The EPS Glossary of Terms and Acronyms, UE, eNodeB, HSS, MME, SGW, PGW, EPG, EDGE, WCDMA

This glossary is updated from previous posting about Packet Core Glossary.

• 3G: Third Generation
• 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project
• 4G: Fourth Generation
• AAA: Authentication, Authorization and Accounting. The function for Radius Node.
• APN: Access Point Name. Logical name of the point to entry external network, border between GTP network and external network.
• CDR: Charging Data Record. Data contaion information about a chargeable event for use in billing and accounting (time of call, duration of call, amount of data transferred, etc).
• CS: Circuit-Switching is a way of communicating that requires the establishment of a dedicated path before data transfer can take place. The Public Switched Telephone Network is based on circuit switching.
• DNS: Domain Name System. Translating between hostname and IP.
• EDGE: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution.
• eNodeB: The base station node in the LTE radio access network.
• EPC: Evolved Packet Core. The packet core network in the EPS network.
• EPG: Evolved Packet Gateway. Ericsson device for PGW and SGW.
• EPS: Evolved Packet System. The EPS network contain of the LTE radio access network and EPC network. It provides for IP communication between UE and external network.
• E-UTRAN: The EPS radio access network in the 3GPP standard.
• GGSN: Gateway GPRS Support Node.
• GPRS: General Packet Radio Service. The first standard for packet data communications in GSM radio network. 3GPP also maintains the 2G GPRS standard.
• GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications
• GSN: GPRS Support Node. GGSN and SGSN.
• GTP: GPRS Tunneling Protocol
• GTPv1: GPRS Tunneling Protocol version 1
• GTPv2: GPRS Tunneling Protocol version 2
• HLR: Home Location Register. The database contains information concerning an subscribers and services.
• HSDPA: High Speed Downlink Packet Access
• HSPA: High-Speed Packet Access
• HSPA+: High-Speed Packet Access Plus
• HSS: Home Subscriber Server. Similar with HLR, but for LTE network. Next generation of HLR.
• HSUPA: High Speed Packet Uplink Access
• IMEI: International Mobile Equipment Identity
• IMS: IP Multimedia Subsystem
• IMSI: International Mobile Subscriber Identity. The network operator allocates an IMSI to each subscription and is the key to subscriber information in the Home Location Register. Used to identify subscribers over the radio path and for signaling in the Public Land Mobile Network.
• IP: Internet Protocol. A network layer protocol responsible for addressing, sending among others, TCP packets over the network.
• IP Address: Used to identify a node on a TCP/IP network and to specify routing information on an internetwork. 
• ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network
• L2: Layer 2. OSI data link layer.
• L3: Layer 3. OSI network layer.
• LTE: Long-Term Evolution, is the global standard for the fourth generation of mobile broadband (4G). The radio access network in the EPS network.
• MME: Mobility Management Entity. The key control-node for the EPS.
• MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service
• MS: Mobile Station
• MSISDN: Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number
• PDN: Packet Data Network
• PDP: Packet Data Protocol.
• PGW: PDN Gateway
• PS: Packet-Switching
• QoS: Quality of Service
• RNC: Radio Network Controller. This equipment in the Radio Network Subsystem.
• SGSN: Serving GPRS Support Node. Forwards payload from and to the mobile station. Keeps track of the location of the individual mobile stations and performs security functions and access control.
• SGSN-MME: Serving GPRS Support Node and Mobility Management Entity
• SGW: Serving Gateway
• SMS: Short Message Service. Transfers messages between a GSM/WCDMA Public Land Mobile Network Mobile Station and a Short Message Entity through a Service Center.
• TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
• TE: Terminal Equipment
• UE: User Equipment
• UMTS: Universal Mobile Telephone (Telecommunications) System. 
• UTRAN: Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
• VPN: Virtual Private Network
• VRF: Virtual Private Network Routing and Forwarding
• WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. Third-generation mobile wireless technology with the capacity to offer higher data speeds than CDMA.