From: Brad Dye's Paging Information Resource Page

Paging Protocols

by Jay Moskowitz, Real Time Strategies

A protocol is a set of "rules" that govern the form, format, data content and information flow sent over communication links that connect different devices. Put simply, a protocol is a computer "language" for communicating information. Paging networks use a wide range of protocols to provide communications between different network components. Each protocol has a specific purpose but, in concert with each other, they support all of the features and services that the radio common carrier (RCC) wishes to provide. Some protocols that have been developed are specific to a particular manufacturer's set of equipment, while other protocols have become industry standards.

Paging protocols can be broken down into five major groups shown graphically in Figure 1. These groups and their functions are:

Each of these major groups are reviewed in detail in the sections above.

Paging Protocols
Figure 1

About the Author
Jay Moskowitz is president of Real Time Strategies and RTS Electronics, located in Hicksville, New York. These companies design and build one way and two way paging terminals, alphanumeric and data paging front-end systems to add to other manufacturers paging terminals, paging gateways, back-end systems used behind Voice Mail, E-Mail, Fax Mail and operator dispatch systems to reliably forward paging requests, networking products, custom systems for the paging industry and hand-held alphanumeric page entry products.

Mr. Moskowitz is also Chairman of the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA) TNPP, TAP, TDP and TIPP protocol committees. He is a patent holder in Telephone Answering Systems, Handheld message transmission devices, and data transmission techniques for telephone message entry and over-the-air paging. He is a Senior member of the IEEE and a member of the ACM. Mr. Moskowitz holds a B.S. degree in Physics from The Cooper Union in New York City.

Prior to founding Real Time Strategies Inc., Mr. Moskowitz was Senior Vice President of engineering for Spectrum Communications and Electronics, now known as Ericsson Messaging Systems.


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