1G
The first generation of analogue mobile phone technologies including AMPS, TACS and NMT.

2G
The second generation of digital mobile phone technologies including GSM, CDMA IS-95 and D-AMPS IS-136.

2.5G
The enhancement of GSM which includes technologies such as GPRS

3G
The third generation of mobile phone technologies covered by the ITU IMT-2000 family.

Aggregator
Aggregators provide connectivity between carrier networks and mobile service providers.

API - (Application Program Interface)
A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other system or control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol. RoutoMessaging provides APIs based on HTTP and SMPP.

Bandwidth
The communications channel is a measure of the range of frequencies over which the carrier signal is allowed to vary. Generally a communications channel is defined by its lowest and highest frequency, and channel bandwidth is computed as the difference between the two as measured in Hertz, kHz, or MHz. Since bandwidth of a channel is directly proportional to the amount of data that can be transmitted over it per unit time, channel bandwidth is sometimes measured as a data rate rather a frequency difference.

Bluetooth
The radio technology that makes it possible to transmit signals over short distances between computers and handheld devices without the use of wires.

bps
Bits per second, a common measure of data transmission speed.

Bulk SMS
Bulk SMS is a mobile messaging service that allows companies to send high or low volumes of non-premium SMS quickly and efficiently.

Byte
A Byte is a sequence of bits (usual 8) which represents a single character, such as a letter of the alphabet, a decimal digit, or a punctuation mark.

Content Provider
Content providers are entities that own or have the rights to content. They often license content to application providers for delivery to end users.

Coverage
Refers to the region within which a Mobile Handset can reliably receive the transmission of the SMS, MMS and Phone Calls.

Device data protection
Uses encryption technology to protect all data, or only predefined sensitive data on mobile devices in the event the mobile device falls into unauthorized hands.

DeskTop SMS
RoutoMessaging software used to send SMS from your PC the same way as Email.

GPRS
General Packet Radio Service

GSM
Global System for Mobile communications

HLR
Home Location Register; the database within a GSM network which stores all the subscriber data. An important element in the roaming process

IP / Internet Protocol
IP belongs to the TCP/IP protocol family, an acknowledged industrial standard for communication between open systems. The Internet Protocol defines how information travels between systems across the Internet.

Java
Java is a software technology developed to provide a common base for running applications across a wide variety of computing platforms. It consists of a programming language and a run-time environment.

Keyword
A keyword is a unique word (or number) that is created for a specific short code campaign. Multiple keywords can be used on a single short code active during a single period. The keyword is the actual text that a user keys in on their mobile phone to interact with a campaign.

Kbps (Kilobits per second)
A speed measurement for the transmitting of data (see BPS).

Message Fee's or Message Price's
Each time an SMS is sent, sender is charged a messaging fee by the wireless carrier. The messaging fees vary by carrier and volume. SMS messaging credits can be purchased in volume to reduce costs.

MAP
The Mobile Application Part is the application-layer protocol used to access the Home Location Register, Visitor Location Register, Mobile Switching Center, Equipment Identity Register, Authentication Centre, Short message service center and Serving GPRS Support Node.

MSC
Mobile Switching Centre; the switching centre of a mobile phone network

Mobile email
Offers the possibility of sending and receiving email from your mobile device wherever you are. You may even be able to use the same email account you have on your desktop or laptop computer.

MSISDN
Mobile Station International ISDN number - The telephone number which is dialled or SMS send to contact the mobile user.

MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) allows for non-real-time transmission of various kinds of multimedia contents, such as images, audio, and video clips

Mobile Operators
Are the companies that own and operate the mobile infrastructure - in the UK they are Vodafone, T-Mobile, O2, Orange and 3. Operators such as Virgin Mobile lease capacity from the main operators.

Mobile number portability
From a mobile subscriber perspective, mobile number portability (MNP) allows subscribers to switch operators while maintaining their MSISDN (Phone Number). MNP is available throughout most of Western Europe but is not available to mobile subscribers in the majority of other countries. MNP on SMS services has made it impossible to determine the network of an MSISDN by its prefix. RoutoMessaging has a solution to MNP and provides support for delivery to ported numbers on certain MT products. We ensure that there will be no negative impact on your success delivery ratio caused by subscribers who have changed mobile networks and kept their phone numbers.

Numeric originator
This is the default originator type of an outbound SMS message. It uses the standard format for international MSISDNs—for example, +447873003003. With this originator type, replies can be sent from the handset.

One-Way Text-Messaging
Sending short (wireless data) messages to a smart phone, pager, wireless PDA or other handheld device via the Internet.

PSTN
The public switched telephone network is the network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks, in much the same way that the Internet is the network of the world's public IP-based packet-switched networks. Originally a network of fixed-line analog telephone systems, the PSTN is now almost entirely digital.

Pull Messaging
Describes the process where a person initiates a request from his/her mobile phone.

Push messaging
Describes the mailing of information (SMS/MMS), directly on to the mobile phone.

Roaming
The ability to make and receive calls and SMS on the same mobile phone when travelling outside the area of the home network operator.

Shared Short Code
A short code that that used for multiple marketing campaigns through the leasing of keywords to different entities.

Short Code
A short code is a special telephone number, significantly shorter than full telephone numbers, which can also be used to address SMS and MMS messages from mobile or fixed phones. While similar to telephone numbers, they are, at the technological level. Short codes are widely used for value-added services such as interactive voting, ordering ringtones and other mobile services.

SMS delivery
SMS Delivery refers to the distribution of mobile messages, including SMS and Premium SMS, directly to end-users' mobile phones.

Symbian OS (operating system)
Is an operating system designed specifically for mobile devices. It is being developed by Symbian Ltd, a software licensing company that supplies the operating system for many data-enabled mobile phones.

SIM Card
Smart card that gives GSM phones their user identity.

SMS-MO
SMS Mobile Originated

SMS-MT
SMS Mobile Terminated

SMPP
SM Point to Point is a communication protocol for SMS-messages, used to send and received SMS.

SMS Routing Manager
This is the person in charge of the routing function, whose role it is to monitor and manage routes to destination operators and to ensure their maximum availability and performance to clients.

SMS Interconnection Fees
Fees that the operator of one network must pay another network operator to in order to connect to that network. Known as AA19 agreement between Mobile Operators.

SMS transit
Is the wholesale service that provides Mobile Terminated Messaging.

SMS gateway
is placed between two SMSCs, acting as a relay between the two SMSCs. It is able to translate one SMSC protocol to another, and can be used by two different wireless carriers to interconnect their SMSCs.

SS7
Signalling System Number 7.

SMS Carrier
Shorthand for wireless carrier, carriers provide the network infrastructure for the delivery of messages between end users and connection aggregators or application providers.

Two-Way Text-Messaging
Sending short (wireless data) messages to a smart phone, pager, PDA or other handheld device from another web enabled device. Two-way implies that the device receiving the message is able to reply via text-messaging as well.

UCP
Universal Computer Protocol UCP is a communication protocol for SMS-messages, used to send and received SMS.

Unicode SMS
A 16-bit character encoding scheme allowing characters from Western European, Eastern European, Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Urdu, Hindi and all other major world languages, living and dead, to be encoded in a single character set. The Unicode specification also includes standard compression schemes and a wide range of typesetting information required for worldwide locale support. Symbian OS fully implements Unicode.

VLR - Visitor Location Register
A database of information i the MSC about visiting (roaming) mobiles from other networks (eg class of service, current location etc).

vCard
All devices supporting vCard can exchange information such as phone numbers and addresses. For instance a user with a vCard-aware phonebook application on a handheld computer can easily transfer names and phone numbers to a vCard-aware mobile phone.

vCalendar
vCalendar-compliant application can send or receive calendaring and scheduling information to or from any other vCalendar application, users with mobile phones running vCalendar applications can schedule meetings automatically over an SMS.

WML
Wireless Markup Language; a markup language developed specifically for wireless applications. WML is based on XML.

WAP
Wireless Application Protocol; a standard whereby mobile phones can gain access to specially tailored Internet websites.

WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access)
Is a 3G mobile network technology that is used across continents in the new IMT-2000 frequency bands. WCDMA was designed to provide cost-efficient capacity for both modern mobile multimedia applications and mobile telephone services.