AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone Service
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CDPD Cellular Digital Packet Radio, transparently piggybacks
on cellular analog conversations to enable
simultaneous voice/data transmission.
CSC Circuit Switched Cellular, good for large data transfers,
offers wide coverage.
D-AMPS Digital AMPS
DECT Digital European Cordless Telephone
DSP Digital Signal Processor
ERMES European Radio Messaging System
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
FCC Federal Communications Commission
GSM Global System for Mobile Communications (European Std.)
HCS Hierarchical Cell Structures
ITU-T The telecommunication standardization sector of the
International Telecommunication Union
MBS Mobile Broadband System
MIPS Millions of Instructions Per Second
MSS Mobile Satellite System
NMT Nordic Mobile Telephone
PCN Personal Communications Networks (The European 'PCS')
PCS Personal Communications Service
PDC Personal Digital Communications
PIN Personal Identification Number
PMR Private Land Mobile Radio
RACE Research and Development in Advanced Communications
Technologies in Europe
RLL Radio in the Local Loop
SIM Subscriber Identification Module
TACS Total Access Communication System
TAP Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol, used by alpha pagers,
a 7 bit protocol, ASCII print format
TDMA Time Division Multiple Access
TDP Telocator Data Protocol, 8 bit binary format for pagers
TMN Telecommunications Management Network
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
UPT Universal Personal Telecommunication

The competing air interface wireless PCS standards:

The Big Four:

IS-54-based TDMA
A derivative of 800-megahertz digital TDMA
cellular network technology.

IS-95-based CDMA
An 800-MHz digital CDMA technology used in cellular networks.

DCS-based TDMA
Based on the European PCS standard, GSM.

Composite CDMA/TDMA
Hybrid technology that won a Pioneer's Preference
PCS license for the New York City market.

Three other competing PCS air interfaces to watch:

PACS TDMA
Based on technology from Bell Communications Research
. and Japan's HandyPhone project.

DCT-based TDMA
Based on the European DECT standard.

Wideband CDMA
A wideband version of CDMA.