PDF of this tutorialBill Cycle
The period for which a consumer receives an invoice; can also denote when a cycle begins or ends
Call Detail Record (CDR)
A billing-system feature that tracks details about calls, such as type, time, duration, originator, and destination. CDRs can be used for network monitoring, accounting, and billing purposes.
Carrier
(1) A telecommunication company that offers its services to the public; typically, a carrier files tariffs that are equally applied to all consumers; (2) a continuously varying electromagnetic signal that carries analog signals such as frequency modulation (FM), amplitude modulation (AM), or digital signals. (AKA: service provider, operator)
Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)
A trade organization that represents the cellular/PCS wireless industry and is involved with regulatory and public affairs issues in the mobile wireless phone industry
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
CDMA is a generic term that describes a wireless air interface based on code division multiple access technology.
cdmaOne™ is a brand name, trademarked and reserved for the exclusive use of CDG member companies, that describes a complete wireless system that incorporates the interim standard (IS)–95 CDMA air interface, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)–41 network standard for switch interconnection, and many other standards that make up a complete wireless system. CDMA2000 is a name identifying the 3G technology that is an evolutionary outgrowth of cdmaOne offering operators that have deployed a 2G cdmaOne system—a seamless migration path that economically supports an upgrade to 3G features and services within existing spectrum allocations for both cellular and personal communications system (PCS) operators. CDMA2000 supports the 2G network aspect of all existing operators regardless of technology (cdmaOne, IS–136 TDMA, or GSM). This standard is also known by its International Telecommunication Union (ITU) name International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)–CDMA Multi-Carrier (1X/3X).
Convergence
The ability to offer and bill for multiple services
Customer-Service Representative (CSR)
A carrier representative who deals with the consumer for ordering services and handling troubles or discrepancies in billing records
Event Processing
The process of gathering events in a network for the purposes of billing and/or network monitoring. Most often associated with capturing the details of 2.5 and 3G services such as short message service, mobile Web browsing, mobile e-mail, and multimedia.
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
A GSM data transmission technique that does not set up a continuous channel from a portable terminal for the transmission and reception of data, but transmits and receives data in packets. It makes very efficient use of available radio spectrum, and users pay only for the volume of data sent and received.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
A series of 24 geosynchronous satellites that continuously transmit their position. Used in personal tracking, navigation, and automatic vehicle-location technologies.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
A digital cellular or PCS network used throughout the world
Internet Protocol Detail Record (IPDR)
IPDR.org is an open consortium of leading companies working together to bring this vision to reality. Collaborating service providers, equipment vendors, system integrators, and billing and mediation vendors facilitate the exchange of usage and control data between network and hosting elements and operations and business support systems by the deployment of IPDR standards.
Mediation Device
A device that can interface with complex multivendor switches and billing systems to gather the required information for provisioning; also can refer to the software used by carriers to interconnect operations support systems (OSS).
Personal Communications Service (PCS)
A two-way, 1900 MHz digital voice, messaging, and data service designed as the second generation of cellular.
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
A portable computing device capable of transmitting data. These devices make possible services such as paging, data messaging, electronic mail, computing, facsimile, date books, and other information-handling capabilities.
Provisioning
The process by which a requested service is designed, implemented, and tracked for a particular customer.
Quality of Service (QoS)
A measure of a carrier's service to a consumer
Rate Plan
The plan to which a consumer agrees upon requesting service
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
A method of digital wireless communications transmission allowing a large number of users to access (in sequence) a single radio frequency channel without interference by allocating unique time slots to each user within each channel
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)
Europe's approach to standardization for 3G cellular systems
