Definitions and acronyms

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Third Generation Partnership Project - collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations aiming to make a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone system specification.

A

Australian Communications and Media Authority - an Australian Government statutory authority within the Communications portfolio.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

Analogue Land Mobile Radio.

Advanced Mobile Phone System.

Digital AMPS.

Aeronautical Mobile Satellite (Route) Service. A mobile-satellite service in which mobile earth stations are located on board aircraft.

Agreement between New Zealand and Singapore on a Closer Economic Partnership.

Asia-Pacific Economic Community. Its primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity. The APT is an intergovernmental organization and operates in conjunction with telecom service providers, manufacturers of communications equipment, and research and development organizations active in the field of communication, information and innovation technologies.

APT Conference Preparatory Group.

Approved Radio Certifier.

Approved Radio Engineer.

Aeronautical Radio Navigation Service.

Approved Radio Examiner.

Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard.

 B

Bodies Corporate include (but are not limited to) organisations such as companies, incorporated societies and charitable trust boards.

Broadcast Satellite Service.

Broadcast Satellite Service – Sound.

 C

Civil Aviation Authority regulates civil aviation in New Zealand.

Citizen Band Radio is a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals.

Citizen Band Radio Service.

The Consultative Committee on International Radio - a technical advisory group that, within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), provides formal recommendations, technical advice, and technical information related to the allocation and use of the radio spectrum.

Code Division Multiple Access - a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies.

European Conference of Postal and Telecom Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations (USA).

International Special Committee on Radio Interference which sets standards for controlling electromagnetic interference in electrical and electronic devices, and is a part of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Inter-American Telecommunication Commission.

Coder/Decoder.

Code of Practice. Codes of practice are documents that offer an approved method of achieving compliance with regulatory requirements.

New Zealand Conference Preparatory Group.

Compliance Mark.

 D

Decibels relative to carrier.

Decibels relative to 1 milliwatt.

Decibels relative to 1 Watt.

Decibels relative to 1 microvolt.

Decibels relative to 1 microvolt per metre.

Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications.

Digital Land Mobile Radio.

Distance Measuring Equipment.

Discussion Paper.

Digital Radio Mondiale is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for AM broadcasting, particularly shortwave.

Digital Selective Calling is a standard for sending pre-defined digital messages via the medium frequency (MF), high frequency (HF) and very high frequency (VHF) maritime radio systems. It is a core part of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS).

 E

European Communities.

European Electronic Communications Commission.

Economic Development Group.

New Zealand Electrical and Electronic Equipment Agreement.

Electrical Equipment Safety System a Trans-Tasman system intended to integrate the safety regulations of electrical equipment.

Effective Isotropic Radiated Power.

Electromagnetic Compatibility is the branch of electrical, electronic and radio sciences that deals with the generation of unwanted electromagnetic fields (electromagnetic interference (EMI)) and the susceptibility or immunity or equipment to the effects of EMI. Both EMI and immunity have international standards.

Electromagnetic Interference. See EMC.

Electromagnetic Susceptibility. The tolerance of circuits and components to all sources of interfering electromagnetic energy.

European Radiocommunications Office.

Energy Safety. The New Zealand Government regulatory agency for gas and electrical safety.

European Space Agency.

European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

 F

Federal Communications Commission.

Frequency Division Duplex is a wireless communication technique where different frequencies are used for uplink (from a mobile to a base station) and downlink (from a base station to a mobile), which allows simultaneous transmission and reception. A useful analogy is a telephone call, where both users can talk and listen at the same time.

Fixed Satellite Service is the official classification for geostationary communications satellites that provide broadcast feeds to television stations, radio stations and broadcast networks. FSSs also transmit information for telephony, telecommunications, and data communications.

Free Trade Agreement. A treaty or agreement between two or more countries or economies that facilitates trade between members for some or all goods without tariffs or other barriers.

 G

gigahertz (1000 megahertz).

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

General Operators Certificate.

Global Positioning System.

General Radio Telephone Operators Certificate.

Global System for Mobile Communications is a standard developed to describe protocols for second generation (2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile phones.

General User Licence provides for certain classes of radio transmitters to be used without the need for the owner to obtain a licence in their own name.

General User Radio Licence.

General User Spectrum Licence.

 H

High Frequency

Hertz (cycles per second)

 I

International Accreditation New Zealand. IANZ is the national authority for the accreditation of testing and calibration laboratories, inspection bodies and radiology services.

International Civil Aviation Organisation is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.

International Electrotechnical Commission is the international standards and conformity assessment body for all fields of electrotechnology.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence.

International Maritime Organisation is the United Nations' specialised agency responsible for improving maritime safety and preventing pollution from ships.

International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organisation that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites.

Intelsat is a communications satellite services provider.

International Organization of Space Communications is an international satellite communications services organisation founded in 1971, in Moscow.

International Radio Regulations.

Industrial, Scientific and Medical.

International Organization for Standardization is the world’s largest developer of voluntary International Standards.

Intelligent Transport Systems are those in which information, data processing communication, and sensor technologies are applied to vehicles (including trains, aircraft and ships), transport infrastructure and users.

International Telecommunication Union is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies.

ITU Radiocommunication Sector.

ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector.

ITU Telecommunication Development Sector.

 J

 K

kilohertz (1000 Hertz).

kilowatt (1000 Watts).

 L

Licensing Agency.

Local Area Network is a computer network that spans a relatively small area.

Low Interference Potential Device.

Local Multipoint Distribution Service.

Land Mobile Radio is a term that denotes a wireless communications system intended for use by terrestrial users in vehicles (mobiles) or on foot (portables).

 M

Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. The purpose of the MBIE is to be a catalyst for a high-performing economy to ensure New Zealand’s lasting prosperity and wellbeing.

Ministry of Culture and Heritage works to enrich the lives of all New Zealanders by supporting New Zealand’s dynamic culture and preserving heritage.

Medium Frequency.

megahertz (1,000,000 Hertz).

Maximum Permitted Interfering Signal.

Minimum Field Strength.

Maritime Mobile Service Identity is a series of nine digits which are sent in digital form over a radio frequency channel in order to uniquely identify ship stations, ship earth stations, coast stations, coast earth stations, and group calls.

Managed Spectrum Park.

Mutual Recognition Arrangement is an international agreement by which two or more countries agree to recognise one another's conformity assessments.

Mobile Service.

Mobile Satellite Service refers to networks of communications satellites intended for use with mobile and portable wireless telephones.

 N

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (USA). NTIA is the Executive Branch agency that is principally responsible for advising the USA President on telecommunications and information policy issues.

New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters. NZART represents New Zealand Amateur Radio operators nationally and internationally.

 O

Outside Broadcasting.

UK Office of Communications. The independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries.

 P

Personal Communication System.

Public Information Brochure.

Powerline Carrier Systems carry data on a conductor that is also used simultaneously for AC electric power transmission or electric power distribution to consumers.

(Operational) Policy Document.

Personal Radio Service is a system that allows individuals to operate radio transmitters and receivers for personal purposes with minimal or no special license or individual authorisation.

 Q

Quality of Service

Quadrature Phase Shift Keying is a system of modulating digital signals onto a radio-frequency carrier signal using four phase states to code two digital bits.

 R

Radiocommunication Assembly is responsible for the structure, programme and approval of radiocommunication studies.

Regulatory Compliance Mark - a mark that can be used on product that has been shown to meet the applicable regulatory requirements for the legal sale of products under electrical safety and electromagnetic legislation, both in New Zealand and Australia.

Radio Equipment.

Radio Frequency Interference is disturbance that affects an electrical circuit due to either electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic radiation emitted from an external source.

Radio Local Area Network.

Regional Radiocommunication Conference - a conference of either an ITU Region or a group of countries with a mandate to develop an agreement concerning a particular radiocommunication service or frequency band.

Restricted Radiation Device

Register of Radio Frequencies.

Restricted Radio Telephone Operators Certificate.

Radio Spectrum Management.

 S

Special Committee.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition is a computer system for gathering and analysing real time data.

Supplier Code Number.

Supplier Declaration of Conformity.

Supplier Number.

Satellite News Gathering is the use of mobile communications equipment for the purpose of worldwide news-casting.

Standards New Zealand is the operating arm of the New Zealand Standards Council which develops and publishes standards and represents New Zealand in the international standards community.

Space Operations

Short Range Devices offer a low risk of interference with other radio services, usually because their transmitted power, and hence their range, is low.

Single Side Band is a refinement of amplitude modulation that more efficiently uses transmitter power and bandwidth.

Spread Spectrum Device. Spread spectrum is a form of wireless communications in which the frequency of the transmitted signal is deliberately varied.

Secondary Surveillance Radar is a radar system used in air traffic control (ATC), that not only detects and measures the position of aircraft i.e. range and bearing, but also requests additional information from the aircraft itself such as its identity and altitude.

 T

Tactical Air Navigation is a navigation system used by military aircraft.

Time Division Duplex is a wireless communication technique where transmission and reception are separated by time, where there is a time period for transmitting and a time period for receiving (often at the level of microseconds). This means that both uplink (from a mobile to a base station) and downlink (from a base station to a mobile) transmissions use the same frequency, at different allocated times. Times are often allocated by software or hardware configurations. Simultaneous transmission and reception is not possible. A useful analogy for TDD is a walkie-talkie, where only one user can talk (transmit) at any given time while all others are listening (receiving).

Time Division Multiple Access.

terahertz (1,000,000 megahertz).

Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.

Telecommunication Standardization Bureau provides secretarial support for the work of the ITU-T Sector and services for the participants in ITU-T work, diffuses information on international telecommunications worldwide and establishes agreements with many international Standards Development Organisations.

Telecommunications Terminal Equipment. Communications equipment at either end of a communications link, used to permit the stations involved to accomplish the mission for which the link was established.

Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement is a non-treaty arrangement between New Zealand and Australia's commonwealth, state and territory governments.

 U

Universal Mobile Telecommunication System is a third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard.

Ultra Wide Band.

 V

Very Small Aperture Terminal Satellite Services.

 W

Wireless Local Loop technology means that the subscriber is connected to the nearest exchange through a radio link.

World Meteorological Organisation. Geneva-based organisation providing scientific voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

World Radiocommunication Conference - organised by ITU to review, and, as necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits.

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 Y

 Z