Motricity | Mobile Insights

To help familiarize yourself with the mobile content industry, we have provided this glossary of commonly used terms.

x1RTT - Single Carrier (1x) Radio Transmission Technology: A 3G wireless technology based on the CDMA platform. Also referred to as CDMA2000.

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access: American standard for mobile phone transmission. Competitor to GSM transmission. No SIM card is needed.

cHTML - Compact HTML: A subset of HTML that is used for devices such as smart phones and PDAs.

DLV - Downloadable Version: A downloadable version is one of the device specific builds within a ring tone, graphic or application title.

DRM - Digital Rights Management: A system for protecting the copyrights of data circulated via the Internet or other digital media by enabling secure distribution and/or disabling illegal distribution of the data. Typically, a DRM system protects intellectual property by either encrypting the data so that it can only be accessed by authorized users or marking the content with a digital watermark or similar method so that the content cannot be freely distributed.

EMS - Enhanced Message Service: An application-level extension to SMS for mobile phones that is available on GSM, TDMA and CDMA networks.

Forward Locking -: A DRM mechanism to prevent forwarding or sharing of content from a device.

GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications: Requires a SIM card. Cingular, T-Mobile and AT&T are carriers that use this.

MMS - Multimedia Message Service: A method of transmitting graphics, video clips, sound files and text messages over wireless networks using the WAP protocol.

MT - Mobile Terminated (SMS): An SMS sent from the network to a mobile phone.

MVNO - Mobile Virtual Network Operator: A mobile service provider that does not have its own licensed spectrum and does not have the infrastructure to provide mobile service to its customers.

OMA DRM -: A DRM standard implemented, in part, by many devices and still gaining acceptance.

OTA - Over The Air: The mechanism by which data (content or transactions) are transferred via cellular transmission. OTA does not encompass wireless IP transmission.

PDA - Personal Digital Assistant: A handheld device that includes computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking features.

PSMS - Premium Short Message Service: An SMS that incurs a carrier billing charge to a user's phone bill.

SIM card - Subscriber Identity Module Card: A card with a chip that is used in GSM phones that carries your subscriber identification number, optional data, and optional applications. Your phone number will 'travel' with the SIM card when you put it into many different phones.

SMS - Short Message Service: A service available on most digital mobile phones that permits the sending of short messages (also known as text messages, messages, or more colloquially SMSes, texts or even txts) between mobile phones, other handheld devices and even landline telephones. Other uses of text messaging can be for ordering ringtones, wallpapers and entering competitions.

WAP - Wireless Application Protocol: This is the wireless transmission technology used to move web pages over the air to users' mobile phones. To use, your mobile phone must have a WAP browser, much like a Web browser.

WAP Push -: A specially formatted SMS sent to a phone to direct it to a URL.

WML - Wireless Markup Language: An XML language used to specify content and user interface for WAP devices.

XHTML - eXtensible HyperText Markup Language: A hybrid between HTML and XML specifically designed for Net device displays.

XML - eXtensitble Markup Language: A language for defining HTML-like languages. XHTML is HTML expressed as XML.