Fourteen terms used in cross-border messaging and international trade, each defined in one sentence with a standard or official source.
A2P SMS (Application-to-Person SMS) is text messaging sent automatically from a business application or system to a person's mobile phone, such as one-time passcodes, notifications and marketing messages.
A2P messages are usually submitted over the internet or through an API and delivered to recipients over mobile networks.
Carriers treat A2P and person-to-person (P2P) traffic differently in the type and volume of traffic they allow.
OTP (One-Time Password) is a secret generated by an authenticator and accepted only once, used to prove that the user possesses that authenticator.
An OTP may be derived from time or from a counter, and the verifier accepts a given OTP only once while it is valid.
NIST SP 800-63B-4 classes codes sent by SMS or voice (PSTN) as out-of-band authentication and lists PSTN delivery as a restricted authenticator.
Sender ID (sender name) is the label, usually alphanumeric, shown as the sender of an SMS on the recipient's phone in place of a phone number.
Rules differ by country: some countries do not support sender IDs, and others require pre-registration with a regulator or industry group.
For example, since 31 January 2023 Singapore's IMDA has required organisations sending SMS with alphanumeric sender IDs to Singapore users to register them with the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR).
E.164 (the international public telecommunication numbering plan) is the ITU-T Recommendation that defines the structure of international telephone numbers: a country code followed by a national number, recommended to total no more than 15 digits.
The country code is 1 to 3 digits long, and the 15-digit limit excludes the international prefix.
The version in force is ITU-T E.164 (02/26), approved on 13 February 2026.
SMS pumping (Artificially Inflated Traffic, AIT) is fraud in which bots trigger large volumes of OTP or verification SMS to number ranges where the fraudster shares the termination revenue, while the sending business pays.
Attacks often target sign-up and login flows that send an SMS immediately.
Common signs include a sudden spike of messages to blocks of adjacent numbers on one operator and few completed verifications.
Data pool (pooled data) is a billing model in which many SIMs or eSIMs share a single combined data allowance, so data can be distributed flexibly between devices.
For example, in one of Deutsche Telekom IoT's pooled plans, an individual SIM has no data volume of its own and all usage draws on the pool.
Pools suit large device fleets or fluctuating usage, such as IoT deployments.
No standards body defines this term; the definition reflects common industry usage.
eSIM profile is the set of operator data and applications provisioned on a device's eUICC chip, usually downloaded over the network, so the device can connect to a mobile network.
Users typically type in or scan (as a QR code) an activation code issued by the operator, which the device uses to download and install the profile.
GSMA SGP.22 specifies remote SIM provisioning (RSP) for consumer devices; for example, version 2.7 was published on 24 April 2026.
Incoterms (International Commercial Terms) is the set of three-letter trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) that defines the tasks, costs and risks of buyer and seller in delivering goods.
The current edition, Incoterms 2020, has 11 rules: FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF are for sea and inland waterway transport only, and the other 7 suit any mode.
Contracts should state the version used, such as Incoterms 2020.
EXW (Ex Works) is the Incoterms rule under which the seller delivers by making the goods available at its premises or another named place, after which the buyer bears all costs and risks.
The buyer loads the goods onto its own vehicle and handles export formalities.
ICC suggests considering FCA instead when the goods cross a border.
FOB (Free on Board) is the Incoterms rule under which the seller delivers by loading the goods on board the buyer's nominated vessel at the named port of shipment; risk passes to the buyer once the goods are on board.
FOB is for sea and inland waterway transport only, and the seller completes export formalities.
Because containers are usually handed over at a terminal and may wait days before loading, ICC recommends FCA for containerised cargo.
FCA (Free Carrier) is the Incoterms rule under which the seller delivers the goods to the carrier or person nominated by the buyer at the seller's premises or another named place; it suits any transport mode.
The seller handles export clearance and, if delivery is at its premises, loads the goods onto the buyer's collecting vehicle.
FCA is well suited to containerised and multimodal shipments.
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is the lowest quantity a supplier accepts in a single order: whenever an order is placed, its quantity must equal or exceed that level.
In practice, order quantities are often adjusted to meet a vendor's order minimum and batch size requirements.
Suppliers sometimes set both a minimum and a maximum order quantity.
No standards body defines this term; the definition reflects common industry usage.
AQL (Acceptance Quality Limit) is the highest average percentage of defective items considered acceptable in random sampling during lot-by-lot inspection.
ISO 2859-1 indexes its sampling schemes by AQL and includes switching rules between normal, tightened and reduced inspection.
The current edition is ISO 2859-1:2026 (edition 3, January 2026), which replaces the 1999 edition and its amendments and adds skip-lot sampling procedures.
OEM / ODM (Original Equipment Manufacturer / Original Design Manufacturer) is a pair of contract manufacturing models: an OEM builds to the client's design, while an ODM also designs the product; the client sells both under its own brand.
The difference is who designs: with an ODM, the client saves the time of developing the product itself.
In some electronics literature, OEM instead means the brand company that designs and markets the end product, so context matters.
No standards body defines this term; the definition reflects common industry usage.
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