Glossary

3G: The next or third generation of wireless technology. These networks are specified to operate at a minimum 2 Mbps when stationary and 384 kbps when used at pedestrian user speeds. 3G standards are coordinated through the ITU's IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications 2000), the European-based UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), and the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a group formed by GSM-supporting standards bodies.
802.11b: IEEE standard ratified in 1999 that defines wireless LANs in the 2.4 GHz band.

AAL2: ATM Adaptation Layer 2. AAL2 has been adopted by ITU-T and ATM forum to reduce packing delay. The idea is to multiplex voice packets from several sources into one ATM cell so that the time to fill a cell can be reduced significantly.
AALn: ATM Adaptation Layer type n.
ABAM: A designation for 22-ga, 110- ?, plastic insulated, twisted pair Western Electric cable, normally used in a central office.
ADM: Add/drop multiplexer.
AGC: Automatic gain control. A system that holds the gain and, accordingly, the output of a receiver substantially constant in spite of input-signal amplitude fluctuations.
AIS: Alarm indication signal. A signal transmitted to maintain continuity of transmission. The AIS usually is sent to notify the far-end that a transmission fault exists on the line.
ALBO: Automatic line build-out.
AMI: Alternate mark inversion. A line code in which the signal carrying the binary value alternates between positive and negative polarities.
Angle diversity: A technique using multiple antenna beams to receive multi-path signals arriving at different angles.

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Microwave Transmission Networks: Planning, Design, and Deployment