1FF

First Form Factor

Full-size (credit-card) SIM; now rare.

2FF

Second Form Factor

“Mini” plug-in SIM used in older handsets/IoT devices.

3FF

Third Form Factor

“Micro” plug-in SIM.

4FF

Fourth Form Factor

“Nano” plug-in SIM—the smallest removable SIM.

5G

Fifth Generation

Latest cellular standard enabling high speed, low-latency, massive-IoT. See how 5G RedCap will impact IoT (simplexwireless.com)

AP

Access Point

Device or software that provides network access.

API

Application Programming Interface

Rules that let software components interact.

APN

Access Point Name

Gateway between a cellular network and another IP network.

BLE

Bluetooth Low Energy

Short-range, low-power wireless for sensors & wearables.

BIP

Bearer-Independent Protocol

Lets a SIM open its own data channel (used in remote SIM mgmt).

Bootstrap Profile

Bootstrap SIM Profile

Factory-installed eSIM profile for first-time connectivity.

BYOD

Bring Your Own Device

Policy allowing personal devices on a corporate network.

BYOO

Bring Your Own Operator

Aggregate existing SIM contracts in one portal. Learn about BYOO (simplexwireless.com)

Cat-M1

LTE Category M1

LPWA cellular tech for IoT. Ultimate Cat-M1 guide (simplexwireless.com)

Cat-NB1

NB-IoT

See NB-IoT entry below.

CID

Cell IDentification Number

Unique identifier of a radio cell.

CPE

Customer Premises Equipment

On-site devices (routers, gateways) connecting to a network.

eSIM

Embedded SIM

Re-programmable SIM inside a device hardware module. Blog: eSIM standards are evolving (simplexwireless.com)

eUICC

Embedded UICC

The secure chip that enables eSIM; see our xoSIM service (simplexwireless.com)

FOTA

Firmware Over The Air

Remote firmware updates via wireless links.

FDD

Frequency Division Duplex

Uplink/downlink use different frequency bands.

FQDN

Fully Qualified Domain Name

Complete domain name in DNS hierarchy.

GPRS

General Packet Radio Service

2.5 G packet data (largely sunset).

GPS

Global Positioning System

Satellite-based positioning and timing.

HLR

Home Location Register

Core-network database of subscriber info.

ICCID

Integrated Circuit Card Identifier

Unique identifier printed on every SIM.

IMEI

International Mobile Equipment Identity

Unique number identifying a mobile device.

IMSI

International Mobile Subscriber Identity

Unique number identifying the SIM/subscriber.

IoT

Internet of Things

Network of physical objects with sensors + connectivity.

IoT Dashboard

IoT Dashboard

Web portal giving single-pane-of-glass SIM & device insights.

IoT Platform

IoT Platform

Cloud/portal for device mgmt, data, APIs—see our Simplex Portal (simplexwireless.com)

IP

Internet Protocol

Base protocol for routing packets.

IPv4

IP version 4

32-bit addresses (≈4.3 billion).

IPv6

IP version 6

128-bit addresses (solves address exhaustion).

ISP

Internet Service Provider

Company providing Internet access.

LAN

Local Area Network

Network covering a site (office, factory, home).

LTE

Long Term Evolution

4 G cellular tech; backbone for LTE-M/Cat-1. Compare LTE-M vs Cat-1 vs 5G RedCap (simplexwireless.com)

LPWAN

Low-Power Wide-Area Network

Long-range, low-bit-rate wireless family (NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, etc.). Read our LPWA deep-dive (simplexwireless.com)

LoRa

Long Range

Proprietary physical layer for LoRaWAN.

LoRaWAN

Long Range Wide-Area Network

Open MAC/network layer on top of LoRa.

LwM2M

Lightweight M2M

OMA protocol for device mgmt / telemetry.

M2M

Machine-to-Machine

Point-to-point comms, precursor to IoT.

MFF2

M2M Form Factor 2

Industrial, solder-down SIM chip.

MNO

Mobile Network Operator

Owns spectrum & RAN (e.g., AT&T, T-Mobile).

MQTT

MQ Telemetry Transport

Lightweight pub/sub protocol for IoT. Blog: MQTT over cellular (simplexwireless.com)

MVNO

Mobile Virtual Network Operator

Rents capacity from an MNO to resell service.

NB-IoT

Narrowband IoT

Cellular LPWAN for ultra-low-power devices. Is NB-IoT dead? (simplexwireless.com)

OTA

Over-The-Air

Remote configuration/update of devices via wireless.

PDN

Packet Data Network

External network (Internet, enterprise LAN) reached via mobile core.

QoS

Quality of Service

Traffic-class parameters such as latency, packet-loss.

REST API

Representational State Transfer API

HTTP-based web-service style.

RSP

Remote SIM Provisioning

Securely download/activate SIM profiles to an eUICC. SGP .32 explained (simplexwireless.com)

SIM

Subscriber Identity Module

Smart card (or eSIM) that authenticates to mobile networks. See our IoT SIM solutions (simplexwireless.com)

SLA

Service Level Agreement

Contracted performance commitments.

SMS

Short Message Service

160-char text messaging over cellular.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol / IP

Foundational Internet protocol suite.

TDD

Time Division Duplex

Uplink/downlink share a band, separated in time slots.

TLS

Transport Layer Security

Encryption protocol securing data in transit.

UICC

Universal Integrated Circuit Card

Multi-application smart card platform (hosts SIM, USIM, eSIM).

UMTS

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

3 G cellular standard (HSPA).

VPN

Virtual Private Network

Encrypted tunnel over public networks.

WAN

Wide Area Network

Network spanning large geography; Internet is the largest WAN.

Zigbee

Zigbee

Short-range, low-power mesh radio for smart-home/industrial IoT.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave

Low-power mesh radio protocol for home automation.