telecommunication glossery

Mobile Marketing Industry Glossary

Glossary
Introduction
By necessity, the thriving mobile marketing industry has yielded a multitude of new
terms and acronyms to describe the various nuances unique to its business space.
However, much of this language is not widely understood and, depending on the
source, holds various meanings and interpretations. To address the issue of lexis
standardization within both the industry and academia, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), has created the Mobile Marketing Glossary.
As this Glossary is intended to be a living document, the MMA will work diligently
to keep it maintained and updated. Periodic revisions will include the addition of
new terms as they are identified. By design, educational tools, research and guidelines issued by the MMA, will no longer contain a glossary of terms, and instead, will
refer to the master glossary.
The MMA welcomes input for the Glossary from members of the industry and the
academic community. Please email suggestions, comments, and new terms (with
proposed definitions, and related sources) to glossary@mmaglobal.com.
The most up-to-date MMA Mobile Marketing Glossary may be found at
http://mmaglobal.com/glossary.pdf

Mobile Marketing Association

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© 2008 Mobile Marketing Association, 1670 Broadway, Suite 850, Denver, CO 80202

Page 1 of 53

Glossary
Acronyms

AKA1

1G
2G

Nomenclature Task Force Definition
The first generation of wireless services which were mostly analogue and included technology standards such as AMPS.

PCS

Also known as Personal Communications Services (PCS), second
generation wireless service refers to the digital mobile phone
technologies that emerged and were deployed during the 1990’s,
delivering both voice and data transmissions. 2G technology
standards include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time
Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and (Global System for Mobile
Communication (GSM). It also offers auxiliary services such as data,
fax and SMS.

3G

3GPP

3GPP is a grouping of international standards bodies, operators and
vendors. 3GPP specifications are based on evolved GSM specifications. The scope of 3GPP includes standardizing the WCDMA based
members of the IMT-2000 family and Long Term Evolution (LTE) to
form the next generation mobile network standard technology.

3GPP2

1

The third generation wireless service promises to provide high data
speeds, always-on data access and greater voice capacity. The high
data speeds enable full motion video, high-speed internet access
and video-conferencing, and are measured in Mbps. 3G technology
standards include UMTS, based on WCDMA technology (quite often
the two terms are used interchangeably) and CDMA2000, which is
the evolution of the earlier CDMA 2G technology. UMTS standard
is generally preferred by countries that use GSM network. The data
transmission rates range from 144 kbps to more than 2 mbps.

Similar to 3GPP, except that this is the counterpart responsible
for the standardization of the CDMA2000-based members of the
IMT-2000 family.

AKA: Also Known As

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Glossary

A
Acronyms

AKA


Acquisition Rate

Percentage of respondents who opted in to participate in a mobile initiative/campaign. Acquisition rate
= total participants/total audience.

Ad Impression

An advertisement impression transpires each time
a consumer is exposed to an advertisement (either
prepended or appended to an SMS message, on
mobile web or web page, within a video clip, or
related media).

Ad Space

Any space within an application that has been reserved
for the display of advertising. Its dimensions and location
within an application typically define an ad space.

Ad Unit

Any defined advertising vehicle that can appear in
an ad space inside of an application. For example,
a rectangular banner is considered to be a common
type of ad unit.

Advertisement

Any collection of text, graphics or multimedia content
displayed and accessible inside of an application
for the purposes of promoting a commercial brand,
product or service.

Advertisement Action

Action

Any activity associated with a Advertisement that
enables interactivity and communication between the
advertiser and the consumer. For example, common
actions include clicking on a phone number to call
the advertiser, a hyperlink that takes the consumer
to an advertiser’s mobile web portal, or a link that
adds the advertiser’s contact information to the
consumer’s phone book.

Advertiser

Individual or organization that places a paid promotion within media for the purpose of promoting
commercial messages, goods or services.

Affiliate Marketing

A process whereby a Content Provider provides
financial consideration to one or more persons or entities in exchange for their agreement to offer Content
Providers’ products and/or services to users.

Aggregator

An organization that acts as a middleman between
application and content providers, and mobile carriers. Provides message traffic throughput to multiple
wireless operators or other aggregators; provides
mobile initiative campaign oversight, and administration, as well as billing services.

Airtime


Talk Time

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The number of connected minutes consumed by a mobile
subscriber while placing and receiving calls on his/her
mobile phone. Carriers calculate customer bills based on
airtime minutes used during a specific period of time.

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Glossary

A
Acronyms

AKA


Alert Tone

An audio product that is triggered by and sounds on
the handset upon a specific event, such as an incoming text message, voice message, calendar event, or
other event to which the handset owner wishes to be
alerted. Length of tone varies based on mobile carrier
requirements. Often traditional ringtones or other
audio products can be used as an alert tone.

Alerts

Notifications, typically in the form of a text or multimedia
message, containing time-sensitive information (event
details, weather, news, services updates) that are
pushed to a mobile subscriber who has opted-in to receive this information. Note: If the mobile subscriber has
not opted in to receive said information, the notification
would be considered SPAM.

Alternative Method of
Entry

AMOE

A no cost or low cost means for an individual to enter
a sweepstakes or contest.

ALT tag

The text displayed while an image is being loaded.
ALT tags are particularly relevant for mobile SEO,
since many people turn off image downloads in their
mobile browsers to preserve bandwidth.

Anchor Text

The actual text of a link – i.e. the portion that you
see underlined. An important ranking factor which
uses this text, and the keywords used in it, to make
assumptions on the relevance of the content being
linked to.

Application
Application Originated
Message

Downloadable
Application
AO

Application Provider

Application Terminated


A text or multimedia message sent from a network
based mobile application, typically to a handset.
An organization that offers network based software
solutions “applications,” or dowloadable applications
that enable the business logic behind mobile marketing initiatives.

AT

Asynchronous

Average Revenue Per
User

Software solutions that power the business logic for
mobile marketing initiative(s).

A text or multimedia message received by a network
based mobile application, typically sent by a handset.
A type of two-way communication that occurs with a
time delay, allowing participants to respond at their
own convenience.

ARPU

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A commonly used financial benchmark to measure
the average revenue generated by a mobile carrier’s
mobile subscriber, or “user.”

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Glossary

B
Acronyms

AKA


Background Audio Ad

A background audio clip that is played throughout the
MMS message. An example is a jingle.

Bandwidth

Digital bandwidth is measured in bits per second
(bps), kilobits per second (kbps), or megabits per
second (mps).

Banner Size

The width and length dimensions (typically presented
in pixels) of a banner/ image advertisement placed on
the mobile web.

Bill Face Descriptor

Description of billing details that appear on a mobile
subscriber’s wireless bill.

Billing Aggregator

An organization that provides one ore more billing
solutions (PSMS, Direct-to-bill, Credit Card, PayPal,
Loyalty Points, Credits, etc.) to off-portal mobile
application solution providers.

Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless

BREW

An open-source application development platform
for wireless devices, originally designed for CDMA
technology. However, BREW is air-interface independent and can also support GSM/GPRS and UMTS
technology. It allows users to download applications
such as text chat, enhanced e-mail, location positioning, games, etc. Native BREW applications are
written in C or C++, but the platform is designed to
allow developers to write in whatever language they
choose, including Java and XML. Developers are also
provided with BREW Software Development Kit (SDK),
which includes the full BREW applications platform,
plus a variety of tools for writing BREW applications.

Bitmap

BMP

A format for images.

Blink Message

Text message that contains blinking text for the
purpose of emphasis.

Bluetooth

A communication protocol that enables mobile
devices equipped with a special chip to send and
receive information wirelessly over short-ranges,
using the 2.4 GHz spectrum band.

Branding

The process by which brand identity is developed; a
marketing strategy and/or campaign objective.


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Glossary

B
Acronyms

AKA


BREW Applications

Applications that are designed and built on
Qualcomm’s BREW technology for small-screen
devices. Currently supported by a handful of network
operators – including Verizon Wireless and KDDI
(Japan) – the BREW market is small compared to
WAP, like Apple computers command a small market
share compared to Windows PCs.

Broadcast video

Video content is “broadcasted” over a network down
to the consumer’s handset. This allows consumers the freedom to select which content to watch.
With broadcast or multi-cast video, content is a
“one too many” experience and does not suffer the
buffering or downloading issues of other mobile video
platforms. Similar to “traditional” TV, advertising
opportunities exist within commercial breaks. Personalization technology regarding the ad experience
will generally be located nearer to the consumer’s
device (e.g. a handset application) rather than within
the video delivery. Currently there is no global defacto
broadcast technology standard, however the following
technologies are gaining acceptance in the different
regions of the world: DVB-H (Europe), MediaFLO (US)
ATSC M-H (US), DMB, ISDB and SDMB (Asia).

Browse and Buy

The model for content discovery and purchase that
is provided by operators on-deck. This model is
increasingly emerging off-deck, and replicates the PC
Web experience for sites designed for handsets.


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Glossary

C
Acronyms AKA


Call Detail Records

CDR

The record made within the cellular network of all
details of both incoming and outgoing calls made by
mobile subscribers. This record is then passed to the
billing system for action.

Call to Action

CTA

A statement or instruction, typically promoted in print,
web, TV, radio, on-portal, or other forms of media
(often embedded in advertising), that explains to a
mobile subscriber how to respond to an opt-in for
a particular promotion or mobile initiative, which is
typically followed by a Notice (see Notice).

Caller Ringback Tones

CBT

See Ringback Tone

Ringtone

Calltone

Ringbacks

See Ringtone

Capacity

The measure of a mobile network’s ability to support
simultaneous calls, messages, etc.

Carrier

Cascading Style Sheet

Mobile carrier,
A company that provides wireless telecommunicaMobile Network
tions services.
Operator, Mobile
Carrier, Network
Operator, Operator
Company,
Wireless Carrier.
CSS

An external document containing code that defines a
Website’s (Internet and Mobile Web) appearance.

Chat

A program that enables asynchronous interactions
between two or more mobile subscribers.

Chat Bots

A computer-generated response sent to chat participants. These responses are sent without human
interaction.

Child

A person under the age of 13.

Clear and Conspicuous
Notice

The vehicle by which descriptions, instructions, terms
and conditions, and other relevant details pertinent
to a specific marketing initiative, are prominently
posted. (For guidance on the meaning of “clear and
conspicuous” disclosure, please see Section III of the
Federal Trade Commission’s “Dot Com Disclosures,”
available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/
buspubs/dotcom/#III).

Click

The act of when a mobile subscriber interacts with
(highlights and clicks on) an advertisement (banner,
text link) or other actionable link, that has been
served to their screen.


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Glossary

C
Acronyms

AKA


Click to Call

A service that enables a mobile subscriber to initiate a voice
call to a specified phone number by clicking on a link on a
mobile web site. Typically used to enhance and provide a
direct response mechanism in an advertisement.

Click-through

The process that takes a mobile subscriber to a jump
or landing page once the mobile subscriber has
clicked on a link.

Click-through Rate

CTR

A way of measuring the success of an online or
mobile advertising campaign. A CTR is obtained by
dividing the number of users who clicked on an ad
on a Web page by the number of times the ad was
delivered (impressions).

Code Division Multiple
Access;

CDMA

Also called “spread spectrum techniques,” a technique for multiplexing digital transmission of radio
signals in which each voice or data call uses the
whole radio band, and is assigned a unique code.

Color Graphics

Color Wallpapers
Wallpapers
Color
Graphics

A color image.

Color Ring Back Tone

See Ringbacks.

Combination Ad

A potentially clickable ad consisting of an image and text.

Commercial Messages

Text or multimedia messages that are sent to a
mobile device, usually for commercial purposes.

Common Short Code
Administration

CSCA

An organization that administers the common short
code registry for a particular country/region. CSCAs
are predominantly in Canada, China, the United
Kingdom and the United States. Local mobile carriers
and short code aggregators are the administrators of
CSC registry in other countries

Common Shortcode

CSC

Short numeric numbers (typically 4~6 digits) to which
text messages can be sent from a mobile phone.
Wireless subscribers send text messages to common
short codes with relevant keywords to access a wide
variety of mobile content.

Compact HTML

cHTML

A subset of HTML for small devices, such as mobile
phones and PDAs. cHTML was created by Japan-based
Access Company, Ltd. in 1998 for i-Mode devices.

Complete MMS Ad


This advertisement unit assumes that the entire
MMS is the advertisement. This MMS advertisement
could be the result of a WAP Banner click or a free
message sent to subscribers who have opted-in to
receive news about the advertiser.
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Glossary

C
Acronyms

AKA


Confidentiality

The treatment of information that an individual has
disclosed in a relationship of trust, and with the
expectation that it will not be divulged without permission to others, in ways that are inconsistent with
the understanding of the original disclosure.

Confirmed Opt-in

The process used for verifying a mobile subscriber’s
intention, and for gaining the subscriber’s explicit agreement to participate in a mobile program/ initiative.

Consideration

Although the definition of consideration varies from
state to state, generally, consideration means that a
willing participant is required to purchase something
or pay for access to be eligible to enter a game.

Content Aggregator

An organization that contracts with an array of content providers, and redistributes licensed content.

Content Preview

An advertisement where a sample of mobile content is
included. This is very similar to a movie trailer, but, for all
digital content including ringtones and wallpapers.

Content Provider

CP

A company that creates and offers content, e.g.
graphic products, ringtones, games, news, information and entertainment services, etc.

Contest

A promotional mechanism that includes a prize and
a game of skill. Consideration is allowed, but there
cannot be any element of chance.

Cookie

Information placed on a visitor’s computer or Mobile handset by a Web server that can be stored or retrieved when
the site is accessed. Cookies are generally used as unique
identifiers (i.e. user IDs or session IDs) to record a users
unique behavior during each visit. Cookies may be used
to store other data such as email address, usernames etc.
Most mobile handsets do not support cookies, although the
market long-term is moving in this direction.

Cost per Thousand

CPM

A metric used to price advertising banners. Sites that sell
advertising may guarantee an advertiser a certain number
of impressions (number of times an ad banner is served
and presumably seen by visitors) and then set the cost
based on the guarantee, multiplied by the CPM rate.

Coupon

A ticket, message, and/or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount on a product or service.

Cross-carrier Mobilephone Voting Application

A software solution that processes the votes cast by
mobile subscribers from multiple mobile carriers.

Customer Care and
Billing


CCB

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The function area/department of a carrier, content
provider, or other vendor that provides customer
support to mobile customers regarding billing issues,
product/service problems, complaints, etc.
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Glossary

D
Acronyms

AKA


Data Charging

The cost of using the mobile network for data services. The
two main charging models are: pay-as- you-use, which is
effectively metered billing because the charges increase in
proportion to the amount of data consumed by the user; the
second method is charging at pre-set rates (over a monthly
usage period) for pre-determined amounts of data that can
be consumed. These charges become significant in the
distribution of rich media content that drives large amounts
of data across the networks.

Data Collection

The process by which a marketer collects mobile
subscribers’ personally identifiable information.

Day Parting

See Targeting

Deck

Portal

A browseable portal of links to content, pre-configured usually by the network operator, and set as the
default home page to the phone’s browser.

Dedicated Short Code

The process of running only one service on a Common Short Code at any given time.

Delivery Report

An acknowledgement /notice/report of a successful
MO/MT billing.

Digital Multimedia
Broadcasting

DMB

A digital radio transmission technology for sending
multimedia (radio, TV, and data casting) to handsets.

Digital Video Broadcasting- Handset

DVB-H

The technology that drives mobile TV, which is a
combination of conventional digital video, and IP that
scales for smaller devices.

Direct To Consumer

D2C

Content and services promoted directly by the thirdparty “provider” to the phone end-user. The promotion of these services does not depend upon listing in
(operator) portals; the content provider is responsible
for tasks such as pricing and marketing.

Discoverable Notice

See Notice

Double Opt-in

The process of confirming a mobile subscriber’s wish
to participate in a mobile program by requesting
the subscriber to opt-in twice, prior to engaging the
subscriber. A requirement for premium and many
other types of mobile services.

Downloadable Application

See Application


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Glossary

D
Acronyms

AKA


Download video

In this instance, the video file is downloaded to the
handset completely before the handset starts playing
it. Since the video is played when fully received on
the handset, an ad server cannot detect whether the
video content and ads are actually watched in their
entirety. Due to the nature of the underlying technologies used, the quality of the received video files is as
good as the quality of the source file on the network
servers. Since the video files are stored complete on
the mobile handset, copyright concerns are more apparent here. The most popular underlying technology
is OMA download.

Dual Band

A handset that supports and is compatible with two
different standards and/or two different frequencies/
bands.

Dynamic Ad Delivery

Based upon predetermined criteria, Dynamic Ad Delivery is the process by which a mobile advertisement
is delivered, via a campaign management platform, to
a publisher’s mobile content.


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Glossary

E
Acronyms

AKA


End-User

A person who accesses and uses a product. (e.g. a
user who watches a video using their mobile device).

Enhanced Data rates
for GSM Evolution

EDGE

Extensible Markup
Language

XML

A general-purpose markup language, primarily used
to facilitate the sharing of data across different information systems, particularly via the Internet.

Extensible HyperText
Markup Language

XHTML

A markup language. It is a reformulated, upgraded
version of HTML, but still conforms to the XML
syntax.


Enhanced
GPRS (EGPRS)

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The final stage in the evolution of the GSM standard,
which was also an intermediate technology that
brought 2G closer to 3G capacity for data transfer.
EDGE uses a new modulation schema to enable
theoretical data speeds of up to 384kbit/s within the
existing GSM spectrum.

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Glossary

F
Acronyms

AKA

First Generation

See 1G

Fixed Mobile Convergence

FMC

A mobile device that supports both carrier network
and WiFi and can switch between each seamlessly.

Free to End User

FTEU

An FTEU program is any program to which the
subscriber opts-in, with the result that the subscriber
receives Mobile Terminated (MT) SMS/MMS messages for which they do not incur any premium or
standard messaging charges from their wireless
carrier. The subscriber may interact with the service
by sending SMS/MMS messages (including, but
not limited to, messages for the purpose of opt-in,
opt-out and requesting help). The wireless carrier
may, at their discretion, charge the subscriber at
standard messaging rates for Mobile Originated (MO)
messages to the program.

Friendly Off-Deck

Off-portal mobile internet content that has been
validated against operator standards for technical
performance and suitability of content.

Full Music Download

The downloading of a complete song, versus a section of a song, for playback on a mobile device.


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Glossary

G
Acronyms

AKA


Gallery

An extended set of menus containing links to third-party
content. The gallery is usually accessed from the main
(mobile carrier) deck with the assumption the content
has gone through some basic acceptance testing,
though less detailed than that applied to content
featured on the main deck.

Games

See Mobile Games

General Packet Radio
Service

A packet-switching technology that enables highspeed data transmission of up to 115kbps. An
enhancement for GSM, often described as 2.5G.

Global Positioning
System

A system of satellites, computers and receivers that
can determine the latitude and longitude of a given
receiver (within it’s system) located on Earth. It pinpoints the reciever’s location by calculating the time
it takes for signals from different satellites (positioned
at various locations) to reach the receiver.

Global System for Mobile Communications

A digital mobile cellular standard developed and
widely used in Europe. One of the main 2G digital
wireless standards.

Graphic Banners

A graphic mobile ad represented by a banner featuring an image. Similar to a web banner, but with lower
size constraints (See Banner Size).

Graphics Interchange
Format

GIF

A supported format for color images, such as mobile
banner ads.

Greeting

A voicemail greeting that the caller hears when the
call recipient he/she is attempting to reach does not
answer their mobile phone. Can consist of a Mastertone or Voicetone, or a custom message recorded by
the handset/account owner.

Greeting Card

mobile card

See M-Card

Group Chat

Community
Chat

See Chat.


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Glossary

H
Acronyms
Hands Free

AKA


Hands free
kit

The operation of a mobile phone without the use
of the handset; usually installed in vehicles and/or
enabled via Bluetooth or similar headset.

Handset

Term used in reference to a mobile phone, mobile
device, or mobile terminal.

Heading/H tags

This tag denotes a specific page or section heading
on a Web page. Engines pay special attention to
H text as it provides insight into the topicality and
relevance of the content contained with the section.

High Speed Downlink
Packet Access

An enhancement to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 3G technology, also
known as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
(W-CDMA). It is designed to increase the available
download speeds by more than five times, and,
in theory, reaches up to 14 Mbps (million bits per
second).


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Glossary

I
Acronyms

AKA


Image

A photograph or graphic that may be delivered to
the mobile handset as any of several low resolution
image formats, including .png, .gif, .jpg, etc. Images
on mobile platform may be classified as mobile
content/products (wallpapers, screensavers, etc),
assets for a mobile website, or enabled with links to
trigger an action.

Image Ad

An image on a mobile web site with an active link
that can be clicked on by the wireless subscriber.
Once clicked, the wireless subscriber is redirected
to a new page, another mobile web site or other
destination where an offer resides.

i-Mode

A packet-based information service developed by
Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo to deliver a wide
range of services to mobile subscribers. The revenue
sharing model used for i-Mode is being adopted by
other operators as the basis for the new services
enabled by GPRS and 3G.

Impressions

A business metric for counting the number of times
mobile subscribers have viewed a particular page,
mobile advertisement on a mobile internet site or
embedded within a text message or similar mobile
medium.

Index

The database in which a search engine stores content from every Web page that its spider visits.

Information on Demand

IOD

Content delivered in the form of an Alert. Subscriber
receives updates of weather, traffic, horoscopes,
jokes of the day, etc via SMS text, at a predetermined
time and frequency.

Instant Voice Response

IVR

A computerized system that allows a person, typically
a telephone caller, to select options from a voice
menu and otherwise interact with the computer
phone system from their mobile device.

Integrated Digital
Enhanced Network

i-DEN

A wireless technology developed by Motorola,
which combines the capabilities of a digital cellular
telephone, two-way radio, alpha-numeric pager, and
data/fax modem into a single network. iDEN operates
in the 800MHz, 900MHz, and 1 500MHz frequency
bands, and is based on TDMA and GSM architecture it places more users in a given spectral space,
compared to analog cellular systems. iDEN networks
are used by various carriers all over the world, and by
Nextel and Southern LINC in the USA.


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Glossary

I
Acronyms

AKA


Interactive TV

iTV

Interactive TV refers to TV programming and technology
that allows the viewer to engage in two-way interaction
with the television/programming.

Interactive Voice
Response

IVR

A phone technology that allows a computer to detect
voice and touch tones using a normal phone call.
The IVR system can respond with pre-recorded or
dynamically generated audio to further direct callers
on how to proceed. IVR systems can be used to control almost any function where the interface can be
broken down into a series of simple menu choices.

International Mobile
Equipment Identity

IMEI

A 15 digit, unique serial number assigned to a mobile
phone. IMEI consists of five groups of numbers. The
first group represents the manufacturer; the second
sequence identifies the Type Approval Code (TAC) or
model number; the third represents Final Assembly
Code (FAC); the fourth is the device serial number
and the fifth is a spare single digit (usually 0).

Inter-operable Messaging

The ability for mobile subscribers to exchange text and
multimedia messages across different mobile operator
networks. Also used to refer to a Common Short Code that
is registered on multiple mobile operators’ networks.

Interstitial Image Ad

An advertising image that is inserted into the middle of a
complete MMS message. This image will be displayed as
the subscriber is viewing the complete MMS message.

Interstitial Text Ad

A text page that is displayed in the middle of the
MMS message.

Interstitial Video Ad

An advertising video clip that is inserted in the middle of
a complete MMS message. This video plays back as the
subscriber is viewing the complete MMS message.

Interstitial Video Clip

An advertising video clip that is inserted into the
middle of a complete MMS message. This video
will be displayed as the subscriber is viewing the
complete MMS message.

IVR Discovery

A content discovery method where the user calls
a phone number, during which their mobile phone
number is captured, and a data connection is
subsequently made to the handset (SMS, WAP push).
A charge for the call registers once the mobile connection has been made.


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Glossary

J
Acronyms

AKA


Java

An object-oriented programming language developed
by Sun Microsystems. Programs authored in Java do
not rely on an operating system, as long as a Java
Virtual Machine (JVM) is installed on the destination
device on which they are running.

Java 2 Platform, Micro
Edition

J2ME

A technology that allows programmers to use the
Java programming language and related tools to develop programs for mobile handsets. J2ME consists
of programming specifications and a special virtual
machine (Java Virtual Machine, or JVM) that allows a
J2ME-encoded program to run in the handset.

Java Games

refer to Mobile
Games

Mobile games authored in the Java programming
language. The destination/player device must have
the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed for it to run.

Joint Photographic
Experts Group

JPEG

An image compression format widely used for storing
and transmitting photographs on the World Wide
Web. Suitable for compressing photographic images,
however, each subsequent compression causes image quality deterioration. Not appropriate for graphs,
charts and other textual or iconic graphics, as the
compression blurs the image.

Jump Page


Landing
Page

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The page or view to which a user is directed when
they click on an active link embedded in a banner,
web page, email or other view. A click-through lands
the user on a jump page.

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Glossary

K
Acronyms


Prefix, Suffix

Keyword

AKA

A word or name used to distinguish a targeted message within a Short Code Service.

Keyword density
Kilobits per second


The ratio of keywords to non keywords within page
content.
Kbps

Version 2008. 12

A commonly used unit of measurement for data
transfer speed. Kilobit denotes thousands of bits.
Higher data rates are expressed in Mbps (mega/millions bits per second) or in Gbps (giga/billions of bits
per second).

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Glossary

L
Acronyms


Jump Page

Landing Page

AKA

A secondary page to which a user is directed when
they click on an ad, where they are provided additional information and/or a mechanism to make
a purchase. The user is often driven to a landing
page via an ad banner, link or other offer-related
communication.

Layered Notice

The provisioning of a short, medium and long form
description for a program/service overview, terms
and conditions, and related program details.

License
Location Based
Services

Rights
LBS

See Royalties
A range of services that are provided to mobile
subscribers based on the geographical location of their
handsets within their cellular network. Handsets have
to be equipped with a position-location technology such
as GPS to enable the geographical-trigger of service(s)
being provided. LBS include driving directions, information about certain resources or destinations within
current vicinity, such as restaurants, ATMs, shopping,
movie theaters, etc. LBS may also be used to track the
movements and locations of people, as is being done
via parent/ child monitoring services and mobile devices
that target the family market.

Location Information

Information that enables a Mobile Marketer to identify
the specific location of a particular wireless device.
Zip codes and area codes typically do not alone
provide the specificity to qualify as Location Information. However, a Global Positioning System (GPS) is
an example of a functionality that provides Location
Information.

Locator

An advertisement or service through which an advertiser’s (i.e. Radio Shack, Ford) brick & mortar location
can be identified based on proximity of the consumer
or their preferred location (can be GPS/LBS or user
defined postal code).

Lottery

A lottery is a game that includes a prize, a game
of chance, and consideration. Federal legislation
and State laws govern (and disallow) all lotteries for
promotional purposes.


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Glossary
M
Acronyms
Mastertone

AKA


Truetone,
Realtone

Audio sourced directly from recorded music tracks and
encoded for mobile devices with a high fidelity format,
such as MP3, AAC, or WMV format. Often an edited
section of a song or other composition, Mastertones can
be used as Ringer Tones and Ringback Tones.

Menu

Any list of selections that are accessible using either
the left or right soft key while inside the Application.

Messaging

Collectively, SMS and MMS messages sent to mobile
phones/devices. This definition does not include
advertisements delivered on WAP sites or advertisements delivered into games on mobile devices.

Meta Description

The meta tag that describes the page’s content –
especially relevant to mobile spiders.

MMS Banner

A transparent advertising screen image that is
inserted with text onto an MMS message. This image
will be displayed as the subscriber is viewing the

MMS Message

A message sent via a Multimedia Messaging Service
that contains multimedia objects.

MO or MT Billing

The tagging of a tariff to the MO or MT SMS message of a PSMS service for billing purposes.

Mobile Advertising

A form of advertising that is communicated to the
consumer/target via a handset. This type of advertising
is most commonly seen as a Mobile Web Banner (top of
page), Mobile Web Poster (bottom of page banner), and
full screen interstitial, which appears while a requested
mobile web page is “loading.” Other forms of this type of
advertising are SMS and MMS ads, mobile gaming ads,
and mobile video ads (pre, mid and post roll).

Mobile Carriers

See Carriers

Mobile Community
Service

A service accessible from a mobile device which
may include, but is not limited to, the following functionality: (i) a system for end-users to communicate
through the service; or (ii) a system or mechanism for
end-users to upload or download content to a private
space; or (iii) a system or mechanism to upload or
download content to a public space.

Mobile Content

Entertainment, sports and news information and games
delivered via any wireless media type in a non-advertising format. Location, delivery, and technology of content
is irrelevant and can include both on and off deck.


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Glossary
M
Acronyms

AKA


Mobile Content
Advertising

This is typically an SMS message that either: a) contains advertising text; or b) points mobile subscribers
to a print, web or TV advertisement that promotes
mobile ringtones, games, applications, subscription
services and other mobile products.

Mobile Dating

Social networking via a mobile community, application or web site for the purpose of dating.

Mobile Games

A game created for and played on a handset or
handheld computer. The majority of mobile games
are downloaded to the handset and played using the
basic technologies and controls built into the device
(arrow keys, soft key, number keys, etc). Some mobile
games are developed to be played using the communications technologies present in the device and/or
provided by the service provider/carrier, such as by
text message (SMS), multimedia message (MMS)
or GPRS location identification. Mobile games are
presently authored on the Java, BREW or Symbian
development platforms.

Mobile Greeting Card

Truetone,
Realtone

A mobile greeting card comprised of media file/s such
as a graphic or video clip, which may either contain a
pre-composed text message/sentiment, or provide the
sender the ability to add a personalized message (text)
before sending to mobile recipient.

Mobile Handset

Mobile
Terminal

See Handset

Mobile Identification
Number

MIN

See MSISDN

Mobile Internet

Mobile Web

See Mobile Web

Mobile Marketer

All companies within the mobile ecosystem, including: Advertisers, Aggregators/Distributors, Carriers,
Content Providers and Publishers.

Mobile Marketing

The use of wireless media as an integrated content
delivery and direct response vehicle within a crossmedia or stand-alone marketing communications
program.


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Glossary
M
Acronyms
Mobile Marketing
Association

AKA


MMA

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier
global non-profit trade association established to lead
the growth of mobile marketing and its associated
technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development,
establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for
sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile
channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing over forty countries around the globe, include
all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile
Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located
in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin America
(LATAM), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Asia Pacific
(APAC) branches.

Mobile Marketing
Program

Any marketing or advertising program distributed via
a handset. This includes, but is not limited to, a Mobile Messaging Program, one or more advertisements
delivered on WAP sites, or one or more advertisements delivered via games on mobile devices.

Mobile Message

SMS and/or MMS message sent to a handset but
does not include advertisements delivered on WAP
sites, or advertisements delivered into mobile games.

Mobile Messaging
Program

Multiple mobile messages, usually delivered as part
of a coordinated campaign.

Mobile Network
Operators

MNO

See Carrier

Mobile Operators
Mobile Originated
Message

See Carrier
MO, MOM

An SMS/ MMS message sent from a mobile device.

Mobile Search

Executing a search via mobile Internet.

Mobile Shorts

Mobile Station International ISDN Number

Mobile Subscriber


Mobile
Episodes,
Mobisodes,
Mobile Phone
Number, MIN

Uniquely identifies a wireless device within a wireless
carrier’s network. The MSISDN is dialed from other
wireless or wireline networks to direct a signal to a
specific wireless device. MSISDNs can be electronically checked to help prevent fraud.

Subscriber

MSISDN

Original, made-for-mobile programming/episodes.
Usually created by TV networks and movie studios to
cross-sell popular TV and film properties/franchises.
Not the same as “mobile video clips.”

A consumer that enters into an agreement with a Carrier.
Once executed, the agreement requires the Carrier to provide wireless telecommunications services to the consumer.

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Glossary
M
Acronyms
Mobile Terminated
Message

AKA


MT, MTM

An SMS/ MMS message received to a mobile device.

Mobile TV

Television/Video programming formatted for the
mobile screen. Program is streamed or broadcasted
via various platforms - MediaFlo, DVB-H, etc.

Mobile Video

See Mobile TV

Mobile Web

Motion Picture Experts
Group

Wireless
Internet
Mobile Web
Mobile
Internet

MPEG

A compression technology for voice and video, which
allows these forms of information to be transmitted
over difficult links or small-bandwidth networks.

Mobile Virtual Network
Operator

Mobile Virtual Network
Operator

The Mobile Web is a channel for delivery of web content,
which offers and formats content to users in awareness
of the mobile context. The mobile context is characterized by the nature of personal user information needs
(e.g. updating your blog, accessing travel information,
receiving news update), constraints of mobile phones
(i.e. screen size, keypad input) and special capabilities
(i.e. location, connection type such as 3G or WLAN).

A mobile service provider that leases/ uses the network
infrastructure of a major mobile carrier. Examples are:
Amp’d Mobile, which uses Verizon’s network and Boost
Mobile, which uses the Sprint/Nextel network.
MVNO

A mobile service provider that leases/ uses the network
infrastructure of a major mobile carrier. Examples are:
Amp’d Mobile, which uses Verizon’s network and Boost
Mobile, which use the Sprint/Nextel network.

Mobisode

Trademarked term owned by NewsCorp/ Fox Broadcasting Company to describe original, made-for-mobile video
programming/ episodes. Term was first used by Fox to
market short episodes derived from storylines of 24, The
Simple Life and other popular Fox TV properties.

Mono Tone

An old-style ringtone based on previous generation
technology, that plays one musical note at a time. A
single track composition.

MP3 Tone

Ringtone created from MP3 formats. Can only be
utilized on MP3 supported handsets.

Mpeg Audio Layer 3

MP3

Multimedia Messaging
Service

MMS


An audio compression format to greatly reduce the
amount of data required to represent the audio recording, without compromising a significant level of its
original sound quality.
MMS

Version 2008. 12

Standard for telephony messaging systems that enable
the sending of messages that include multimedia
objects (images, audio, video, rich text). May or may not
include normal text.

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Glossary
M
Acronyms

AKA


Multiplayer Mobile
Game

MMG

Massive
Multiplayer
Game

Mobile game that can be played simultaneously by
several players at the same physical location on one
handset (pass-and-play), or offsite, on different handsets. The latter type must be network enabled.

Musical Instrument
Digital Interface

MIDI


Version 2008. 12

A standard used to represent musical information in a
digital format. They can be recorded and played back
only on MIDI-capable devices.

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Glossary

N
Acronyms

AKA


Network Operator

See Carrier

NeuStar

The commercial company that manages the directory
of common short codes, which are rented out for use
through the CSCA organization.

Non-Personally Identifiable Information

Non-PII

Information that may correspond to a particular
person, account or profile, but is not sufficient to
identify, contact or locate the person to whom such
information pertains. Non-qualified lead.

Notice

An easy-to-understand written description of the information and data collection, storage, maintenance,
access, security, disclosure and use policies and
practices, as necessary and required, of the entity
collecting and using the information and data from
the mobile subscriber.

Number Portability

The requirement set forth by federal legislation that
allows consumers of mobile communication services
to retain their mobile phone numbers for as long as
they wish, even if/when they change mobile service
providers. Legislation was passed to stop the requirements by carriers to change phone numbers each
time the consumer switched carriers.


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Glossary

O
Acronyms


Off Deck

Off Portal

AKA

Point of sale/access on the mobile network, but
outside of the carrier’s “walled garden”/ portal/ deck,
where consumers can access/ purchase information
and mobile products/ content/ utilities.

Offer Based Ad

A clickable advertisement with a discount/offer for a
product or service.

OMA Download

An open standard and application-level protocol that
enables reliable content downloads. It can be integrated
with other services, such as billing, allowing premiumpriced content to be made available to mobile users.

On Device Portal

The portal infrastructure is downloaded to the
handset, using a technology such as Java or Flash.
Some data is cached on device, so no connection is
required for the user to browse the basic content set.
The user connects to get updated information and
the provider can update the local cache over-the-air
when the user is connected.

On Portal

Online Preference
Marketing

Operating Company

On Deck

OPM

Point of sale/ access within the carrier’s “walled
garden”/ portal/ deck where mobile customers can
access/ purchase information and mobile products/
content/ utilities.
Process whereby information is typically collected
over time, and across web pages and WAP sites,
to determine or predict Subscriber characteristics,
behavior and/or preferences for use in ad delivery on
the mobile web. The OPM process can use Non-PII or
a combination of PII and Non-PII. OPM does not refer
to the use of data by Mobile Marketers for ad delivery
or reporting.

OpsCo

See Carrier

Operator Assisted Chat
Program

A one-to-one chat program with a designated person,
that is not a peer-to-peer chat program.

Operator Logo

A logo (usually the mobile carrier’s logo) that appears
on the status screen of a handset. This screen real
estate is often modified (i.e., with personalization
content) by mobile subscribers to personalize their
phones in such a way that reflects their individual
interests and style preferences.


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Glossary

O
Acronyms

AKA


Optimization

Process of modifying/refining an advertising campaign so that it will perform more favorably for the
advertiser, and extend reach, boost click-throughs
and conversion rates, etc. Usually, done by using
more qualified data about target market.

Opt-in

The process where a Subscriber provides explicit
consent, after receiving Notice from the Mobile
Marketer.

Opt-out

The process through which a Subscriber revokes
consent after receiving Notice from the Mobile
Marketer. An example of an Opt-out process includes,
but is not limited to, a Subscriber replying to an SMS
message with the phrase “stop.”

Opt-out Mechanism

A process by which a Subscriber may exercise his or
her right to Opt-out.

Over-the-air


OTA

Version 2008. 12

A method of distributing new software updates
to cell phones or provisioning handsets with the
necessary settings with which to access services
such as WAP or MMS.

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Glossary

P
Acronyms

AKA


Page View

Unit of measure that tracks the number of times users load a particular web or WAP site/page.

Paid Inclusion

Paying a fee to an engine to be indexed.

Paid Placement

Paying a fee to a search engine to have your
listing prominently displayed – usually as a “sponsored listing”.

Partial MMS Ad

This advertisement unit assumes that the advertisement
is inserted into an existing MMS message that is being
viewed by the consumer. For example, the MMS message could be a CBS news alert with relevant news info.
This MMS is requested or opted-into by the subscriber.

Participation Television

PTV

Interactive
Television

Participation TV is the use of mobile interaction and
other media (mobile, landline, Web) to allow viewers of
a TV broadcast to engage with the content in order to
have an impact, express an opinion, or other types of
viewer interactions.

Participation TV Eco
System

Broadcaster – Provides the viewers via broadcasting the
content with the Call-To-Action (CTA)
Production Company – Produces the content and CallTo-Action (CTA) for the broadcaster
Application Provider– Designs the application logic and
reporting to the creative guidelines of the producer and
technical standards of the mobile operators
Service Provider - Manages all aspects of the participation element from integration with creative to crisis
management procedures
Sweepstakes/Sales Promotion Company (When applicable) - Writes the terms and conditions of any sweepstakes or sales promotions for a program in accordance
with federal and state laws as they are interpreted at
that time and bonds and registers any prizes
Mobile Gateway (Aggregator) – Provides connectivity
and billing to wireless networks
Wireless Networks – Provides the network of mobile
subscribers/customers and network applications
Note: There are many different arrangements that exist
in this segment. While some companies may operate as
one or many of the above functions, all of the functions
must be present to produce a Participation TV program.

Pause

A mobile subscriber’s status in a chat program during
which premium charges cannot be applied to the
subscriber’s account, nor any queue messages can be
allowed.

Payout

The net revenue provided to marketer after mobile
carrier and aggregator allocation.


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Glossary

P
Acronyms


Polyphonic
Ringtone Poly 4,
16 & 24. (referring
to the number of
instruments used
to create the poly
ringtone); Polytone

Pay-per Download

AKA

The mobile subscriber selects the content or service
he/she wants, and is billed only for the product requested. The content is often presented in print with
separate order codes for each download, or through
a browse-and-buy WAP site on the phone. There is
no further billing of the mobile subscriber until more
content is requested.

Peer to Peer Chat

A one-to-one chat program of interactions between
two individuals, neither of whom is a paid “chat
professional.”

Penetration

The percentage of the total population that owns a
mobile phone.

Personally-Identifiable
Information

PII

Information that can be used to identify or contact a
person, including name, address, telephone number,
or email address. PII also includes any other data,
such as, but not limited to, anonymous identifiers,
demographic or behavioral data, when such data are
linked to PII and identify a person to the party holding
such data. Data that are PII for one party may not
constitute PII for another.

Personalization
Content

Any content that serves to “personalize” the handset or
service for the owner, often based on the owners personal style and entertainment preferences. Includes all
graphics (wallpapers, screensavers, phone themes, etc)
and certain audio (ringtones, ringbacks, alerts, greetings)
and video products (video tones etc.).

Permission Level

The level of permission a mobile subscriber has granted
to a specific carrier or service or wireless content site to
receive advertising messages from them.

Picture Message

An SMS that is designed with qwerty text to form a
picture, and is sent via SMS.

PIN

A method where a user purchases a PIN through a
Web site or premium-rate phone number and then
redeems its value against a content purchase.

Placement

The area where an advertisement is displayed/placed
within a publisher’s mobile content.

Polyphonic Ringtone


: Poly 4, 16 &
24. (referring to
the number of
instruments used
to create the poly
ringtone)
: Polytone

Version 2008. 12

Audio created with MIDI technology for use on mobile
handsets. Can be created from original compositions
or existing music.

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Glossary

P
Acronyms

AKA


Portal

See Deck

Post Roll

The streaming of a mobile advertising clip after a mobile TV/video clip. The mobile advertisement is usually
10-15 seconds.

Post-slide Full Screen
Image

A full screen advertising image that is inserted
after an MMS Message. This image will be
displayed as the subscriber is viewing the

Potential Audience

It is a) the total number of unique users/devices that
is reached by any site’s content (pull advertising), or
b) the number of addressable devices to which the
service provider or marketer has the permission and
ability to push advertising (push advertising).

Predictive Text

T-9

Intelligent software that makes typing words/text messages easier on a mobile phone keypad. Utilizes a builtin dictionary. As the mobile subscriber presses certain
keys, the software tries to predict the words the mobile
subscriber intends to compose based on the letters that
correspond to those keys.

Premium Billing

The ability to bill above standard SMS/ text rates.

Premium Content

Content for which the provider levies a charge separate and in addition to any fixed charges made by the
network operator to access that content.

Premium Rate

Programs or messages that result in charges above
and beyond standard text messaging charges normally applied to the subscriber’s wireless bill.

Premium Rate Program

A program that requires double opt-in where the
subscriber is billed above the standard SMS rate as
per his/her mobile plan.

Premium Short Message
Service

PSMS

Reverse SMS
Billing or MT
Billing

Billing mechanism by which the mobile subscriber
is charged above standard text messaging rates for
mobile content and/or subscription.

Pre-paid

Term used for no-contract, no rental charge service
where a mobile subscriber buys credit usually in predetermined denominations, in advance for the use of a
mobile carrier’s wireless telecommunication services.

Pre-roll

The streaming of a mobile advertising clip prior to a
mobile TV/video clip. The mobile ad is usually 10-15
seconds in length.

Pre-slide Full Screen
Image

A full screen advertising image that is inserted before
an MMS Message. This image will be displayed as the
subscriber is viewing the complete MMS message.


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Glossary

P
Acronyms

AKA


Privacy

The quality of being secluded from the presence or
view of others.

Private Content

End-user data (including but not limited to text
entries, photos, videos, and multimedia files) located
in a private space.

Private Space

The parts of the Mobile Community Service that
are only visible and accessible by the end-user, or
to other individuals that the end-user has expressly
granted access. Examples of a Private Space include
but are not limited to (i) Private content locker; (ii)
Private blog entry; (iii) Instant messaging session; or
(iv) Email inbox;

Program “television”

A television program, inclusive of all content
broadcast in connection therewith, including, without
limitation, bumpers, promotional spots, commercials,
PSAs, chyrons, credits, disclosures, disclaimers, etc.,
whether broadcast during the body of the program
or in the commercial and promotional spots which
precede and follow the program.

Program Approval

A specific program presented for approval to an
aggregator and carrier for the usage and provisioning
of a short code.

Progressive Video
Download

Here a video file is downloaded to the handset and starts
playing the video when a certain percentage of the video
file has been received. This technology combines the
benefits of streaming video (quick to play the video) and
download video (high quality). Although most progressive video download technologies are still proprietary,
standardization bodies are making efforts to include
progressive downloads as a new standard.

Promotional Content

Content offered at no charge to the user, as a
sampler, enabling customers to “try before they buy,”
increasing purchase confidence.

PSMS Tariff

The dollar unit for premium billing.

Public Content

The end-user data (including but not limited to text
entries, photos, videos, and multimedia files) located
in a Public Space.

Public Space

The parts of the Mobile Community Service that are
visible and accessible by users in general without any
explicit grant of access by any end-user. Examples of
a Public Space include but are not limited to (i) Public
chat rooms; (ii) Public user profiles; (iii) Public group
chats; or (iv) Public content lockers.


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Glossary

P
Acronyms

AKA


Publisher

A company that provides WAP sites and/or facilitates
the delivery of advertising via one or more WAP sites.
Also, a publisher of mobile content, such as games
and personalization products.

Publisher’s Aggregator

Content Aggregator

See Content Aggregator

Pull Messaging

Wireless Pull
Advertising
Content Pull
Messaging

Any content sent to the wireless subscriber upon
request, shortly thereafter, on a one time basis.
For example, when a customer requests the local
weather from a WAP-capable browser, the content
of the response, including any related advertising, is
Pull Messaging.

Premium Rate

Push Messaging


Programs or messages that result in charges above
and beyond standard text messaging charges normally applied to the subscriber’s wireless bill.
Wireless Push
Advertising
Content Push
Messaging

Version 2008. 12

Any content sent by or on behalf of advertisers and marketers to a wireless mobile device at a time other than when
the subscriber requests it. Push Messaging includes audio,
short message service (SMS) messages, e-mail, multimedia
messaging, cell broadcast, picture messages, surveys, or
any other pushed advertising or content.

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Glossary

Q
Acronyms

AKA

QWERTY


A text entry method for subscribers to enter information or queries into a handset, similar to a keyboard
text entry.

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Glossary

R
Acronyms

AKA


Random Short Code
Real Time Streaming
Protocol

A random number sequence assigned by the administration body to the company leasing the short code.
RTSP

A protocol for use in streaming media systems which
allows a client to remotely control a streaming media
server, issuing VCR-like commands such as “play”
and “pause”, and allowing time-based access to files
on a server.

Real Tones
Really Simple Syndication

See Mastertone
RSS

RSS Feed

Redirect

The model for content discovery and purchase that
is provided by operators on-deck. This model is
increasingly emerging off-deck, and replicates the PC
Web experience for sites designed for handsets.
Automatically sending a user to a URL different from
the one they clicked on. Considered a very negative
tactic if used deceptively, it is approved by the
engines for the purpose of sending users to content
formatted appropriately for their device.

Redemption

Conversion

The number or percentage of consumers that actually took advantage of a particular offer.

Referrer

The Web page that delivered your visitor to your website.

Reply Actions

The mobile subscriber may respond by replying to
the MMS message.

Response Capability

The ability of the user to respond based on the
feature set of the user’s device. (examples: SMS with
embedded 800 number, SMS 2 way, WAP).

Relevance

The likelihood that a given Web page will be of interest
or useful to a search engine user for a keyword search.

Revenue Share

Rev Share

Revenue Share Percentage

Ringbacks


Each party behind the mobile marketing initiative
splits the revenue derived from the mobile marketing
program.
The designated percentage share of revenue to which
a stakeholder/rights holder is entitled based on revenue
sharing agreements, etc. Applies to revenue collected
from the sale and distribution of content, programming,
services and other revenue-generating property.

CBT

Caller Ringback
Tones

Version 2008. 12

The audio or “ring” the caller hears when calling a
specific mobile number. Can be a Mastertone, Polytone
or Voicetone and is either a device default or set by the
handset owner when personalizing his/her mobile device. Ringback length is based on Carrier requirements.

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Page 35 of 53

Glossary

R
Acronyms
Ringtones

AKA


Callertones,
Ringers, Ringer
Tones

The audio, or “ring” a handset owner hears when a
call is received. Can be a Mastertone, Polytone or
Voicetone and is either a device default or set by the
handset owner when personalizing his/her mobile device. Ringer length is based on Carrier requirements.

Roaming
Royalties


A service allowing mobile subscribers to use their
handsets on the networks of other mobile carriers.
License, Rights

Version 2008. 12

A fee paid by a content aggregator/ service provider/
mobile carrier to the content owner, e.g., music
publisher, movie distributor, for the right to use or
repurpose the content for mobile consumption.

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Page 36 of 53

Glossary

S
Acronyms

AKA


Screen Characteristic

The pixel size and color of the device screen that can
display advertising. This would include text limit for
SMS messaging.

Screen Real Estate

Pertaining to the quality and size of the handset
screen, i.e., the area of which advertisers can utilize
for banner placements.

Screen Saver

A screen saver is an animated image that is activated on
a display when no user activity has been detected for a
certain period of time. The original purpose of a screen
saver was to prevent burn-in (the burning of an image
into the phosphor inside the cathode ray tube after hours
of the same image being rescanned). It is also used to
preserve battery life of the handset.

Screen Size

Amount of display space a particular handset offers. Size
usually is measured in pixels, inches or millimeters.

Search Engine Marketing

SEM

A form of marketing that seeks to promote websites
by increasing their visibility in search engine results
pages (SERPs).

Search Engine Optimization

SEO

The process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a Mobile Web site from search engines via natural
search results for targeted keywords.

Search Engine Results
Page

SERP

A page of search results delivered by a search engine.

Second Generation

2G

Secondary Keyword

Series 60 (phones)

See 2G
Sub Prefix/ Suffix

S60

Similar to a keyword but its usage is for gathering metrics, repurposing existing keywords or as a
geographic locator.
A user interface developed by Nokia. It runs over
Symbian OS. Phone that use Series 60 are: N-gage,
the Fashion Series etc

Service Activation

The status of which a mobile program/service can be
activated post the mobile carriers’ program approval
and the necessary UATs.

Service Discovery

The method by which a consumer finds content
of interest. Service discovery falls into on-handset
(on-line) or off-handset (off-line) methods. On-line
includes browsing menus, direct URL entry, personto-person recommendation, ad banners or search.
Off-line includes printed access methods such as
sending a text keyword to an SMS short code. Offline discovery is assumed to be valid for users across
multiple mobile networks.


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Glossary

S
Acronyms

AKA


Service Provider

A third party that performs or assists in the performance
of a function or activity involving the use or disclosure
of Personally Identifiable Information or Non-Personally
Identifiable Information on behalf of a Mobile Marketer.

Shared Short code

A short code that is utilized to run multiple mobile
services and/or marketing campaigns simultaneously.

Service Provider

A third party that performs or assists in the performance of a function or activity involving the use or
disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information or
Non-Personally Identifiable Information on behalf of a
Mobile Marketer.

Shared Short code

A short code that is utilized to run multiple mobile
services and/or marketing campaigns simultaneously.

Short Code

Common Short
Code

Short Code Program

Short for Common Short Code. See Common Short
Code.
A marketing campaign that utilizes a Short code as
the primary means of opt-in.

Short Message Peerto-Peer Protocol

SMPP

A telecommunications industry protocol for exchanging SMS messages between SMS peer entities such
as short message service centers (SMSC). It is used
primarily for connecting third-party services with SMSCs
to enable various types of automated SMS services.

Short Message Service

SMS

A standard for telephony messaging systems that allow
sending messages between mobile devices that consist
of short messages, normally with text only content.

SIM Toolkit

STK

A “kit” that allows mobile carriers to add additional
functions to the phone menu in order to provide new
services. It is also specified within the GSM standard.

Single Opt-in

When a mobile subscriber opts in to a program via
a subscriber-initiated message to a service provider
as prompted by the terms of the program. E.g., when
a subscriber texts JOIN HEALTH ALERTS to a short
code, that subscriber is opting in to the service.

Single Player Games

A mobile game that is played by one player only. E.g.,
Tetris, Bubbles, Sudoku etc..

Site Tagging

The process of inserting advertisement tags into a Mobile
Web (WAP) site that allows a mobile campaign management platform to deliver advertisements to the site.

Smartphone

A handheld device that integrates mobile phone
capabilities with the more common features of a
handheld computer or PDA. Smartphones allow users
to store information, e-mail, install programs, along
with using a mobile phone in one device.


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Glossary

S
Acronyms

SMS Center


SMS Phishing

Smishing

AKA

A security attack in which the mobile subscriber is
tricked into downloading a Trojan horse, virus or other
malware onto his/her handset. SMiShing is short for
“SMS phishing” .

SMSC

The network entity in the mobile carrier’s telecommunications network which switches, stores and routes
SMS traffic.

SMS Chat

A feature, mostly embedded in newer handsets, that
allows the mobile subscriber to “chat” via the SMS
protocol.

SMS Message

A message sent via a Short Message Service. 160
characters in length and most commonly referred to as a
text (or txt).

SMS to TV

SMS2TV

SMS-based
Interactive TV, SMS
Text Messaging,
Mobile Interactive
TV, MobilePhone-Based
iTV, WAP-based
Voting Application,
iTV Services for
Wireless Devices,
Synchronizing Mobile-Phone Based
Applications with
TV Programming,
Wireless 2-Screen
iTV, Call TV, SMS2-TV, SMSTV Text
Messaging, Text TV

An interaction between the TV Broadcaster and mobile subscriber where the mobile subscriber texts in a
message/vote which is either displayed on TV screen
or affects outcome of the program being aired.

SMS Tone

An audio product that alerts the mobile subscriber when
a text message is received.

Spending Cap Limits

A ceiling limit placed on a particular subscription program which the content provider can bill the subscriber.
Often imposed on chat programs by carriers.

Spider

Also known as a bot, robot, or crawler. Programs used
by a search engine to discover, download and index
Mobile Web content.

Standard Rate

Programs or messages that result in only normal text
messaging charges being applied to the mobile subscriber’s
wireless bill or that result in messages being deducted from
a subscriber’s messaging plan allowance.


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Glossary

S
Acronyms

AKA


Standard Rate Program

A program that requires single opt-in where the
mobile subscriber is billed standard SMS rates as per
the subscriber’s mobile plan.

Streaming

An internet derived expression for the one-way
transmission of video and audio content.

Streaming Video

When a mobile video is “streamed” to a handset it
starts playing when the first bits of the video stream
are received. The technologies used allow ad servers
to track the viewing of a video ad placed at the beginning, middle or end of a mobile video. Commonly
used video streaming ad servers would be able to
provide advertisers with detailed statistics on how
many sections or what percentage of a particular
video ad has been viewed by a unique individual.
The most popular underlying technology is RTSP.
Due to the nature of the underlying technologies
used, the quality of the received video differs
based on varying network conditions. It should also
be noted that since the video file is usually not stored
on the receiving handset, this methodology raises
less copyright concerns.

Subscriber
Subscriber Identity
Module

Mobile Subscriber
SIM

See Mobile Subscriber

SIM CARD

A smart card inserted into a GSM-based handset
containing the mobile subscriber’s details such as the
telephone number, encoded network identification
details, the PIN and other mobile subscriber data such
as the phone book. A mobile subscriber’s SIM card can
be moved from handset to handset as it contains all the
key information required to activate the handset.

Subscriber Information

Information that pertains to a mobile subscriber,
including Personally Identifiable Information and
Non-Personally Identifiable Information. Subscriber
Information includes demographic information (e.g.,
age, income range, education level), or preference
information (e.g., visits travel WAP sites.)

Subscription

Product or services initiated by a mobile subscriber
to receive content on an ongoing basis, typically with
periodic premium billing events. It is not a one-time
usage service.

Subscription Billing
Renewal Message

A message sent to a participating subscriber before the
program/subscription is renewed which contains the
following: 1) the name of the program, 2) the renewal
details, 3) billing period and advice of charge for the
program and 4) opt-out details.


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Glossary

S
Acronyms

AKA


Subscription Period

A period of time set for a subscription program, usually
no longer than one month.

Subscription Program

Any program which the mobile subscriber opts-in
to a program which results in the mobile subscriber
passively incurs premium or standard charges over
time for content delivery.

Subscription Service

A service that provides mobile content (could include
any type of content from news, graphics, music,
video, audio, etc) for a fee charged at regular, defined
intervals, such as monthly or weekly.

Sweepstakes

A sweepstakes is a legal game that includes a prize,
and a game of chance. No consideration is allowed.

Synchronized Multimedia Integration
Language

SMIL

Synchronous


A protocol developed to allow the authoring of MMS
messages. The protocol describes the sequence,
timing and source of the message elements. These
elements could be images, audio, video or text.
A type of two-way communication with virtually no time
delay, allowing participants to respond in real time.

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Glossary

T
Acronyms

AKA


Tardisodes

Similar to a mobisode, except a tardisode was made
for a UK program, Dr. Who, thus, is also a made-formobile program.

Targeting

Various criteria to make the delivery of a mobile advertisement more precise (age, gender, geographical,
day parting, household income, etc.).

Text Ad

A static prepended or appended text attached to an
advertisement.

Text Link

Creative use for mobile advertisements - represented by highlighted and clickable text(s) with a link
embedded within the highlighted text. Usually limited
to 16-24 characters.

Text Message

See SMS Message

Text to TV

See SMS to TV

Themes

Packs or
Phone skin

The general look and feel of a mobile phone’s user
interface (UI). It includes color schemes for menus
and highlights, background images, folder icons etc.
A theme package contains graphics for one or many
changeable components of a mobile phone’s UI.

Third Generation

3G

See 3G

Third Generation
Partnership Project

3GPP

See 3GPP

Throughput

Time Division Multiple
Access

The number of messages an application can process
within a specified period of time, typically in seconds
(e.g., 30 messages/sec.).
TDMA

A technique for multiplexing multiple users onto a
single channel on a single carrier. This digital cellular
technology divides calls into time slots, each lasting
only a fraction of a second, and allocating them on an
as-needed basis.

Tracking

The ability to assess the performance of a mobile
campaign.

Transcoding

The process of making the multimedia ads appear
and sound best on the various handsets based on
which formats are supported are by the handset.

Transmission/Transport
Cost

Cost of the SMS used to deliver the billing charges
incurred by the mobile marketer/billing aggregator.

Triple Opt-in

An additional opt-in that is required from the program
participant once they have exceeded a defined
premium fee threshold.


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Glossary

T
Acronyms

AKA


Triple Tap
True Tone


A common text entry method for subscribers to enter
information or query via a mobile phone.
Realtone,
Mastertone

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See Mastertone

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Glossary

U
Acronyms

AKA


Unique User

Universal Mobile
Telecommunications
System

A specific mobile subscriber. Every mobile subscriber
has some sort of alpha and/or numeric code (not
personal subscriber data like name or phone number)
that is sent with each advertisement request. These
unique identifiers are used to determine how many
“unique users” view each ad.
UMTS

3G, 3GSM

The European term for one of the third generation
wireless services.

Unsolicited Messages

Commercial SMS or MMS messages sent to subscribers without seeking prior approval.

Unsubscribe

Process of opting out of a mobile subscription
service/application.

USShortcodes.com

The CSCA Web site, where companies apply for and
acquire short codes for mobile content services and
marketing campaigns.


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Glossary

V
Acronyms
Value Added Service

AKA

VAS

Additional service which add value to those already
available on the network.

Vanity Short Code

Specifically requested short code number. It spells
out a content provider’s name, brand, and an associated word or is an easy to recall number sequence,
e.g. DISNEY=347639, or 88888.

Visibility

How well-placed your Web site is in the search
engines for relevant keyword searches.

Video Tone

A ringtone with audio and video that alerts the mobile
subscriber when a call comes in.

Viral Marketing

The communication via text message or other mobile
content including ringtones, games and wallpaper by
process in which consumer A receives the original
message, identifies consumer B who he/she believes
will be interested in the message and initiates a
process - such as inputing a phone number, by
which consumer B automatically receives the same
message.

Voicetone

Any audio product created from a human voice recording. Can be sourced from “voice lifts” from a film,
TV or broadcast audio track, or may be a Custom
Voicetone, and custom recording from a script with
voice talent.


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Glossary

W
Acronyms

AKA


Walled Garden

The service provider – for example, the mobile
carrier – provides a restricted list of services to the
consumer (deck/portal), but disables the ability of the
consumer to access services outside of that list.

Wallpaper

A piece of graphic content that is formatted to fit the
screen of handsets.

WAP 1.0

A format of mobile web. Relied on WML markup
language and special protocols designed for ultra-efficient transmission of content to limited devices over
limited connections.

WAP 2.0

An increasingly popular format of choice for mobile
web. Relies on a new set of standards that are more
in line with Internet standards. Using xHTML, mobile
carriers, content providers and media companies
can present content and functionality in more robust
formats via faster wireless technologies.

WAP Billing

A billing interface that enables third-party content to
be charged directly to the subscriber account (i.e.,
not via an intermediate system such as PSMS). WAP
billing is usually delivered by the carrier as a wholesale offering of the billing scheme used for on-deck
content purchase. The carrier retains a percentage of
all transactions as its cost of billing.

WAP Landing Page

A secondary WAP page a consumer is taken to once
they click on an MMS link in order to give or receive
additional information.

WAP Pulll

Where the user directly requests a mobile WAP site
by entering a URL, or by entering the phone number
on a content provider Web page.

WAP Push

A specially encoded message which includes a link to
a WAP address that allows WAP content to be pushed
to the handset with minimum user intervention.

WAP Site

A website that is specifically designed and formatted
for display on a mobile device.

WAP Storefront

A mobile Internet site, provided by a third-party
content provider, which contains some percentage of
premium content.

Web Storefront

A Web site for mobile content, especially one containing premium content. Enables the user to browse
content and make multiple purchases per visit. The
user may order from the Web site so that the content
is pushed to their phone.


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Glossary

W
Acronyms
Wideband Code Division Multiple Access,

AKA


WCDMA

Wideband
CDMA

A high-speed 3G mobile wireless technology with the
capacity to offer higher data speeds than CDMA and
therefore can transmit and receive information faster and
more efficiently.

Widget (mobile)

Third party lightweight web application that can be
embedded in a 3G mobile phone.

Wireless Advertising
Wireless Application
Protocol

See Mobile Advertising
WAP

Wireless Carrier
Wireless Markup
Language

See Carrier
WML

Wireless Spam


An open international standard for applications that use
wireless communication. Its principal application is to enable access to the internet from a mobile phone or PDA.
Can be used to deliver content to mobile devices
A markup language developed specifically for wireless
applications to enable optimum usage of the limited
display capabilities of a handset. Based on XML, it is
used for tailoring WAP content.
Push messaging that is sent without confirmed opt-in.

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Glossary

X
Acronyms

AKA


XML

See Extensible Markup Language

XHTML

See Extensible HyperText Markup Language


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Glossary

Y
Acronyms

AKA

Zero Rated Messaging


Z

Brand or marketer assumes payment for the standard
rate message fee on behalf of the mobile subscribers

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Glossary

MMA Terms
MMA Terms

Acronyms

AKA

MMA Definitions

Core Team

The MMA Committee Core Team is a small group
of associations, and their members, responsible for
drafting the first revision of all guidelines, definitions
and documentation for review and circulation to the
Stakeholder group. The core team will remain static
across all mobile media channels and is comprised of
those associations with significant domain expertise
or whom can represent a broad geographic footprint.

Stakeholders

MMA Committee Stakeholders include a list of
associations, and their members, whose feedback
and participation on a mobile media channel is
considered invaluable to the initial drafting process.
The stakeholders tend to be organizations focused
on particular region and/or media channel. It is anticipated that the stakeholder group for each mobile
media channel will evolve.

Endorsers/ Supporters

MMA Endorsers/Supporters are associations and/
or partners who will participate in the review of
the documentation/guidelines each time they are
submitted for public review. If appropriate, it is at the
discretion of each partner/association to determine
whether or not they seek to endorse/support the
guidelines/documentation.

Committee Special
Interest Group

MMA Committee Special Interest Groups consist of
leaders and senior industry executives with expertise
in a specific area. Group members work on initiatives
related to their departments’ needs and objectives.
Special interest group participants regularly advise
MMA management on key industry issues.

Committee Task Force

MMA task forces are member groups formed to
address specific initiatives and develop an industry
solution. Once the solution is implemented, and/or
released, the group may be disbanded.


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Glossary
Who We Are
About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to
market development, establish guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and
evangelize the use of the mobile channel. With more than 700 global member companies, representing over forty countries, MMA members represent the entire mobile
ecosystem including agencies, advertisers, handheld device manufacturers, wireless operators, aggregators, technology enablers, market research firms and so on.
The MMA is a global organization with regional chapters located in Europe (EUR),
North America (NA), Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific (APAC) and Latin
America (LATAM).The MMA also has Local Councils in the United Kingdom, Spain,
Ireland, Germany and Austria, all of whom collaborate with the regional and global
chapters on establishing a sustainable industry for mobile marketing. One of the best
means for member companies to participate in the MMA is through our committees,
task forces and special interest groups. Industry contributions from MMA committees
include guidelines and best practices (e.g. Consumer Best Practices), educational documents (e.g. Introduction to Mobile Search) as well as Research (e.g. the MMA Annual
Attitude & Usage Study).


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Glossary
References
The following links provide additional sources of information and reference:
• MMA Code of Conduct
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/codeofconduct.pdf)
• MMA Consumer Best Practices Guidelines
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf)
• Mobile Marketing Association Website
(http://www.mmaglobal.com)
• Global Mobile Advertising Guidelines
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobileadvertising.pdf)
• Mobile Advertising Overview
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobileadoverview.pdf)
• Understanding Mobile Marketing:Technology & Reach
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/uploads/MMAMobileMarketing102.pdf)
• Off Portal – An Introduction to the Market Opportunity
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/offportal.pdf)
• Mobile Marketing Sweepstakes & Promotions Guide
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobilepromotions.pdf)
• Mobile Search Use Cases
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobilesearchusecases.pdf)
• Introduction to Mobile Coupons
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobilecoupons.pdf)
• Introduction to Mobile Search
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/uploads/MMAMobileSearchIntro.pdf)
• Short Code Primer
(http://www.mmaglobal.com/shortcodeprimer.pdf)
• Glossary Mobile Phone Specifications, Reviews, News and Forum
(http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/glossary.php)
• GSM Mobile Terms & Acronyms
(http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/glossary.shtml)
• Interactive TV using Mobile Devices
(http://www.itvdictionary.com/sms_itv.html)


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Glossary
• Introduction to Mobile Devices
(http://webopedia.com/quick_ref/mobile_OS.asp)
• ITU Glossary of Mobile Cellular Terms
(http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/fmi/glossary/index.html)
• Morita, N. (June 2007). Case Study: A “First Principles” Look at Location-aware Mobile Marketing: A Mobile Treasure Hunt Case Study
• Whatsit.com
(http://whatis.techtarget.com/)
• Wikipedia,The Free Encyclopedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)
• Wireless Glossary of Terms
(http://www.ctia.org/media/industry_info/index.cfm/AID/10320)
Contact Us
For more information, please contact:
Email: mma@mmaglobal.com
www.mmaglobal.com


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The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier
global association that strives to stimulate the growth of mobile
marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is a global
organization with over 700 members representing over forty
countries. MMA members include agencies, brands, content
providers, hand held device manufacturers, operators, technology
enablers, market research firms, as well as any company focused
on the potential of marketing via mobile devices.

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