Need to know mobile internet words

As mobile phones become our internet, computer and all-purpose multimedia device, mobile phone terminology becomes complicated.

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What do all those acronyms mean by Arusa Pisuthipan

Remember the time when your cell phone was only used for making and answering calls and texting people? Mobile phones were not complicated, were they.

Following the advent of smart phones there emerged mobile internet networks aimed primarily at getting people connected with the online world. Digital mobile technology like GPRS, Edge and 3G has, as a result, been advertised in several media outlets. These telecommunication-related abbreviations and acronyms are mentioned so often that they are becoming like normal words that we are all supposed to know.

The question is: In a world where digital communication has become like one of the necessities of life, how well do we consumers understand the choices available in the market and how best can we make use of it.

GPRS

GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service. It is the mobile data service which came after the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cellular network. GPRS is referred to as the 2.5G and is the link between the second and third generation of wireless internet technology.

While users of the GSM network are required to pay for the total duration of their internet connection, GPRS users on the other hand are billed per megabyte of transferred data. And GPRS apparently caters for faster data transfer. In theory, while the data transfer rate of GSM is approximately 9-10kbps (kilobits per second), GPRS is capable of transferring data at the rate of around 30-40kbps.

GPRS can be used for a wide range of mobile services including Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) as well as other internet communication services such as email and website access.

One of the good things about GPRS is that the service allows users to answer phone calls while data transfer is processing. This system is called "Always On."

Edge

Simply put, Edge (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) or Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS) is a faster version of GSM wireless internet service. It has been developed from GPRS and been designed particularly to deliver data at a faster rate. Edge allows four times faster data transfer than GPRS - or approximately 150-170kbps to be more precise.

Due to speedier data transfer capability, Edge is usually used for wireless data transfer purposes such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the internet via a mobile phone connection.

Edge is sometimes referred to as 2.75G.

3G

Finally, the third generation of the wireless telecommunication technology was released globally with a number of enhancements over previous wireless technologies. 3G allows high-speed data transmission and advanced multimedia access.

Obviously 3G allows several times higher data transfer speed as well as enhanced audio and video streaming. With 3G, users can have video conferences, internet television and web browsing at higher speeds. A service provider in Thailand said 3G can give users up to 7.2mbps (megabit per second) data transfer rate, depending on the device's specification, the area and the numbers of 3G users in that particular location at that very moment.

What is required to use this service is a device which is 3G-compatible. For example, if you have a 3G-compatible smart phone, it is to be connected with 3G network via a SIM card usually provided by a service provider. So whenever you are at places where the 3G network is available, you can connect to the internet. However, your devices will be automatically connected to Edge or GPRS when they are at locations where the 3G service is not available.

In Thailand, 3G networks are available in Bangkok as well as in many other provinces, especially major cities like Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Phuket and Pattaya and Chon Buri. However, the ability to get connected to the network also depends on what service provider your phone number is registered with.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi or Wireless Fidelity is a means through which computers connect to the wireless internet network. These days almost all computers, especially laptops, are equipped with a built-in Wi-Fi receptor, allowing them to be connected to the internet with no wire required. Other devices such as mobile phones and tablets are also Wi-Fi compatible which means they can connect to the wireless network as well.

However, Wi-Fi does have some limitations. A Wi-Fi network depends solely on internet signal strength from a wireless router or an access point, without which users are not able to connect to the internet.

Thailand's three mobile service providers - Dtac, True and AIS - offer several different mobile internet packages for users, each of which caters for different purposes and usages.

Dtac

790 baht: Unlimited internet connection (suitable for heavy internet users)

650 baht: No more than 3GB data transmission (suitable for users who often connect to the internet via smart phones)

99 baht: No more than 30MB data download (suitable for occasional internet users)

99 baht: No more than 20 hours of internet connection (suitable for light users)

True

699 baht: Unlimited Wi-Fi, no more than 3#B of data transmission through 3G and 3#B through Edge/GPRS (suitable for tablets)

399 baht: No more than 10 hours of Wi-Fi connection, no more than 500MB of data transmission through 3G and 500MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for smart phones)

129 baht: No more than 5 hours of Wi-Fi connection, no more than 100MB of data transmission through 3G and 100MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for users who love chatting online)

AIS

950 baht: No more than 5GB of data transmission through 3G and 500MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for heavy internet users/tablets

550 baht: No more than 3GB of data transmission through 3G and 250MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for heavy internet users

350 baht: No more than 1.5GB of data transmission through 3G and 150MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for occasional internet users)

150 baht: No more than 500MB of data transmission through 3G and 50MB through Edge/GPRS (suitable for light internet users)

Prices are not inclusive of VAT.

(Source: Bangkok Post, SMARTCHOICE, What do all those acronyms mean, 4/07/2011, Arusa Pisuthipan, link)

Telecommunications Vocabulary

telecommunication - the sending (transmission) of information over very long distances to communicate, for example by TV or radio broadcasting or mobile phone (See Wikipedia)

multimedia - the use of video, audio, photos and animation in computer applications, web pages, etc (See Wikipedia)
terminology - the words and phrases used in some specialised area or work or life (example: medical terminology, telecommunications terminology, computer science terminology) (See Wikipedia)

abbreviation - the short form of a word or phrase
acronym - letters that form a word and that are an abbreviation of a longer name, in this article GMS, GPRS and Wi-Fi are acronyms (See Wikipedia)

mobile phone - the common handheld phone that everyone uses nowadays (See Wikipedia)
cell phone - same as "mobile phone"

smart phone - a high-end mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than an ordinary phone such "as portable media players and camera phones with high-resolution touchscreen, GPS navigation, Wi-Fi and mobile broadband access" (See Wikipedia)

texting - sending text messages to people with SMS (this is the most popular way of using mobile phones in some countries, such as the Philippines)

media - radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group สื่อ
media outlet - one media company (TV, newspaper, magazine) communicating news and information by television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet

digital communication - communication that uses data in "digital" form (that can be processed by computers (opposite: analogue, like old-style telephones, radio, televisions)

GPRS - the mobile phone service used in Thailand for viewing the internet that goes together with GMS (See Wikipedia)
GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) - the most popular technology for mobile phone systems in the world, used in Thailand (See Wikipedia)

data - facts or information ข้อมูล
network - a large system of connected parts, organisations, people, etc. เครือข่าย
link - connection เชื่อม
generation - a group of people things that exist around the same time (usually a group of people born around the same time) รุ่น (คนรุ่นต่างๆ)
wireless - radio, communication without wires (for example, most modems in houses nowadays are wireless) ไร้สาย (การติดต่อสื่อสารผ่านวิทยุ คลื่นวิทยุ ไร้สาย)

transfer - to move someone or something from one place, vehicle, person or group to another ย้าย
data transfer - to move data or information from one place to another on a computer network (from one computer or phone to another)
data transfer rate - the speed that information is sent from one computer to another through the internet

Short Message Service (SMS) - exchanging short text messages by mobile phone, the "most widely used data application in the world, with 2.4 billion active users, or 74% of all mobile phone subscribers" (See Wikipedia)

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) - a way to send messages between mobile phones with multimedia (photos, video, audio, etc) (See Wikipedia)

access - the possibility of entering a place, the way into a place ทางเข้า, โอกาสในการใช้

Edge -  a way to improve data transmission rates and quality of internet connection beyond GPRS (See Wikipedia)

3G - third generation mobile phone,  the next level of mobile phone services beyond the current second generation (2G), supports broadband internet, supports greater numbers of voice and data customers especially in urban areas (See Wikipedia)
3G-compatible - (a technology that) works with 3G

2G - second generation mobile phone technology, still used in Thailand (See Wikipedia)

transmission - the process of sending out electronic signals such as television or radio signals การส่งสัญญาณ แพร่ภาพ กระจายเสียง (sending a message to another person or place)
data transmission - sending information from one place to another (via mobile phone, internet or some other telecommunications method)

multimedia - computer programs that combine media: sound, video, pictures, animation, and text
multimedia access - the ability to use a mobile phone (or other device) for sound, pictures, video, animation, etc ...

audio and video streaming - when audio and video is fed to a person's computer (or mobile phone) as they listen to or watch it
video conference - videophone, technologies that allow two or more people to communicate by audio and video and have a meeting over the internet or their mobile phones (See Wikipedia)

service provider - a company that provides people with some telecommunications service (mobile phone, internet, etc)
specification - a detailed plan about how to make something

device - a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular job อุปกรณ์ เครื่องมือ เครื่องจักร

SIM card - the tiny card in the back of a mobile phone that provides the phone with a telephone number (others can call)

Wi-Fi - the internet connection "without wires" that people commmonly use nowadays (See Wikipedia)

wireless access point (WAP) -  "a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards. The WAP usually connects to a router (via a wired network), and can relay data between the wireless devices (such as computers or printers) and wired devices on the network" (See Wikipedia)
internet signal strength - the speed of access to the internet through Wi-Fi connection at a "wireless access point"

wireless router - a device that forwards data along an internet (See Wikipedia)
Wi-Fi receptor - the chip in a notebook (or other computer) that receives a signal from a wireless access point (WAP) or modem

tablet - tablet computer, computers like the iPad that are shaped like a book that you can hold in your hands (See Wikipedia)

General Vocabulary

complicated - has so many parts connected in different ways that it is difficult to understand (for example, a complicated machine or a city with a complicated system of streets) ที่ซับซ้อน

advent - the start, the beginning of something
emerged - appeared ปรากฏออกมา ปรากฏให้เห็น
aimed primarily at ... - has as its main goal ...

consumers - people who buy things (individuals and families)

necessities of life - the things people needs everyday to live (food, clothing, shelter or place to live)
duration - length of time it exists
apparently - based only on what you have heard, not on what you are certain is true; seemingly ตามที่ได้รู้มา
cater for - provides the service of

theory - one or more ideas that explain how or why something happens สมมติฐาน
in theory, ... - using ideas
capable - able to do something; very good at a job มีความสามารถ

range - a number of different things that are of the same general type ขอบข่าย, ประเภท
wide range - many different things of the same general type

precise - exact and accurate แน่นอน, ถูกต้อง, เที่ยงตรง  แม่นยำ
capability - the ability to do something ความสามารถ

released - made available to the public 
globally - throughout the world ทั่วโลก

enhance (verb) - improve, make better, add capabilities or things it can do
enhancement (noun)
enhanced (adjective)

moment - a very short period of time; a particular time or occasion ชั่วขณะ, โอกาสสำคัญ
at that very moment - at exactly one point in time  

registered - officially recorded 
means - methods; ways วิธี, วิธีการ
limitations - things that limit freedom (or what it is possible to do with something or in some activity)

X depends solely on Y - Y is the only thing that determines or makes X

suitable - acceptable or right for someone or something เหมาะสม
inclusive - includes everything