3GPP technology abbreviations
I spent some years learning and writing about mobile technology including learning about various wireless spectrums and 2G/3G/4G mobile technologies. These technology allow you to make phone calls on mobile devices, download apps, send messages, check bank accounts and indulge in social media.
The technology used to send signals to your phone from mobile towers are essentially analog signals. Once those signals hit the tower, they are converted to digital form which the mobile phone uses.
Note: A good source of information about 4G (or LTE) is Voice over LTE VoLTE by M. Poikselkä.
Here are some of the abbreviations that you might find in a bowl of mobile technologies soup.
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| 2G | Second Generation |
| 3G | Third Generation |
| 3GPP | Third Generation Partnership Project |
| ACA | ACcounting Answer |
| ANGW | Access Network Gateway |
| APN | Access Point Name |
| AS | Application Server |
| AVP | Attribute Value Pair |
| BSS | Base Station Subsystem |
| CGF | Charging Gateway Function |
| CN | Core Network |
| CS | Circuit Switched |
| CSFB | Circuit Switched Fallback |
| CSCF | Call Session Control Function |
| DDN | Downlink Data Notification |
| DEA | Diameter Edge Agent |
| DL | Downlink |
| DNS | Domain Name System |
| DRA | Diameter Routing Agent |
| E-UTRAN | Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network |
| EAP | Extensible Authentication Protocol |
| EDGE | Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution |
| EMS | Element Management System |
| eNodeB | Evolved NodeB |
| EPC | Evolved Packet Core |
| ePDG | Evolved Packet Data Gateway |
| EPS | Evolved Packet System |
| FTEID | Fully Qualified Tunnel End Point Identifier |
| GBR | Guaranteed Bit Rate |
| GERAN | GSM EDGE Radio Access Network |
| GGSN | Gateway GPRS Support Node |
| GMLC | Gateway Mobile Location Center |
| GPRS | General Packet Radio Service |
| GSM | Global System for Mobile Communications |
| GTP | GPRS Tunneling Protocol |
| GTPv2-C | GTP version 2, control plane |
| GTPv2-U | GTP version 2, user plane |
| GW | Gateway |
| HLR | Home Location Register |
| HSS | Home Subscriber Server |
| HSM | High Security Module |
| I-CSCF | Interrogating CSCF |
| IFC | Initial Filter Criteria |
| IFOM | IP Flow Mobility |
| IM | IP Multimedia |
| IMEI | International Mobile Equipment Identity |
| IMPI | IMS Private User Identity |
| IMPU | IP Multimedia Subsystem Public User Identity |
| IMS | IP Multimedia Subsystem |
| IMS-AS | IMS Application Server |
| IMSI | International Mobile Subscriber Identity |
| IMSU | IMS Subscription |
| IoT | Internet of Things |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| IP-CAN | IP Connectivity Access Network |
| IP-SM-GW | IP Short Message Gateway |
| IPv6 | Internet Protocol Version 6 |
| IPSec | IP Security |
| IPv4 | Internet Protocol Version 4 |
| IWR | Inter Working Function |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| LCS | Location Control Services |
| LTE | Long Term Evolution |
| LMA | Local Mobility Anchor |
| LMAA | LMA Address |
| MANO | See NFV MANO |
| MAP | Mobility Application Part |
| MAPCON | Multi access PDN connectivity |
| MAG | Mobility Access Gateway |
| MBR | Maximum Bit Rate |
| MCPTT | Mission Critical Push to Talk |
| MEC | Mobile-edge Computing |
| MGW | Media Gateway |
| MIP | Mobile IP |
| MME | Mobility Management Entity |
| MSC | Mobile Switching Center |
| MSIN | Mobile Subscriber Identification Number |
| MSISDN | Mobile Subscriber ISDN |
| MTC | Machine Type Communication |
| MTC-AAA | MTC MTC Authentication, Authorization and Accounting |
| MTC-IWF | MTC Internetworking Function |
| NAI | Network Access Identifier |
| NAPTR | Name Authority Pointer |
| NAS | Network Access Stratum |
| NAT | Network Address Translation |
| NIDD | Non-IP Data Delivery |
| NBM | Network Based Mobility |
| OCS | Online Charging System |
| ODB | Operator Determined Barring |
| OFCS | Offline Charging System |
| OSS/BSS | Operations Support System/Business Support System |
| PCC | Policy and Charging Control |
| PCEF | Policy Enforcement Function |
| PCRF | Policy and Charging Rules Function |
| PDN | Packet Data Network |
| (PGW) | Packet Data Network Gateway PDU Protocol Data Unit |
| PLMN | Public Land Mobile Network |
| PMIPv6 | Proxy Mobile IPv6 |
| PS | Packet Switched |
| QoS | Quality-of-Service |
| RFC | Request for Comment |
| S-CSCF | Serving CSCF |
| SGW | Serving Gateway |
| SCEF | Service Capabilities Exposure Function |
| SDP | Session Description Protocol |
| SGSN | Serving GRPS Support Node |
| SIM | Subscriber Identity Module |
| SIP | Session Initiation Protocol |
| SLF | Subscription Locator Function |
| SMS | Short Message Service |
| SMS-GMSC | Gateway MSC for SMS |
| SMS-IWMSC | Interworking MSC for SMS |
| SMSC | Short Message Service Center |
| SRV | Service Record |
| SS7 | Signaling System 7 |
| SoC | System on Chip |
| TAS | Telephony Application Server |
| TCP | Transmission Control Protocol |
| TEID | Tunnel Endpoint Identifier |
| TEID-C | Tunnel Endpoint Identifier, control plane |
| TEID-U | Tunnel Endpoint Identifier, user plane |
| TOSCA | Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications |
| TPS | Transactions Per Second |
| TWAG | Trusted WLAN Access Gateway |
| TWAN | Trusted WLAN Access Network |
| UE | User Equipment |
| UE-AMBR | UE-Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate |
| UMTS | Universal Mobile Telecommunication System |
| UTRAN | Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network |
| VIM | Virtualized Infrastructure Manager |
| VNF | Virtualized Network Function |
| VNFC | VNF Component |
| VNFD | VNF Descriptor |
| VNFM | VNF Manager |
| VoLTE | IMS Voice over Packet Switched (PS) |
| VPLMN | Visited Public Land Mobile Network |
| WLAN | Wireless Local Area Network |