ACMA - Glossary C

Information on our website often includes abbreviations, acronyms, technical language and jargon. To assist you, a glossary of commonly used terms is given here, with explanations.

The glossary is provided in the following alphabetical breakdown:

Commonly used terms	Explanation
call congestion	Blocking of call attempts because accessible network resources are unavailable, such as when all outgoing lines or radio channels are busy.
call drop-out	Unintended disconnection of a call by a mobile network, usually as a result of decreased radio signal strength, which may be due to the distance between the handset and the transmitter, reflections or ‘shadowing’ from large physical structures or tunnels.
carrier	Holder of a general telecommunications carrier licence in force under the Telecommunications Act 1997.
CB	citizen bands Frequency bands allocated for short-distance radio communication, radio signalling and control of remote devices by radio.
CBAA	Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Organisation responsible for codes of practice for community radio and community television.
CCF	Consumer Consultative Forum Forum convened by ACMA to consult with consumers and their representatives about communications issues.
CDMA	code division multiple access Digital coding technique used primarily for mobile telecommunications and satellite services, employing a bandwidth much larger than the original signal. Each signal is uniquely encoded and decoded, allowing many signals to occupy the same spectrum.
churn	Transfer (authorised or unauthorised) of a telecommunications service from one provider to another.
CLI	calling line identification Data generated by a network about the telecommunications service of the originating call.
CND	calling number display Telephone feature that displays the calling party’s number.
CNR calls	caller no response calls Calls to the emergency call service where there is no response when the operator asks which emergency service is required.
Communications Alliance	Industry body responsible for developing standards, codes of practice and service specifications, formed from a merger of the ACIF and SPAN.
communications satellite	Orbiting radio relay station that receives, amplifies and redirects radiocommunications signals.
congestion	See call congestion.
coverage area	Geographic area in which calls are able to be made successfully. For instance, the area between a base station and a mobile phone handset.
CPP	Community Phones Program Program aimed at improving access to basic telecommunications services for people in remote Indigenous communities, including provision of community phones.
CPRs	Cabling Provider Rules Rules to support telecommunications cabling industry self-regulation.
CRA	Commercial Radio Australia Industry organisation responsible for codes of practice for commercial radio.
CSG	Customer Service Guarantee Scheme that provides for financial compensation to telecommunications customers where performance requirements, including timeframes for new service connections or repairs, set out in the Customer Service Guarantee Standard are not met.
CSP	carriage service provider Commercial entity offering services that use telecommunications capacity supplied by a carrier. Internet service providers are CSPs.
CTN	Consumers’ Telecommunications Network Consumer organisation that represents telecommunications consumers, including as a member of ACMA’s CCF.
CTS	Children’s Television Standards Standards regulating timing and scheduling of children’s programs and content of adjacent programming.
CTV	community television Free-to-air television service serving a particular geographical or interest-based community.
data rate	Volume of data able to be transmitted in a given period of time. Data rates are usually measured in bits per second.
data traffic	Volume of data transferred in both directions between a customer and the customer’s ISP. Data traffic is measured in bytes.
DCS	digital communications system Communications system in which the information contained in messages is represented by digital data.
DDSO	digital data service obligation Obligation to ensure that a digital data service capability of 64 kbit/s is reasonably accessible to all people in Australia, wherever they reside or carry on business.
dial-up internet service	Service where subscribers connect to the internet using a modem and dial-up software over a telephone line (PSTN or ISDN).
DNCR	Do Not Call Register Register for individuals to list their home and mobile numbers to be able to opt out of receiving most unsolicited telemarketing calls, with limited exemptions for public interest organisations.
DRB	digital radio broadcasting Radio transmission intended for general reception in the form of discrete, integral values.
DRCS	digital radio concentrator system Digital radio system that transmits data via a device that connects a number of circuits, which are not all used at once, to a smaller group of circuits for economy.
drop-out	See call drop-out.
DSB	digital sound broadcasting Sound transmission intended for general reception in the form of discrete, integral values.
DSL	digital subscriber line Transmission system allowing high data rate communication over copper telephone lines. See ADSL.
DSLAM	digital subscriber line access multiplexer A device that concentrates ADSL subscriber lines to a single ATM line.

Glossary C – D