Network Glossary

The words that keep coming up in our articles, in a sentence or two each.

5G

The fifth generation of mobile networks, first standardized in 3GPP Release 15 in 2018, adding wider channels, massive MIMO and a new cloud-native core.

LTE

Long Term Evolution, the main 4G standard, which rebuilt mobile networks around IP so that voice became another kind of data.

Wi-Fi

The family of IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standards, operating in unlicensed spectrum and carrying most indoor device traffic.

DAS

Distributed antenna system: one set of radios feeding many small antennas through a building or venue.

Small Cells

Low-power base stations with short range, used to reuse spectrum more often in busy places.

NFV

Network functions virtualization: running network functions as software on standard servers in place of dedicated appliances.

SDN

Software-defined networking: separating the forwarding of packets from the logic that decides where they go.

Open RAN

An approach to radio access networks using open interfaces, so operators can mix radios and software from different suppliers.

IoT

The Internet of Things: sensors and machines connected to networks, usually sending small amounts of data.

oneM2M

A global standard for a common service layer that lets machine-to-machine devices and applications work together.

LoRa

A long-range, low-power radio technique used by many IoT sensor networks in unlicensed spectrum.

RF

Radio frequency: the part of the electromagnetic spectrum used for wireless communication.

MIMO

Multiple input, multiple output: using several antennas at each end of a link to send separate data streams at once.

Spectrum

The range of radio frequencies, divided by regulators into licensed and unlicensed bands. In many countries licenses are sold at auction.

Edge

Edge computing places small data centers close to users so that applications can respond in a few milliseconds.

CDN

Content delivery network: servers near users that hold copies of popular content, reducing delay and long-haul traffic.

Fiber

Thin strands of glass that carry data as pulses of light, and the backbone of almost every modern network.

Subsea

Submarine cables on the ocean floor, which carry the vast majority of data between continents.

LEO

Low Earth orbit: satellites a few hundred kilometers up, close enough for latency similar to a land connection.

PUE

Power usage effectiveness: total data center power divided by the power reaching IT equipment. Lower is better, and 1.0 would be ideal.

WebRTC

A real-time communication technology for browsers, used for video calls and for sub-second streams such as live-dealer casino games.

RFID

Radio frequency identification: tags read by radio at short range, found in access badges, retail goods and some casino chips.

SD-WAN

Software-defined wide-area networking: steering traffic between sites across several links according to central policy.

Latency

The time data takes to make a trip across a network. It matters most for calls, games and live betting.