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| 3G | The third generation of mobile technology. |
| Antenna | Part of a base station that sends and receives electromagnetic fields. |
| Base station | The equipment that sends and receives mobile calls, texts, pictures and web pages etc. Includes antenna(s), a supporting structure such as a mast and a cabinet of equipment to power the base station (see antenna, transmitter, and receiver). |
| Case control study | An epidemiological study used to identify factors that may contribute to a medical condition by comparing the exposure to those factors by people who have the condition to the exposure of similar people who do not have the condition. |
| Cell | An area covered by a base station. |
| CENELEC | A European standards body that receives mandates from the European Commission to prepare standards for use in the EU. |
| Cohort study | An epidemiological study in which a large number of individuals in a population are observed over a period of time. Subgroups of individuals, who are exposed to something, are compared to other subgroups with a different level of exposure to see if there is a difference in the health outcomes of interest. |
| COSMOS | An international cohort study on mobile device use and possible long term effects on health. |
| Coverage | The availability of mobile services in a given area. |
| Dosimetry | The way levels of absorbed RF fields are calculated or measured. |
| Earpiece | Mobile device accessory that allows calls to be made without holding the device to the head. |
| Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) |
The ability of an electrical/electronic device to continue functioning in the presence of external electric / magnetic / electromagnetic field. |
| Electromagnetic energy (EME) |
See electromagnetic field. |
| Electromagnetic field (EMF) | Energy, moving as waves at the speed of light consisting of a combination of electrical and magnetic fields with levels that each change over time dependent on the frequency. |
| Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) |
See electromagnetic field. |
| Electromagnetic spectrum | The range of wavelengths for electromagnetic waves—from the very long to the very short. The lower part of the spectrum with long wavelengths is non-ionising and includes power line frequencies, radio frequencies, infrared and visible light. The upper part of the spectrum with extremely short wavelengths is ionising and includes x-rays and gamma rays. |
| Electromagnetic waves | See electromagnetic field. |
| Emission | The process by which energy is transmitted from a source, typically an antenna. |
| Emissions | The energy transmitted from the source as electromagnetic waves. |
| Epidemiology | The study of patterns of human health and illness and associated factors at the population level. |
| Expert review | A review of existing scientific research by a panel of experts (see reference review). |
| Exposure | The term used to describe the total amount of energy from an electromagnetic field that may be absorbed by the human body - see Specific Absorption Rate. |
| Handset | Mobile device. |
| Field Strength | The intensity of an electromagnetic field. |
| Frequency | The number of waves of equal size that pass through space in a given time, e.g. per second. Measured in Hertz (Hz) and used to classify electromagnetic fields. |
| GSM | The most popular second generation (2G) standard for mobile telephony systems in the world. |
| GSM Association | An association of mobile operators and related companies. |
| International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) |
Part of the World Health Organization coordinating and conducting research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for cancer prevention and control. |
| International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) |
A body of independent scientific experts consisting of a main Commission and four Scientific Standing Committees considering the evidence relating to adverse effects on human health of exposure to non-ionising radiation. Provides the guidelines that many national regulatory bodies use to govern public and occupational exposure to radio frequency fields from mobile devices and base stations. |
| International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) |
An international body that develops standards for electrical and electronic equipment. |
| Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) |
An international non profit, professional organisation for the advancement of technology related to electricity that develops standards for electrical and electronic equipment. |
| INTERPHONE | A multinational study into mobile devices and cancer, with research teams in 13 countries and coordinated by IARC. |
| Ionising Radiation | Extremely short wavelength electromagnetic radiation that carries enough energy per quantum to ionise atoms or molecules — that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. |
| International Telecommunications Union (ITU) |
An international body that develops standards for electrical and electronic equipment. |
| Local operating company | Company within the Vodafone Group operating in a specific country, e.g. Vodafone Germany. |
| Loudspeaker | Component that converts electrical signals into sound. |
| Long Term Evolution (LTE) |
A fourth generation mobile communications network technology standard. |
| Mast | Structure commonly used in a base station to support the antenna(s). |
| Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF) |
An international non-profit organization founded in 1998 by a number of leading manufacturers of mobile radio equipment, to provide funds to key research projects concerning health and mobile devices, as well as to cooperate on standards and regulatory issues. |
| Network rollout/deployment | The expansion of a mobile device network through an increase in the number of base stations. |
| Non-ionising radiation (NIR) |
Any type of electromagnetic radiation that does not carry enough energy per quantum to ionise atoms or molecules — that is, to completely remove an electron from an atom or molecule. |
| Power density | The measure of the power of an electromagnetic wave crossing an area at a right angle to the direction of wave propagation. Measured in watts per square metre. |
| Radio frequency field (RF field) |
Type of electromagnetic field used for wireless communication. |
| Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR) |
See RF field. |
| Receiver | The part of a communications or broadcast system that extracts data/sound signals from low level radio frequency signals. |
| Reference Reviews | Published reviews of the science which Vodafone uses to form an understanding of the balance of science evidence relating to health effects from exposure to RF fields. Such reviews: have a scope relevant to mobile telecommunications and health; are conducted under the auspices of a national or international health agency by a panel of experts; consider the range of evidence available from cited peer-reviewed sources covering the scope of the review and apply review and risk assessment criteria consistent with the WHO approach post-date the ICNIRP 1998 guidelines. |
| Research review | The process of reading, analyzing, evaluating, and summarising scholarly materials about a specific topic. |
| Research study | Original piece of work that generates scientific results. |
| Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) |
The measure of the amount of energy from an RF field absorbed by the human body. Measured in watts per kilogram. |
| Signal | Communication between a base station and a mobile device via a radio frequency field. |
| Speaker | See loudspeaker. |
| Speakerphone | Common term for the function on a mobile device that amplifies voice calls through a loudspeaker, allowing the user to move the mobile device away from their head and body. |
| Supporting structure | The part of the base station that supports the antenna(s). Usually a mast or part of a building. |
| Tower | See mast. |
| Transmitter | The part of a communications or broadcast system that generates the radio frequency power. |
| Wavelength | The distance between two adjacent points on an electromagnetic wave. A shorter wavelength means a higher frequency. |
| World Health Organization (WHO) |
The United Nations agency for health. Aims to create the highest possible levels of health for all people. |
| Wi-Fi | A type of wireless network, where no cables are needed to connect a computer or other piece of communication equipment to each other or the internet. |
| Wireless local area network | A group of computers connected using RF fields instead of cables. |
