabilities
AMPS - An acronym for Advanced Mobile Phone Service. A term used for the first generation of analog wireless technology. Many AMPS networks are now being converted to TDMA or CDMA. See also 2.5G and 3G.
Bandwidth - The capacity of the network "pipe" or channel for communications in landline networks. In wireless networks, bandwidth is determined in part by the range of frequencies that can carry a signal, as well as efficiency of the wireless network for supporting multiple "conversations" on any given frequency. Bandwidth is measured in Kbps (kilobits per second) or Mbps (megabits per second).
Bluetooth - A short-range wireless standard that specifies radio connections between devices within a 10-meter range of each other. Bluetooth is designed as a Personal Area Network (PAN, or WPAN for "Wireless Personal Area Network") technology with a wide variety of theoretical uses.
Bridge - A device that connects two local-area networks (LANs), or two segments of the same LAN. Bridges simply forward packets from one segment to another without analyzing or routing messages. This allows them to connect dissimilar networks (e.g., a bridge can connect an Ethernet and Token-Ring network).
Broadband - A generic term that implies higher data transmission rates than what is available through dial-up connections, which max out at 56 Kbps. The exact meaning of the term differs according to who is using it. "Broadband" may describe telecommunication in which a wide band of frequencies is available to transmit information. Or, it may simply mean data transmission rates in excess of 56 Kbps. For some, it means rates in excess of 144 Kbps, depending on the vendor that is describing it.
CDMA - Acronym for Code Division Multiple Access, a family of protocols used in 2G and 3G cellular networks that use spread spectrum techniques. U.S. carriers such as Sprint PCS and Verizon use CDMA technology in their wireless networks.
CDPD - Acronym for Cellular Digital Packet Data, a specification for supporting wireless access to the Internet and other public packet-switched networks. The specification offers mobile users access to the Internet at up to 19.2 Kbps. CDPD also supports Internet Protocol (IP), IP multicast (one-to-many) service, and the ISO Connectionless Network Protocol (CLNP).
Cellular - General name for analog and digital networks in which a user calls from a mobile telephone to a nearby transmitter. The transmitter's span of coverage is called a cell. As the caller travels from one cell or area of coverage to another, the telephone signal is passed on to the next transmitter.
Circuit Switched - A type of network in which a physical path (usually consisting of wires) is dedicated to a single connection between two devices. The traditional phone network is circuit switched; during a call, no other devices can use the circuit between the two that are connected.
Competitive Advantage - Means by which an organization attempts to link with, respond to integrate with or exploit its environment (Schaffer,1990).It represents a pattern of decisions and choices employed by a firm to outperform others.
Data Synchronization, Data Syncing - The process of sending data updates between a mobile computing device and a central database or applications server. This could entail, for example, synchronizing the calendar on a PDA with the calendar on a desktop computer so that both show appointment updates. The need for synchronization has spawned its own special interest group that has proposed a protocol
Downstream - Transmission of data from an information source to an end user. For instance, Web pages are transmitted downstream from the Web site to the end user's browser.
Dual Band Mobile Phone - A mobile phone that picks up analog signals when a digital signal fades. The handset operates on both 800 MHz analog cellular and 1900 MHz digital PCS frequencies.
EDGE. Acronym for Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution. A faster technology for GSM and TDMA networks that may offer wireless data transfer of up to 384 Kbps.
ETSI - Acronym for the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, an organization that establishes telecommunications standards for Europe . ETSI guidelines usually follow standards produced by international standards groups.
Firewall - A hardware and/or software system designed to prevent users outside a network from accessing internal network data resources and for controlling what outside resources the internal users may access.
GPRS - Acronym for General Packet Radio Service. A 2.5G technology being implemented in GSM networks. It is a packet-based, "always on" technology with data transfer speeds of up to 115 Kbps. Current GSM systems offer 9.6 Kbps speeds
GSM - Acronym for Global Systems for Mobile Communications. A 2G digital cellular or PCS standard for how data is coded and transferred through the wireless spectrum. GSM is an alternative to CDMA that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. It is the most widely used of the three digital wireless telephone technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA
HDML - Acronym for Handheld Device Mark up Language. HDML allows for the display of text versions of Web pages on wireless devices. However, HDML was not compliant with HTML (HyperText Markup Language, which is used for Web pages) and has been superseded by Wireless Markup Language (WML). IEEE. Acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE develops standards primarily for electronics and related industries.
IDEN - Acronym for Integrated Digital Enhanced Network. A TDMA-based technology that allows users to access phone calls and two-way radio, paging, and data transmissions on one device. Developed by Motorola, it is used by the Nextel service in North America, as well as by some carriers in South America and parts of Asia .
I-Mode - A protocol used primarily in Japan for transferring packet-based data to handheld devices. It is based on a compact version of HTML and does not use Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) standards. The i-Mode wireless data service offers colour and video over many phones.
IMT-2000 - The family of 3G mobile telephony standards (International Mobile Telecommunications standards) currently under development by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is also known as W-CDMA, which is short for Wideband CDMA. This is a high-speed 3G mobile wireless technology with the capacity to offer higher data speeds than CDMA. WCDMA can reach speeds of up to 2 Mbps for voice, video, data, and image transmission. WCDMA was adopted as a standard by the ITU under the name "IMT-2000 direct spread."
Mobile Computing - The term "Mobile computing" is used to describe the use of computing devices which usually interact in some fashion with a central information system while away from the normal, fixed workplace. Mobile computing technology enables the mobile worker to: create, access, process, store and communicate information without being constrained to a single location.
Packet, Packet Switched - A way of organizing data for transmission to break larger data streams up into smaller bundles that are pieced back together by the recipient based on header, text, and trailer information in each packet. Packet based networks are typically "always on" and do not require the user to initiate a dial-in to connect to the server.
PCS - Acronym for Personal Communication Services. A general category for two-way digital networks with integrated voice, data, and messaging capabilities.
PDA - Acronym for Personal Digital Assistant. A small computing device based on the Microsoft Pocket PC standard or Palm OS. Generally, "PDA" means the same as "handheld," a term that is more frequently used as the devices have taken on a growing role in corporate computing. PDAs are typically available with embedded E-mail, calendar, address book, task, and memo applications. Third party and custom developed software can extend the functionality of the devices.
PIM - Acronym for Personal Information Manager. A set of functions for organizing personal information on PCs and PDAs. The functions usually include an address book, calendar, scheduler, notes, and access to E-mail.
Smart Phone - A combination of a mobile phone and a PDA. Smart phones differ from normal phones in that they have an open operating system and local storage, so that the user or corporation can add information and applications to the phone as they could with a PDA.
SMS - Acronym for Short Messaging Service. A service through which users can send text-based messages from one device to another. The message is limited to 160 characters. This is typically the delivery mechanism for "E-mail" to digital phones today. The E-mail is converted to an SMS message, truncated to 160 characters, and delivered to the user's handset.
TDMA - Acronym for Time Division Multiple Access. A wireless technology that allows for increased bandwidth over digital cellular networks. TDMA divides a radio frequency into thee time slots and allocates slots to multiple calls. A single frequency can support multiple, simultaneous data channels.
Upstream - Transmission of data from an end user to a central data source or server.
WAP - Acronym for Wireless Application Protocol. A set of protocols that provide optimized Web access on digital wireless devices such as mobile phones. WAP is designed to work over existing wireless networks including CDMA and GSM, and typically involves a WAP micro browser on the device and a WAP gateway server at the carrier facility to connect to the Internet.
Web Ring - A Web ring (also Webring) is a group of interlinking and related Web sites. Each site has links to the next and previous sites in the ring so that a user can visit each site one after the other. A ring is managed from one main site. The ring manager can add new members to the ring or drop unreachable sites.
WEP - Acronym for Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP is a security protocol for wireless local area netw
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