Archives

May 2000 Issue
Feature

Acronyms, Schmacronyms
Sort Out Technology's Alphabet Soup
Compiled by Ron Hendrickson

You want acronyms? We’ve got acronyms—got ’em by the bushel-basketful, in fact. Technically speaking, this list contains both acronyms and initialisms (acronyms are pronounced as words, while initialisms are pronounced as strings of letters—think "QAM" vs. "QPSK"), but let’s not quibble over semantics.

In any event, because our industry spawns these things at about the same rate that bunnies multiply, Communications Technology’s editorial staff maintains this "little" reference list to help us keep them all straight.

The bones of the list come from Ted Woo of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (CT February 1998), and we continually flesh out those bones with information from all manner of other sources. Still, the monster’s body is far from complete.

In short, this list is a work in progress. We add new items as we stumble across them. If your favorite acronym isn’t in here, let us know. Send your acronyms (and what they mean) to Ron Hendrickson, Managing Editor, Communications Technology, 1900 Grant St., Suite 720, Denver, CO 80203. Or e-mail . Please don’t send trade names.

So without further ado, here follow the acronyms. Feel free to copy them to give to a friend.

[A-B] [C] [D] [E-F] [G-K] [L-M] [N-O] [P-Q] [R] [S] [T-U] [V-Z]

A-B

AAL: ATM adaptation layer
AC: Alternating current
ACD: Automatic call distribution
ACL: Audit command language
ACP: Adjacent channel power
A/D: Analog-to-digital converter
ADI: Area of dominant influence
ADM: Add/drop multiplexer
ADP: Automatic data processing
ADPCM: Adaptive differential pulse code modulation
ADSI: Analog display services interface
ADSL: Asymmetrical digital subscriber line
ADX: Automatic data exchange
AEL: Audio engineering laboratory
AFC: Automatic frequency control
AFT: Automatic fine tuning
AGC: Automatic gain control
AID: Application identifier
AIN: Advanced intelligent network
AIS: Alarm indicating signal
ALC: Automatic level control
AlGaAs/ZGaAsHBT: Aluminum Gallium arsenide/Gallium arsenide heterojunction bipolar transistor
AlGaAs/InGaAsPHEMT: Aluminum Gallium arsenide/Indium Gallium arsenide pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor
ALI: Automatic location identification
ALSC: Automatic level and slope control
ALU: Arithmetic logic unit
AM: Amplitude modulation
AM/FM: Automated mapping/facilities management
AML: Amplitude modulated link
AMPS: Advanced mobile phone service
AM-VSB: Amplitude modulation-vestigial sideband
ANI: Automatic number identification
ANSI: American National Standards Institute
AOS: Alternative operator services
APA tape: Aluminum-polypropylene-aluminum tape
APDU: Application protocol data unit
API: Application programming interface
APL: Automatic picture level
APS: Automatic protection switching
ARRL: American Radio Relay League
ARU: Audio response unit
ASC: Automatic slope control
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASGC: Automatic slope and gain control
ASIC: Application specific integrated circuit
ASK: Amplitude shifting key
ASN.1: Abstract syntax notation one
AT: Access tandem or Automatic tandem
ATEL: Advanced television laboratory
ATIS: Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
ATM: Asynchronous transfer mode
ATSC: Advanced Television Systems Committee
ATTC: Advanced Television Test Center
ATV: Advanced TV
AWC: Area-wide Centrex

BASIC: Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
BBTH: Broadband to-the-home
BCD: Binary code decimal
BCT/E Certification: Broadband Communications Technician/Engineer Certification
BECN: Backward explicit congestion notification
BER: Bit error rate
BERT: Bit error rate tester
BETRS: Basic exchange telecommunications radio service
BHCC: Busy hour call completion
BIP-8: Bit interleaved parity-8
BISDN: Broadband integrated services digital network
BML: Business management layer
BNC: Bayonet nut coupling
Bootp: Boot protocol
bps: Bits per second
BPSK: Binary phase shift keying
BRI: Basic rate interface
BSLBF: Bit string (serial) leftmost bit first
BSS: Business support system
BTA: Basic trade area
BTSC: Broadcast Television Systems Committee

C

CA: Commercial announcement or Conditional access
CAC: Carrier access code
CACS: Classified ad channel system
CAD: Computer-aided design
CAI: Computer-assisted instruction
CAN: Cable area network
CAP: Carrierless amplitude and phase technology
CAPs: Competitive access providers
CARS: Community antenna relay station/service
CAS: Conditional access system
CAT: Conditional access table or Computer-assisted training
CATV: Community antenna TV
CB: Citizens band radio
CBC: Cipher block chaining
CBR: Constant bit rate
CCD: Charge coupled device
CCF: Custom calling features
CCIS: Common channel interoffice signalling
CCITT: Comite Consultatif Internationale de Telegraphique et Telephnique (see also ITU)
CCS: Common channel signaling
CCU: Camera control unit
CDMA: Code division multiple access
CDPD: Cellular digital packet data
CDT: Carrier definition table
CDV: Cell delay variation
CE: Consumer electronics
CEBus: Consumer electronic bus
CER: Cell error rate
CEV: Controlled environmental vault
CGI: Common gateway interface
CIC: Cable in conduit or Carrier identification code
CID: Cable in the ditch
C/IMN: Carrier-to-intermodulation noise
CISC: Complex instruction set computer
CIR: Committed information rate
CLASS: Custom local area signaling services
CLEC: Competitive local exchange carrier
CLI: Cumulative leakage index
CLID: Calling line identification
CLP: Cell loss priority
CLR: Cell loss ratio
CM: Computer modem
CMIP: Common management information protocol
CMTS: Cable modem termination system or Computer modem termination system
CNR or C/N: Carrier-to-noise ratio
CO: Central office
COBOL: Common business-oriented language
CODEC: Coder/decoder
COFDM: Coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
CO/HE: Central office/headend
COOLAN: Central office-based local area network
CoS: Class of service
COS: Corporation for open systems
COT: Customer-originated trace
CP: Content provider
CPB: Constrained parameter bitstream
CPCS-PDU: Common par convergence sublayer-protocol data unit
CPD: Common path distortion
CPE: Customer premises equipment
CPR: Capital purchase request
CPS: Characters per second
CPU: Central processing unit
CRC: Cyclic redundancy check
CRO: Cathode ray oscilloscope
CRT: Cathode ray tube
CS: Convergence sublayer
CSA: Canadian Standards Association
CSMA/CD: Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection
CSO: Composite second order
CSR: Customer service representative
CSU: Channel service unit or Customer service unit
CT: Cordless telephone
CTB: Composite triple beat
CTD: Cell transfer delay
CTI: Computer telephone integration
CTN: Cable termination node
CW: Continuous wave or Control word
CWS: Can we serve

D

D/A: Digital-to-analog converter
DA: Directory assistance
DALS: Dedicated access lines
DAVIC: Digital Audio Visual Council
dB: Decibel
dBc: Decibel-carrier
dBd: Decibel-dipole
dBi: Decibel-isotropic
dBm: Decibel milliwatt
dBmV: Decibel millivolt
DBS: Direct broadcast satellite
dBV: Decibel volt
dBW: Decibel watt
DC: Directional coupler or Direct current
DCC: Data communications channel or Digital cross section
DCE: Data communications equipment or Data circuit-terminating equipment
DCS: Digital cross-connect
DCT: Discrete cosine transform
DDS: Digital data service
DE: Data element or Discard eligibility
DES: Data encryption standard
DF: Dedicated file
DFB: Distributed feedback laser
DHCP: Dynamic host configuration protocol
DHTML: Dynamic hypertext markup language
DID: Direct inward dialing or Drop-in-duct
DIR: Directory file
DLC: Digital loop carrier
DLCI: Data link connection identifier
DMA: Direct memory access
DMS: Digital multiplex systems
DMT: Discrete multitone
DO: Data object
DOCSS: Data Over Cable Security System
DOCSIS: Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification
DPN: Data packet network
DR: Dynamic range
DRAM: Digital recorded announcement machine or Dynamic random access memory
DS: Digital signal
DSB-SC: Double sideband-suppressed carrier
DSE: Data-switching exchange
DSI: Digital speech interpolation
DSL: Digital subscriber line
DS0: Digital service, level zero
DSM: Digital storage media
DSM-CC: Digital storage media-command and control
DSP: Digital signal processing
DSS: Digital Standards Subcommittee
DSU: Data service unit
DTC: Decoder time clock
DTE: Data terminal equipment
DTH: Direct to home
DTMF: Dual tone multifrequency
DTS: Decoding time stamp
DVB: Digital video broadcast
DVB-C: Digital video broadcast via cable
DVB-SI: Digital video broadcast service information
DVCR: Digital videocassette recorder
DVD: Digital video disc or Digital video display
DVR: Digital video recorder or Digital video recording
DVS: Digital Video Subcommittee
DWDM: Dense wavelength division multiplexing
DWS: Dialable wideband service

E-F

EAEO: Equal access end office
EAROM: Electronically alterable read-only memory
EAS: Emergency Alert System or Extended area service
EBCDIC: Extended binary coded decimal interchange code
EBU: Equivalent billing units
ECM: Entitlement control message
ECSA: Exchange Carrier Standards Association
EDFA: Erbium-doped fiber-optic amplifier
EDI: Electronic data interchange
EF: Elementary file
EFTS: Electronic funds transfer system
EIA: Electronic Industries Association
EIRP: Effective isotopic radiated power
EISA: Extended industry standard architecture
EMC: Electromagnetic compatibility
EMI: Electromagnetic interference
EML: Element management layer
EMM: Entitlement management message
ENG: Electronic news gathering
ENIS: Element management system
E/O: Electrical-to-optical (Technically, it’s RF-to-optical.)
EO&C: Expert observation and commentary
EOL: End-of-line
EPG: Electronic program guide
EPROM: Erasable programmable read-only memory
EROM: Erasable read-only memory
ERP: Effective radiated power
ES: Elementary stream
ESA: Emergency stand-alone
ESC: Engineering service circuit
ESD: Electrostatic discharge
ESP: Enhanced service provider or Encapsulated security protocol
ESS: Electronic switching system
ET: Emerging technologies
ETDMA: Enhanced time division multiple access
ETSI: European Technical Standards Institute
ETU: Elementary time unit
EVM: Error vector magnitude

FAQ: Frequently asked questions
FCC: Federal Communications Commission
FCOT: Fiber central office terminal
FD: Floppy disc
FDDI: Fiber distributed data interface
FDM: Frequency division multiplexing
FDMA: Frequency division multiple access
FEC: Forward error correction
FECN: Forward explicit congestion notification
FEP: Front end processor
FERF: Far end receive failure
FIFO: First in, first out
FITL: Fiber-in-the-loop
FM: Frequency modulation
FML: Frequency modulated link
FMO: Frequency modulated oscillator
FN: Fiber node
FOSE: Fiber-optic splice enclosure
FOTS: Fiber-optic transmission systems
F-P: Fabry-Perot laser
FP: Filter program
FPLL: Frequency and phase-locked loop
FS: Filter set
FSA: Fiber serving area
FSK: Frequency shift keying
FSM: Field strength meter
FTP: File transfer protocol
FTTB: Fiber-to-the-bridger
FTTC: Fiber-to-the-curb
FTTF: Fiber-to-the-feeder
FTTH: Fiber-to-the-home
FX: Foreign exchange
FYI: For your information

G-K

G: Giga-
GA: Grand Alliance
GaAsFET: Gallium-Arsenide-field-
effect-transistor
GB: Gigabyte
GFC: Generic flow control
GI: Graded index
GIS: Geographic information system
GMT: Greenwich mean time
GOP: Group of pictures
GPS: Global positioning system
GSM: Global system for mobile communication
GUI: Graphical user interface
GUN: Group and unknown

HCS: Header check sequence
HDBH: High day busy hour
HDLC: High level data link control
HDNI: Home digital network interface
HDSL: High bit rate digital subscriber line
HDT: Host digital terminal
HDTV: High definition TV
HEC: Header error control
HEP: Header extension processing
HFC: hybrid fiber/coax
HFW: Hybrid fiber/wireless
HHP: Household passed
Hi-8: High band 8 mm
HiPHY: High (performance) Physical (modulation)
HITS: Headend In The Sky
HPF: High pass filter
HRC: Harmonically related carriers
HSCD: High-speed cable data
HSTM: High-speed transport multiplex
HTML: Hypertext markup language
HTTP: Hypertext transfer protocol

IC: Integrated circuit
ICC: Incremental coherent carriers; sometimes called Incrementally related carriers
ICCF: Industry Carriers Compatibility Forum
ICN: Integrated community network
ICS: Integrated communication system
IDDD: International direct distance dialing
IDL: Interface definition language
IDLC: Integrated digital loop carrier
IDO: Inter-industry data object
IE: Information element
IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
IETF: Internet Engineering Task Force
IF: Intermediate frequency
IGP: Interior gateway protocol
IGMP: Internet group messaging protocol
IHC: In-home cabling subcommittee
ILEC: Incumbent local exchange carrier
IM: Intermodulation
I-Net: Institutional network
IN: Intelligent network
INET: Intranet
INMS: Integrated network management system
InPHEMT: Indium Phosphide high electron mobility transistor
I/O: Input/output
IOC: Independent operating companies
IOR: Index of refraction
IP: Intelligent peripherals or Internet protocol
IPPV: Impulse pay-per-view
IPR: Intellectual property rights
IPS: Interface Practices Subcommittee
IPV4: Internet protocol version 4
IR: Infrared or infrared remote
IRC: Incrementally related carriers
IRD: Integrated receiver/decoder
IRE: Institute of Radio Engineers or a unit of video measurement; 140 IRE = 1 volt peak-to-peak
IRT: Integrated receiver/transcoder
ISA: Industry standard architecture
ISDN: Integrated services digital network
ISO: International Standards Organization
ISP: Internet service provider
ISR: International simple resale
IT: Information technology
ITS: Insertion test signals
ITU: International Telecommunication Union
ITU-T: International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunications
ITU-TSS: ITU-Telecommunications Standards Sector
IVR: Interactive voice response
IXCs: Interexchange carriers (sometimes abbreviated IECs)

JEC: Joint engineering committee
JEDEC: Joint Electron Device Engineering Council

k: kilo-
KSU: Key service unit

L-M

LAN: Local area network
LAPB: Link access control-B
LAPD: Link access control-D
LATA: Local access and transport area
LCD: Liquid crystal display
LCS: Leased circuit service
LDAP: Lightweight directory access protocol
LDS: Local distribution service
LEC: Local exchange carrier
LED: Light emitting diode
LEO: Low earth orbit
LFE: Low frequency effect
LIFO: Last in, first out
LILO: Last in, last out
LLC: Logical link control
LMDS: Local multipoint distribution service
LNA: Low noise amplifier
LNB/LNC: Low-noise block converter
LO: Local origination
LOP: Local origination programming
LOS: Line of sight
LPF: Low-pass filter
LPM: Lines per minute
LRN: Location routing number
lsb: least significant bit
lsB: least significant byte
LSI: Large-scale integration
LSMS: Local service management system

µ: Micro-
m: Milli-
M: Mega-
MAC: Media access control
MAN: Metropolitan area network
MATV: Master antenna TV system
MAU: Medium attachment unit
Mb: Megabit
MB: Megabyte
MBE: Molecular beam epitaxy
MBG: Multilocation business group
MCC: MAC common convergence
MCNS: Multimedia cable network system
MCPT: Multiple carriers per transponder
MCR: Master control room
MD: Minidisc digital
MDF: Main distribution frame
MDPE: Medium density polyethylene
MDS: Multipoint distribution service or Message delivery service
MDU: Multiple dwelling unit
MeSFET: Metal-semiconductor field effect transistor
MER: Modulation error ratio
MF: Multifrequency
MFJ: Modification of final judgment
MFN: Mini-fiber node
MGCP: Media gateway control protocol
MIBS: Management information bases
MIPS: Million instructions per second
MIS: Management information system
MM: Multimode
MMDS: Multichannel multipoint distribution service or Microwave multipoint distribution service
MMI: Man machine interface
MMT: Modulation mode table
MODEM: Modulator/demodulator
MPEG: Moving Picture Experts Group
MP: Main profile at high level
MP: Main profile at main level
MSA: Metropolitan service area or Metropolitan statistical area
msb: Most significant bit
msB: Most significant byte
MSC: MAC service control
MSO: Multiple system operator
MSPS: Megasamples per second
MTBF: Mean time between failure
MTS: Modem termination system or Multichannel TV sound or MPEG transport stream
MTSO: Mobile telephone switching office
MTTR: Mean time to repair
MUTCD: Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices
MUX: Multiplexer

N-O

NA: Numerical aperture
NAB: National Association of Broadcasters
NAD: Network access device
NAMIC: National Association of Minorities in Cable
NAMPS: Narrowband AMPS
NANP: North American numbering plan
NAP: Network access points
NAT: Network address translation
NCOS: Network class of service
NCP: Network control program or Network control point
NCTA: National Cable Television Association
NCTI: National Cable Television Institute
NDYAG: Neodymium Yttrium Aluminum Garnet
NE: Network element
NEC: National Electrical Code
NEDA: National Electronics Distributors Association
NEMA: National Electronic Manufacturers Association
NESC: National Electrical Safety Code
NET: National educational TV
NFS: Network file system
NIC: Network information center or Network interface card
NID: Network interface device
NII: National information infrastructure
NIM: Network interface module
NIU: Network interface unit
NML: Network management layer
NMS: Network management system
NNI: Network/network interface or Network/node interface
NOC: Network operations center
NP: Network provider
NPA: Numbering plan area
NPR: Noise-to-power ratio
NPRM: Notice of proposed rulemaking
NTC: Network Transmission Committee
NTSC: National Television System Committee
NVM: Nonvolatile memory
NVOD: Near-video-on-demand

OAM&P: Operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning
OC: Optical carrier
OCC: Other common carrier
OC-N: Optical carrier level N
OCR: Optical character recognition
O/E: Optical-to-electrical (Technically, it’s optical-to-RF.)
OEM: Original equipment manufacturer
OFDM: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing
OMG: Object management group
OMI: Optical modulation index
ONA: Open network architecture
ONU: Optical network units
OOB: Out-of-band
OOP: Object-oriented programming
OPX: Off-premises extension
OQPSK: Offset quadrature phase shift keying
OR: Optical receiver
OS: Operating systems
OSD: On-screen display
OSI: Open system interconnection
OSPF: Open shortest path first
OSS: Operations support systems
OTDR: Optical time domain reflectometer
OTG: On-time guanantee
OTN: Optical transfer nodes
OTP: Office of Telecommunications Policy

P-Q

PABX: Private automatic branch exchange
PAD: Packet assembler and disassembler
PAE: Power-added efficiency
PAL: Phase alteration line
PAT: Program association table
PBX: Private branch exchange
PC: Personal computer or printed circuit
PCI: Peripheral component interconnect
PCIA: Personal Communications Industry Association
PCM: Pulse code modulation
PCMCIA: Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
PCN: Personal communications network
PCR: Program clock reference
PCS: Personal communications services
PDH: Plesiochronous digital hierarchy
PDN: Primary directory number or Public data network
PDU: Protocol data unit
PE: Polyethylene
PEG: Public, educational or government access
PES: Packetized elementary stream
PHB: Packet hop behavior
PHD: Power hybrid doubler
PHY: Physical layer
PICS: Protocol implementation conformance statement
PID: Packet identifier
PIN: Personal identification number
PIX: Proprietary (application) identifier extension
PLL: Phase locked loop
PM: Phase modulation or Physical medium
PMD: Physical medium dependent
PMT: Program map table
PNNI: Private network to network interface
POP: Points of presence or Proof of performance
POTS: Plain old telephone service
PPK: Private-public key
PPM: Peak program meter
PPP: Point-to-point protocol
PPV: Pay-per-view
PRI: Primary rate interface
PROM: Programmable read-only memory
PS: Power supply
PSC: Public Service Commission (also called PUC)
PSI: Program specific information
PSK: Phase shift keying
PSTN: Public switched telephone network
PTI: Payload type identifier
PTS: Protocol type selection
PTT: Post, Telegraphs and Telephones
PU: Presentation unit
P/V: Peak-to-valley
PVC: Permanent virtual circuit or Polyvinyl chloride

QAM: Quadrature amplitude modulation
QoS: Quality of service
QPSK: Quadrature phase shift keying

R

RAD/RASP: Remote antenna device/remote antenna signal processing
RADIUS: Remote authentication dial in user service
RAID: Redundant array of independent discs
RAM: Random access memory
RAO: Revenue accounting office
RBOC: Regional Bell operating company
RBW: Resolution bandwidth
RCC: Radio Common Carrier
RDBMS: Relational database management system
RDM: Reverse data multiplexing
REA: Rural Electrification Administration
RF: Radio frequency
RFC: Request for comments
RFI: Radio frequency interference
RFP: Request for proposal
RFU: Reserved for future use
RHC: Regional holding company
RID: Registered (application provider) identifier
RIN: Relative intensity noise
RIP: Routing information protocol
RISC: Reduced instruction set computing
RL: Return loss
RMS: Root mean square
ROM: Read only memory
RP: Record pointer
RPC: Remote procedure call
RPCHOF: Remainder polynomial coefficients, highest order first
RSA: Rural service area
RSVP: Resource reservation protocol
RTCP: Real time control protocol
RTP: Real time protocol
RTSP: Real time streamline protocol
RTU: Remote test unit

S

SAP: Secondary audio program
SAR: Segmentation and reassembly
SAW: Surface acoustic wave
SBE: Society of Broadcast Engineers
SBS: Satellite Business Systems or Stimulated Brillouin scattering
SCA: Subsidiary communications authority
SCADA: Security, CATV, data
SCAI: Switch-to-computer applications interface
SCBA: Small Cable Business Association
S-CDMA: Synchronous code division multiple access
SCE: Service creation environment
SCP: Service control point
SCR: System clock reference
SCSI: Small computer system interface
SCTE: Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers
SD: Super density
SDH: Synchronous digital hierarchy
SDO: Standards Development Organization
SDSL: Single-line digital subscriber line
SDTV: Standard definition TV
SGDF: Supergroup distribution frame
SHL: Studio-to-headend link
SI: Step index
SiCSIT: Silicon carbide static induction transistor
SiGeHBT: Silicon Germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor
SIF: Standard image format (such as NTSC)
SIM-ME: Subscriber identity module-mobile equipment
SIR: Sustained information rate
SIT: Satellite information table
SLIP: Serial line Internet protocol
SLM: Signal level meter
SLS: Single line service
SM: Single mode
SMATV: Satellite master antenna TV system
SMDR: Station message detail recording
SMDS: Switched multimegabit data service
SML: Service management layer
SMPTE: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
SMR: Specialized mobile radio
SMS: Service management system
SMTP: Simple mail transfer protocol
SNR or S/N: Signal-to-noise ratio
SNA: Systems network architecture
SNAIP: Simple network management protocol
SNMP: Simple network management protocol
SOHO: Small office, home office
SONET: Synchronous optical network
SP: Service provider
SPC: Stored program protocol
SPE: Synchronous payload envelope
SPI: Security parameter index
SRL: Structural return loss
SSB: Single sideband or Star-star-bus
SSP: Service switching point
SS7: Signaling System 7
STB: Set-top box
STD: System target decoder
STL: Studio-to-transmitter link
STM-1: Synchronous transfer mode 1
STP: Signal transfer point
STS: Synchronous transport signal
STU: Set-top unit
STV: Subscription TV
SVB: Switched video broadcast
SVC: Switched virtual circuit

T-U

TA: Technical advisory
TAI: International atomic time
TAMI: Television Accessory Manufacturers Institute
TASO: Television Allocation Study Organization
TC: Transmission convergence
TCC: Telephone coordinating circuit
TCM: Trellis coded modulation
TCP: Transmission control protocol
TCP/IP: Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol
TDD: Telecommunications device for the deaf
TDM: Time division multiplexing
TDMA: Time division multiple access
TDR: Time domain reflectometer
TDT: Transponder data table
TFTP: Trivial file transfer protocol
TIA: Telecommunications Industry Association
TL: Transaction language
TLV: Tag length value
TMN: Telecommunications management network
TNT: Transponder name table
ToS: Type of service
TOV: Threshold of visibility
TR: Technical reference
TS: Transport stream
TSI: Time slot interchange
TVRO: Television receive-only earth station

UAR: Universal asynchronous receiver
UBR: Unspecified bit rate
UCD: Upstream channel descriptor message
UDP: User datagram protocol
UHF: Ultra-high frequency
uimsbf: Unsigned integer, most significant bit first
UNI: User network interface
UPS: uninterruptible power supply
URL: Uniform resource locator
USB: Universal serial bus
USTA: United States Telephone Association
UTC: Universal coordinated time
UTP: Unshielded twisted-pair

V-Z

VAN: Value-added network
VANC: Voice actuated network control
VAPN: Virtual access to private networks
VBI: Vertical blanking interval
VBR: Variable bit rate
VBV: Video buffering verifier
VC: Virtual channel
VCI: Virtual channel identifier
VCN: Virtual channel number
VCR: Videocassette recorder
VCT: Virtual channel table
VCXO: Voltage controlled crystal oscillator
VDSL: Very high data rate digital subscriber line
VDT: Video dial tone or Video display terminal
VF: Voice frequency
VHF: Very high frequency
VHS: Video home system
VIRS: Vertical interval reference test signal
VITS: Vertical interval test signal
VLAN: Virtual local area network
VLCF: Variable length convergence function
VLSI: Very large scale integration
VOD: Video-on-demand
VOIP: Voice over Internet protocol
VOP: Velocity of propagation
VP: Virtual path
VPI: Virtual path identifier
VPN: Virtual private networks
VRU: Voice response unit
VSAT: Very small aperture terminal
VSB: Vestigial sideband
VSWR: Voltage standing wave ratio
VT: Virtual tributary
VTR: Videotape recorder
VU: Volume unit

WAIS: Wide area information servers
WAN: Wide area network
WATS: Wide area telecommunications service
WDM: Wavelength division multiplexing
WICT: Women in Cable & Telecommunications
WPBX: Wireless private branch exchange
WTN: Wiring termination node
WWW: World Wide Web

XDS: Extended data system
xDSL: any variant of digital subscriber line technology
XMOD: Cross modulation
XO: Crystal oscillator

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