Glossary

2G and GPRS

O2's mobile Coverage offers 90% UK land covering and 99% of the UK population with further investment continuing to extend the coverage.
Speeds for GPRS are up to 56kbps.

3G

The Third Generation of mobile network technology, improving the speed at which we use data on the move.

O2’s current 3G network population coverage is at 90%, and covers practically all of the areas where there is a proven demand for data usage.  Major investment in the 3G network infrastructure will continue with more sites being deployed to further extend the coverage and improve the customer experience. Available to only 3G mobiles, they are able to connect to the internet 7 times faster than GPRS, with speeds up to 1.6 mbps, which is near mobile broadband. Faster access means it is quicker and easier to download attachments to your phone allowing you to successfully work on the train or out of the office.

ADSL

Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line – a method for moving data over regular phone lines. An ADSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection and the wires coming into the premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. An ADSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line

ASR

Answer Seizure Rate – the % of calls successfully connected by the network. Disallowing failed calls, unanswered calls, engaged lines and misdialed numbers

ATM

Asynchronous Transfer Mode – a dedicated connection switching technology that organizes digital data into 53-byte cell units and transmits them over a physical medium using digital signal technology. The pre-specified bit rates are either 155.520 Mbps or 622.080 Mbps, though speeds on ATM networks can reach 10 Gbps

AUC

Authentication Centre – a network security device that checks the customer can use the GSM system

Bandwidth

Bandwidth describes how much data you can send through an internet connection and is usually measured in bits per second. Generally, increased bandwidth equals faster internet connections

CDR

Call Detail Records – An alphanumerical file containing the details of a call passed over the network. Typically including the CLI, number called, duration of call, time of call and where appropriate the cost of the call. These files are received from the carrier in bulk and processed by the billing platform.

Centrex/Featureline

Centrex (Central Office Exchange Service) is a service provided by the local company (usually BT) and allows companies access to powerful state of the art telephone facilities so that they do not need to purchase their own

EDGE

(Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution) technology using software which enhances the speed the data travels so can offer GPRS at twice the speed. With download Speeds up to 80 - 100kbps.

Ethernet

Ethernet is a type of Internet network. Ethernet is used to connect computers whether in a company,  home network or single computer to a cable modem or DSL modem for Internet access.

HSPA

Technology improves the speed data travels using the 3G network. With download (HSDPA) speeds up to 3.6mbps and a theoretical maximum upload (HSUPA) speed of 7.2mbps.

With continued investment in technology this speed will improve even further with the next generation of technology, 4G, being available in the near future!

ISDN

Integrated Service Digital Network.  This is essentially a digital network that will provide seamless communication of voice and data. The ISDN information is transferred in a digital form, which provides superior sound quality to the analague service.
O2 offer two ISDN products: ISDN2 and ISDN 30. The former provides two channels over the same wire at 64kbs. Then ISDN 30 provides a max of 30 channels and is an economic option if a company has more than 8 telephone lines.

O2’s HSPA

High Speed Packet Access service is available in those areas where customers have the greatest demand for mobile broadband using USB Modems and Data Cards, offering an improved customer experience with faster speeds for uploading (HSUPA) and downloading (HSDPA) data, video, music files etc