Internet of Acronyms

IoT (Internet of Things) is full of acronyms and while some of them you probably recognize immediately, others are a bit more obscure. Here’s a handy list to keep you up to speed on exactly what means what.

API – Application Programming Interface	A set of routine definitions, protocols, and tools for building software and applications. APIs connect your business processes, services, content, and data to channel partners, internal teams, and independent developers in an easy and secure way.
APN – Access Point Name	The virtual gateway between a mobile network and another network, usually the internet. The APN needs to be correctly configured in the device for data sessions to be correctly established.
CS – Circuit Switched	Voice calls over 2G and 3G.
CSFB – Circuit-Switched Fall-Back	The functionality for devices to “fall back” from the LTE (4G) network to the GSM (2G) or UMTS (3G) network to complete a call or deliver an SMS text message. Often seen as an interim solution before VoLTE.
eSIM	Refers to a SIM of the embedded form factor (MFF2), solderable directly on the device PCB. Sometimes eSIM is used to describe a SIM that supports eUICC technology, which may appear confusing to some. In the past eSIM referred only to a physical SIM form factor therefore we refer to eUICC as the technology that enables remote provisioning of subscriber identities on the SIM capable of such.
eUICC	A technology that allows for remote provisioning of subscriber identities on a SIM card. Available in multiple formfactors of physical SIM cards.
GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation	Drafted and passed by the European Union (EU) in May 2018, GDPR is the world’s toughest privacy and security law, and imposes rules on controlling and processing personally identifiable information. While GDPR is an EU initiative, its impact is global: any organization who is targeting or collecting data related to people within the EU is obliged to comply.
GPRS – General Packet Radio Service	GPRS is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G global cellular communication system for mobile communications.
GSM – Global System for Mobile Communications	GSM is the standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for 2G digital cellular networks used by mobile phones.
ICCID – Integrated Circuit Card Identifier	The unique serial number embedded on a SIM card.
IIoT – Industrial Internet of Things	An umbrella term for IoT technology that is exclusively focused on industrial machines.
IMSI – International Mobile Subscriber Identity	A unique number, usually fifteen digits, that identifies a GSM-connected device.
IoT – Internet of Things	Coined in 1999, IoT refers to the active exchange of information (data) between connected devices.
IPSec – Internet Protocol Security	A group of protocols that authenticate and encrypt packets of data sent between devices. IPSec is often used to set up VPNs.
LAN – Local Area Network	A group of computers and devices that share a common communications line or wireless link to a server within a distinct geographical area.
LPWA Network – Low-Power Wide Area Network	Wireless network technologies providing low-throughput, low power, wide area coverage for connecting IoT devices.
LTE – Long term evolution	A 4G wireless broadband technology standard that gives increased network capacity and speed to mobile device users.
LTE-M – Long term evolution for Machines	A 3GPP standards-based low power wide area (LPWA) technology that enables a wide range of IoT devices and services, significantly improving power consumption of user devices, system capacity, and spectrum efficiency. LTE-M provides a lower throughput than the residential focused LTE categories, but a higher throughput than NB-IoT. The specification for LTE-M was frozen in 3GPP release 13 as LTE Cat M1 and enhanced in release 14 as LTE Cat M2.
M2M – Machine to Machine	Machines communicating or exchanging data without human interfacing or interaction.
MNO – Mobile Network Operator	Also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier. Provides wireless communications services while owning or controlling all elements necessary to deliver services to end-users, including radio spectrum allocation and wireless infrastructure.
MVNE – Mobile Virtual Network Enabler	A company that provides network infrastructure and related services, such as provisioning, administration and OSS/BSS, to enable mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to offer services to their own customers.
MVNO – Mobile Virtual Network Operator	A mobile operator that does not own spectrum or have its own network infrastructure, who leases wireless capacity from third-party mobile network operators (MNOs) at wholesale prices, reselling it under its own business brand.
NB-IoT – Narrowband IoT	A 3GPP standards-based low power wide area (LPWA) technology that enables a wide range of IoT devices and services, significantly improving power consumption of user devices, system capacity, and spectrum efficiency. NB-IoT is typically provided by MNOs using existing base stations and antennas on licensed spectrum. The specification for NB-IoT was frozen in 3GPP release 13 as LTE Cat NB1 and enhanced in release 14 as LTE Cat NB2.
NG-RAN – Next Generation Radio Access Network	The Radio access part of the 3GPP 5G, often referred to as NR/New Radio.
NTN – Non-Terrestrial-Network	Refers to communication systems using satellites, supplementing or replacing land-based towers to provide global, resilient coverage, especially in remote areas.
NTN D2D – Non-Terrestrial-Network Direct to Device	A revolutionary satellite technology enabling standard IoT devices to connect directly to satellites without extra hardware (requires 3GPP Release 17).
OTA – Over-the-Air	OTA provisioning refers to various methods of distributing new software and configuration settings, as well as updating encryption keys to remote devices.
QCI – QoS (see below) Class Identifier	Parameter that is set in LTE networks to determine which prioritization is to be made/done.
QoS – Quality of Service	Parameter setting of which type of traffic to be prioritized.
RAN – Radio Access Network	A network that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through radio on Terrestrial Trunked Radio.
RFID – Radio Frequency Identification	A wireless communication tracking system that uses intelligent tags to uniquely identify an object, animal, or person.
SIM – Subscriber Identity Module	A subscriber identity module is a unit that securely stores the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key and is used to identify subscribers in mobile networks.
SGP – SIM Group Permanent	SGP primarily refers to a series of technical specifications developed by GSMA for Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) of eSIMs, such as SGP.02 (M2M), SGP.22 (Consumer), and SGP.32 (IoT).
VoLTE – Voice over LTE	Voice over Long-Term Evolution is a communication standard for mobile phones and data terminals to communicate voice over an LTE network.
VPN – Virtual Private Network	Technology that is used to create a secure connection between two points in a non-secure network such as a public mobile network or the Internet.
WAN – Wide Area Network	A geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).
WiFi	A family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access. Wifi is most commonly used to connect home and office devices wirelessly to the Internet.
WLAN – Wireless Local Area Network	A network function just like LAN, with the exception that a device can connect to the network wirelessly.
WSN – Wireless Sensor Network	A wireless network consisting of spatially distributed autonomous devices which use sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions.

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Internet of Acronyms

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