Communications Systems Glossary

Octet.  An octet is a group of eight bits.

Open Systems Interconnection reference model (OSI reference model).  The Open Systems Interconnection reference model (OSI reference model) is a seven-layered set of protocols specified by the International Standards Organization (ISO) for transmitting data from one terminal to another.

Operating system (OS).  An operating system (OS) is an integrated set of specialised programs that is used to manage the resources and overall operations of a computer.

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).  Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing is a technique by which a data stream with a higher data rate is broken up into a number of smaller data streams and modulated on a series of adjacent frequencies.

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