UMTS

September 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

UMTS stands for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System – and although the German translation would have the same abbreviation it is usually just the term UMTS that is used.  In English it is often referred to as “3G”.

UMTS is a new form of transmitting and receiving data over the mobile phone network.  Unlike GPRS it does not use the same frequencies as GSM, so that in Germany the licenses for UMTS were issued separately from the normal mobile phone ones.

UMTS allows data speeds of up to 7.2MBit/s, as long as the necessary hardware and network are available.  For UMTS-access, most laptops use a special USB-stick, although some of the latest models now have the modules built-in.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

[audio:http://www.germanwordsexplained.com/mp3/2009-09-09_umts.mp3]
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Filed Under: Abbreviations, German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: ,

GPRS

September 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

GPRS is the abbreviation for General Packet Radio Service – the abbreviation is used in its English form in German, but with the letters pronounced the German way.

GPRS is a method of transferring data over a GSM mobile phone network.  Previously, data users had to use a so-called dial-up line to access their e-mails or the internet.  This was similar to using a modem on a land line and was incredibly slow and expensive, as the it was in effect a normal phone call.  GPRS allows the data to be transferred through the network as data, meaning that it is often billed by the kilobyte and no longer by the minute.

GPRS also forms the basis for services such as MMS – multimedia messages that are often used for sending photos from one phone to another.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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Filed Under: German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: , , ,

PAngV

August 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

PAngV is the abbreviation for Preisangabenverordnung. This is a law in Germany that came into effect in 1985.

It governs factors of consumer life, such as ensuring that the prices in supermarkets and restaurants include tax (MwSt), unlike in some other parts of Europe.  For web-based shops, this can mean stating whether or not a price includes tax, because the shop may not necessarily be targeted at consumers.  Business prices often to not include MwSt.

Another example of this law would be the finance rates at the bank or on a credit card, which have to be displayed in a particular way.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

This podcast is intended to be a guide for foreign visitors to Germany, and does not constitute legally binding advice.

Filed Under: German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: , ,

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