Packet Definition
A packet is the unit of data that is routed between an origin and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network. When any file (e-mail message, HTML file, Graphics Interchange Format file, Uniform Resource Locator request, and so forth) is sent from one place to another on the Internet, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) layer of TCP/IPdivides the file into "chunks" of an efficient size for routing. Each of these packets is separately numbered and i...
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Network
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
TCP/IP, or the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is a suite of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet. TCP/IP can also be used as a communications protocol in a private network (an intranet or an extranet).
The entire internet protocol suite -- a set of rules and procedures -- is commonly referred to as TCP/IP, though others are included in the suite.
TCP/IP specifies how data i...
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GSM (Global System for Mobile communication)
GSM (Global System for Mobile communication)
GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephony system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses a variation of time division multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the three digital wirelesstelephony technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA). GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at eithe...
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Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)
What is the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)?
The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) is a grant program associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The grant program was created to promote the development and adoption of broadband throughout the United States, particularly in unserved and underserved areas. BTOP will oversee disbursement of $4.7 billion in a number of categories. The prog...
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Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 4G wireless broadband technology developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an industry trade group.
3GPP engineers named the technology "Long Term Evolution" because it represents the next step (4G) in a progression from GSM, a 2G standard, to UMTS, the 3G technologies based upon GSM. LTE provides significantly increased peak data rates, with the potential for 100 Mbpsdownstream and 30 Mbps upstream, reduced lat...
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LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution System)
LMDS (Local Multipoint Distribution System) is a system for broadband microwavewireless transmission direct from a local antenna to homes and businesses within a line-of-sight radius, a solution to the so-called last-mile technology problem of economically bringing high-bandwidth services to users. LMDS is an alternative to installing optical fiber all the way to the user or to adapting cable TV for broadband Internet service. Depending on the implementation, LMDS offers a bandwidth of up to 1.5...
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Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS)
Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS)
Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) is a broadcasting and communications service that operates in the ultra-high-frequency (UHF) portion of the radio spectrum between 2.1 and 2.7 GHz. MMDS is also known as wireless cable. It was conceived as a substitute for conventional cable television (TV). However, it also has applications in telephone/fax and data communications.
In MMDS, a medium-power transmitter is located with an om...
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Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless distribution method for two or more devices that use high-frequency radio waves and often include an access point to the Internet. A WLAN allows users to move around the coverage area, often a home or small office, while maintaining a network connection.
A WLAN is sometimes call a local area wireless network (LAWN).
In the early 1990s, WLANs were very expensive and...
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wireless broadband (WiBB)
wireless broadband (WiBB)
What is wireless broadband (WiBB)?
wireless broadband (WiBB): Wireless broadband is high-speed Internet and data service delivered through a wireless local area network (WLAN) or wide area network (WWAN).
As with other wireless service, wireless broadband may be either fixed or mobile. A fixed wireless service provides wireless Internet for devices in relatively permanent locations, such as homes and offices. Fixed wireless broadband technologies include LMDS...
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4G (fourth-generation wireless)
4G (fourth-generation wireless)
4G is the short name for fourth-generation wireless, the stage of broadband mobile communications that will supercede the third generation (3G ).
Carriers that use orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) instead of time division multiple access (TDMA) or code division multiple access (CDMA) are increasingly marketing their services as being 4G, even when their data speeds are not as fast as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) specifies....
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