Air interface

The technology used for the radio transmission between base station and mobile units in a wireless network. It is the wireless counterpart of the physical layer 1 in the OSI model (see OSI model).

Also called a "radio interface," the air interface defines primarily the frequency, channel bandwidth and modulation scheme. For example, CDMA and TDMA are the air interfaces for cellular networks, while OFDMA is used in LTE, the next-generation cellular technology, and WiMAX. See air card, CDMA, TDMA, OFDMA, LTE and WiMAX.

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In mobile or wireless communication, the air interface is the radio-based communication link between the mobile station and the active base station. In GSM/UMTS, the various UTRA standards are air interfaces, and are also (but not exclusively) referred to as "access modes".^[1]

In the OSI model, the air interface comprises layers 1 and 2 of the mobile communications system, establishing a point-to-point link between the mobile station and the base station.

References

1. ^ Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications, ETSI TR 21.905 V7.2.0

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