5G TERMS AND ACRONYMS

Picocell

What is Picocell? A picocell is a small, low-power cellular base station designed to provide coverage and capacity enhancement in a limited area — typically

Point of Attachment

The Point of Attachment (PoA) can be defined as the juncture where a user transitions from their link layer access network to a packet data

Private 5G

What is Private 5G? Private 5G is a dedicated 5G network deployed for exclusive use by a specific enterprise, organisation, or campus — such as

PSS – Primary synchronization signal

What is PSS? PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal) is one of two synchronization signals (along with SSS) transmitted by 5G NR base stations as part of

PTCRB – PCS Type Certification Review Board

What is PTCRB? PTCRB (PCS Type Certification Review Board) is a certification forum established by major North American mobile operators to ensure that wireless devices

Public Data Network or Packet Data Network

This term refers to a network that offers data services, encompassing examples like the Internet, Intranet, and IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem).

QAM – Quadrature amplitude modulation

What is QAM? QAM is a digital modulation scheme used in 5G NR that encodes data by simultaneously varying the amplitude and phase of a

QoE – Quality of experience

What is QoE? QoE (Quality of Experience) is a holistic measure of a user’s overall satisfaction with a network service, encompassing both objective network performance

QoS – Quality of service

What is QoS? QoS in 5G refers to the end-to-end performance guarantees applied to individual traffic flows — including guaranteed bit rate, maximum latency, packet

RACH – Random access channel

What is RACH? RACH (Random Access Channel) is a shared uplink channel used by UEs to initiate communication with the base station. It is the

Radio Interface

The radio interface is the wireless connection between two points, encompassing all necessary functionality to maintain this connection. In cellular systems, the interface between the

Radio Network Controller

The Radio Network Controller (RNC) is a key component of the UMTS Radio Network System (RNS) that manages multiple Node Bs. Its responsibilities encompass radio

RAN – Radio access network

The part of the telecommunications network that connects user equipment to other parts of a mobile network via a radio connection. Connects user equipment to

RAN (Radio Access Network)

What is RAN? The Radio Access Network (RAN) is the component of a mobile network that connects User Equipment (UE) to the Core Network via

RAT – Radio access technology

What is RAT? RAT (Radio Access Technology) refers to the underlying physical connection method used by a radio-based communication network. Each generation of mobile technology

REC (Radio Equipment Controller)

What is REC? REC (Radio Equipment Controller) is the virtual or physical component of a base station that performs digital baseband control of the radio

Received Signal Level

The signal strength at a receiver’s input is typically measured in decibels (dB) relative to 1 milliwatt (mW), denoted as 0 dBm.

RRH – Remote radio head

The component of a base station responsible for converting the digital signal into an analog signal for transmission. The remote radio head is usually located