Mobile Broadband and Mobile Internet Connection Glossary
Broadband: Broadband or high-speed Internet access provides users access to the internet and internet-related services. Broadband services for residential customers typically provide faster downstream speeds (from the internet to computer) than upstream speeds (from computer to internet).
3G broadband: What is 3G broadband? It’s currently the preferred method the majority of smartphones and mobile computers access the web via a signal from a mobile internet service provider. It is called 3G because it is the ‘third generation’ of mobile technology. Most of the US, UK and Europe is now covered by 3G network signals from the leading suppliers.
Anti-spam: Used to prevent e-mail spam; which is also known as junk e-mail or electronic junk mail. Email spam typically involves transmitting almost identical messages sent to numerous recipients by e-mail. A common acronym for spam is UBE which stands for unsolicited bulk e-mail. There are various anti-spam methods.
Anti-spam approaches can be divided into four general categories: those that require actions by individuals, those that are automated by systems administrators, those that can be automated by e-mail senders and those employed by researchers and law enforcement officials.
Anti-virus: This is software that attempts to protect computers, laptops, and smartphones from malicious internet (including email) transferred malware. Malware is malicious software applications often intended to be intrusive or damaging. Computer viruses, Trojan horses and worms are typical forms of malware.
Malware is not just an annoyance, it often damages computers and mobile phones while potentially stealing personal data.
There are many bad people out there making problems and some kind of anti-virus software application is required on a broadband-enabled computers, laptops, and or mobile phones.
Namebrand anti-virus software applications like Norton or McAfee are often included by mobile internet service providers and supplied for free. Other people rely on free versions of products such as Avast and AVG. One way or another – the reality is an anti-virus software application is highly recommended to protect computers, notebooks, and smartphones.
Anti-spyware: Spyware is wide category of malicious software that will implant itself on laptops, and mobile phones via broadband internet connections. Spyware is designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer or smartphone operation without permission from the device’s owner or legitimate user. Spyware is nasty computer software applications that surreptitiously obtain, monitor and report data from a user’s computer without their knowledge or consent. This can include sensitive information such as details of sites visited, and even e-mail.
Capping: In mobile network terminology capping describes a cap, or limit, on the data allowed to download under terms a certain contract. When the cap is exceeded, additional charges often apply.
Dongle: In mobile data connection terminology dongle has been almost universally adopted to describe the small device that plugs into another internet-enabled device to receive a mobile internet connection signal. Often just referred to as a stick, the dongle allows devices to access mobile network just like a mobile phone.
Bandwidth Download speed: Bandwidth Download speed refers to how quickly a file (of data) can be downloaded from a remote source. This mobile broadband term describes how fast a connection can deliver data to a computer. To “download” something means to put it on your computer, commonly over the internet. The download speed is measured by how much of the file is transferred to you over a certain amount of time. It used to be most download speeds were measured in kb/s, kilobytes per second, or thousands of (data) bytes per second; however fortunately now it is more likely to measure this connection speed it megabytes or millions of bytes per second.
Femtocells: Femtocells use network and boost the 3G signal to make smartphones – and devices with a dongle – perform better. A femtocell is a wireless access point that delivers localized 3G broadband coverage. Often it is very small base station that receives network supplier or ISP signals and boosts it around a small area, such as your house, office or event center. They are expected to become very common and will be important in location based services and marketing.
Firewall: A firewall is a software component used to stop unwanted traffic arriving on computers, laptops or handsets via the internet. The firewall will evaluate arriving data that connect to the computers, laptops or smartphones, and if it doesn’t meet the settings allocated to it, the data transfer will be halted.
A good firewall virus software program is essential to protect computers, notebooks, and smartphones with a broadband connection. Firewall software programs should work with anti-spyware, anti-virus, and anti-spam software to be most effective.
Fixed-line: Fixed-line broadband is a term used to describe either cable or ADSL internet connections. The term is primarily used to differentiate fixed-line broadband from mobile broadband which is wireless and uses a mobile data connection signal network.
Gb (or gigabit): Giga means one billion. Gb (note the small b) an abbreviation of gigabit, a unit used to describe the speed at which data travels across an internet connection (also sometimes written as Gbps, or gigabits per second). Current broadband connections are measured in Mb (megabits per second) – there are 1024Mb in 1Gb.
GB (or Gbps, or gigabyte): GB is short for gigabyte, which is often used to express the size of computer files and memory storage capacity. There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte (KB), 1024 kilobytes in a megabyte (MB), and 1024 megabytes in a gigabyte. For comparison, a small Notepad file is typically measured in bytes, a basic Word document in kilobytes, a music file in megabytes and a DVD movie in gigabytes.
HSPA, HSDPA, HSUPA: HSPA stands for ‘high speed packet access’. HSDPA stands for ‘high speed download packet access’ and HSUPA stands ‘high speed upload’ packet access’, each expresses the same technology either sending or receiving data. It is the latest advancement in quality for mobile broadband usage, working on various 3G mobile broadband networks to improve the speed of data transfer.
HSPA Evolved, HSPA+: The next generation of HSPA is Evolved HSPA (or HSPA+) with possible mobile broadband speeds up to 42Mb.
ISP:ISP is an acronym for internet service provider.
KB (or Kbps, or kilobyte): KB is short for kilobyte, which is a term used to express the size of computer files and storage capacity.
LTE: LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and is one of the next generation of mobile broadband technologies. It is supposed to be capable of data transfer rates 15 to 100 times faster than current 3G mobile networks.
Mb (or Mbps, or megabit): Mb is an abbreviation of Megabit, and also written as Mbps, which stands for megabits per second. Mb commonly is used to express the measurement of internet speeds. A Mb is 1024Kb, while there are 1024Mb in a Gb.
MB (or megabyte): MB is a contraction of for megabyte, which is a term used to describe the size of computer files and storage capacity.
Upload speed: This term expresses how fast a broadband connection can send data from computers or cell phones. Anything that goes across the internet from a computer, laptop, or cell phone is considered to be ‘uploaded’.
Wi-Fi: Pronounced ‘why-fye’, Wi-Fi is short for Wireless Fidelity. It is a trademarked term of the Wi-Fi Alliance that manufacturers may use to brand certified products that belong to a class of wireless local area network (WLAN) devices based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.
In mobile data connection terms, the most common usage is when referring to Wi-Fi hotspots: public areas that supply internet connectivity either free or for a charge. Because of the close relationship with its underlying standard, the abbreviation Wi-Fi is often used synonymously for IEEE 802.11 technology.
WiMAX: This expression is a contraction of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access – a new broadband technology that claims to provide a wireless broadband alternative without the need for cables. Similarly to LTE, WiMAX is being touted as the next generation of mobile broadband.
WLAN: WLAN is a contraction of for wireless local area network, and is more typically called Wi-Fi.
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