'A' Glossary Terms

ABA - Australian Broadcasting Authority
Merged with the Australian Communications Authority to form Australian Communications and Media Authority, see ACMA.

Abbreviated Dialling
The practice of dialling a shortened number, or single number or code, that is pre-programmed by the user's hardware to alleviate the need to dial the full number. Abbreviated dialling is best illustrated by speed dialling.
Related: Speed Dialling

ACA - Australian Communications Authority
Merged with the Australian Broadcasting Authority to form Australian Communications and Media Authority (Entity ACA is not related to the - Australian Consumers' Association. )
Related: Aust. Consumer Assoc.

ACA - Australian Consumers' Association (Choice)
The largest consumer organisation in Australia, CHOICE, is a not-for-profit organisation that offers unbiased evaluation of consumer goods through independent testing on behalf of consumers in Australia.
Related: Aust. Comm. Auth., www.choice.com.au

ACCC - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The ACCC is a Commonwealth statutory authority responsible for ensuring compliance with the Trade Practices Act 1974 and the provisions of the Conduct Code and for administering the Prices Surveillance Act 1983. An independent body, the ACCC is also charged with general consumer protection and competition regulation across all industries. Specifically to the telecommunications industry, the ACCC also regulates competition through administration of the Telecommunications Access Regime, which gives consumers the right to choose alternate providers of telecommunications services.

Access
Access dictates the ability to use and be provided with any type of telecommunications service including basic mobile or landline telephone service.

Access card
Used in mobile telecommunications, the access card, also called SIM or 'Subscriber Identity Module' card, is supplied by the telecommunications provider and placed in the mobile handset to allow access to their network.

Access Fee
Also commonly known as a Service or Connection fee, an access fee is typically a monthly fee from the telecommunications provider for access to their services. Call charges and separate connection charges (such as flagfall) are additional to the access fee.
Related: Service Fee, Connection Fee, Connection Charge

Access period
Dictated in a service agreement or contract, the access period refers to the length of time the consumer has access to the telecommunications provider's services and network - typically a 12 or 24 month period.

ACE - Australian Communication Exchange
Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) is a not-for-profit, Australian organisation dedicated to empowering those who are Deaf or have a hearing, speech or communication impairment, to obtain access to the telephone and other telecommunication networks.

ACIF - Australian Communications Industry Forum.
Merged to form part of the Communications Alliance, see Communications Alliance Ltd.
Related: CAL

ACMA
The ACMA replaces two former government agencies - the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) and the Australian Communications Authority (ACA). The ACMA's main roles are to regulate broadcasting, radio-communications, and telecommunications, and to ensure the interests of Australian's are upheld in international matters. The ACMA also has a role in the regulation of Internet content standards.

Activation
Use of a specific mobile telecommunications network is achieved through the activation of handset and account permissions.

Activation Fee
This is the fee at the commencement of a service agreement with a telecommunications provider that allows access to the telecommunication network. This is a one-time fee. Also referred to as a Connection Fee.
Related: Connection Fee

ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
A form of data communications technology that allows for faster transmission of data through copper telephone lines. Using a splitter, voice and data can be transmitted from a single line. The nature of ADSL data rates means that the download rate exceeds the upload rate - this is referred to as an asymmetric data rate. For example: a 1500/256 kbps ADSL connection would have download rates of up to 1500 kbps and upload rates of only 256 kbps. See also xDSL, SHDSL, ADSL2+.
Related: DSL, ADSL2+, SHDSL, xDSL, kbps

ADSL2+ - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line Two
ADSL2+ has an increase data rate and range compared to ADSL. Data rate is increased to 25 megabits per second downstream and can be used to allow access to high definition TV over the Internet.
Related: DSL, ADSL, SHDSL, xDSL, kbps

Agent
A person, or group of people, who are authorised by a service provider to buy, sell, or repair their product for consumers. Agents often receive commissions from telecommunications providers when new customers are signed to that service.
Related: Service Provider

AIIA - Australian Information Industry Association
With 500 member companies employing over 100,000 Australian workers, the AIIA represents the interests of the Australian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.
Related: ICT

Air Time
Refers to the time spent on the voice services of a network usually from a mobile handset, and is measured per second or in some cases per 30 second block. Sometimes this is referred to as "Talk Time", but this term has another meaning.
Related: Talk Time

Alarm
Referring to a feature found on a mobile handset, the alarm feature allows for specific time and date settings to be programmed and stored for occasional or daily use. The alarm feature can also be linked with the phone's calendar to serve as reminders for future dates, for example - anniversaries and birthdays.

Alphanumeric Display
Relating to a display of letters and numbers - without pictures or graphics.

AMPS - Analogue Mobile Phone System
Now redundant in Australia, the first generation (1G) AMPS network has been replaced by a digital network such as the GSM network.
Related: 1G, GSM

AMTA - Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association
The ATMA is the peak national body that represents the mobile telecommunications industry in Australia. The ATMA is concerned with such issues as environmental sustainability, and social and economic responsibilities that pertain to the mobile industry within Australia. Its members are typically mobile service providers and carriers, handset manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
Related: Carrier, Service Provider

Analogue
Increasingly replaced in many communications industries by digital technology, analogue technology is characterised by variable quantities or range of values. Typically, mobile telephony is delivered in digital form.
Related: Digital

Analogue Mobile Phone Communications
See AMPS, above.
Related: AMPS

ANI - Automatic Number Identification.
More commonly known as caller identification (ID), ANI is the process of signalling the number from which a call is coming from.
Related: Caller ID, CLI, CND

APC - Adaptive Power Control
A feature available on most mobile handsets, APC is used to increase the battery hours between each charge by adjusting the power use and output according to the usage requirement of the handset user.

Area Code
A number prefix, typically 2 numbers (starting with a '0' in Australia), that is used to identify a geographical area. Calls to numbers in different states of Australia are often STD calls and require an area code to access them.
Related: STD

ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATM is a high speed, connection-oriented switching and multiplexing technology for transmitting data, in units called cells, across a wide area or local area network. ATM divides information up into fixed-length cells capable of transmitting several different types of traffic simultaneously.

ATUG - Australian Telecommunications Users Group
The ATUG is a not-for-profit membership based organisation, established in 1981. The ATUG is made up of Australian Telecommunications users that lobby for better choice, value and services in the telecommunications sector. The ATUG lobbied the government successfully for the de-regulation of the telecommunications industry in 1997 to the benefit of the end-user. They have also championed services such as number portability, better broadband access and pricing, and regional services.

AUSTEL - Australian Telecommunications Authority
Merged to form the Australian Communications and Media Authority. See ACMA.
Related: ACMA

Authentication
Method of identity substantiation for a new or existing user of a network or vice versa. Unique identifiers such as personal information (DOB, Address), PINs, digital encryption, and increasingly fingerprint or voice recognition, are used for authentication. If a mobile network provider wishes to 'lock' a user's phone to the network, they will also authenticate themselves to the users phone.

Automatic Call Delivery
Also termed 'roaming', automatic call delivery is the continuance of a service through an alternate network other than the contracted network. Common reasons for this would be out-of-range or overseas travel.
Related: Roaming, International Roaming