Glossary

This section should guide you in understanding names, terms or phrases that are unfamiliar.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

ABI

The trade association for the UK's insurance industry representing around 400 companies.

Auditors and audits, internal and external

An official examination and verification of our work.

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B

Baseline, baselines

A reference point against which we can measure future performance.

Benchmarking

Measuring our performance against the performance of comparable companies.

Biodiversity

The variety of life forms - plants, animals and micro-organisms, their habitats and the ecosystems on which they depend - that make up biological diversity of an environment.

The British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT)

BABT certifies products and services in the fields of IT, radio and telecoms. Certification schemes give confidence that products and services comply with objective standards.

Business in the Community (BITC)

An organisation of over 700 of the UK's top companies committed to improving their positive impact on society. BITC also has a branch in Ireland.

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C

Code of Practice

O2 with other UK mobile phone operators have developed a Code of Practice, which requires each operator to fulfill agreed standards of behaviour involving the protection of minors and the vulnerable when using a mobile phone.

Coltan

A naturally occurring compound of columbine and tantalite that is a grey metallic mineral, alternatively known as tantalum. The mineral is used in tantalum capacitors, tiny components that are used to manage the flow of current in mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Comreg

The main regulatory body for the Irish communications industry.

Corporate governance

The means by which a company manages itself and the risks it faces. There are a series of important standards companies must meet on Corporate Governance to maintain their listing on various stock exchanges.

Corporate responsibility (CR)

The management of a company's impact on society and the environment so as to add value to the company and increase wider economic and social well being now, and over the longer term.

Corporate Responsibility Index or CR Index

Business in the Community's Corporate Responsibility Index which measures the performance of over 100 leading UK companies.

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D

  
DTI or Department of Trade and Industry

UK Government department working to create an environment in which businesses can succeed.

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G

 
2.5G

Used to describe General Packet Radio Services the second generation of mobile phone technology which allows users to send and receive data, web-enabled content and pictures as well as voice.

3G

Third generation mobile phone services - also known as Universal Mobile Telephone Services (UMTS) - which are beginning to be introduced and offer much greater data capability.

Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)

An initiative of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service providers and suppliers, with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Telecommunication Union.

GRI guidelines

A set of voluntary guidelines to help companies report in a full and clear way on their corporate responsibility performance. The guidelines were created by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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I

 
ICNIRP or The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection

This is one of the international bodies that set safety standards for the operation of mobile communications equipment.

ICSTIS or The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services

Issues a Code of Practice which contains the rules governing the content and promotion of premium rate services. The Code is supplemented by a set of Guidelines.

IBE or Institute of Business Ethics

Raises public awareness of the importance of doing business ethically, and collaborates with other UK and international organisations with interests and expertise in business ethics.

i-Mode

i-mode is the new mobile Internet service, exclusively from O2, that gives users access to a huge range of websites and allows the exchange of email at the touch of a button.

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K

KPIs or key performance indicators   High-level snapshots of a business or organisation based on specific, predefined measures.

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L

LBG or the London Benchmarking Group Model

A model developed by a group of companies to demonstrate and benchmark what their community projects aim to achieve and measure how successful they have been.

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M

Materiality

The non-financial aspects of our operations that we consider material to our performance and therefore important to disclose and report on.

MOA or the Mobile Operators Association

This is an industry-wide group representing operators in the UK. A similar group in Germany is called the IZMF.

MTHR or the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme

A £10 million programme of studies into the health effects of mobile equipment jointly funded by the UK Government and the industry. A similar programme in Germany is called the Deutsches Mobilfunk Forschungsprogramm.

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N

NRPB or the National Radiological Protection Board

NRPB sets safety standards for the operation of mobile phone masts in the UK.

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O

Ofcom

The Office of Communications is the main regulatory body for the UK communications industry.

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P

 
Post pay

Often referred to as Pay Monthly. Customers can take out either 12 month or 18 month contacts under this option and then choose the best calling plan suited to their needs.

Pre-pay

Often referred to as ‘pay as you go’. O2 Pay & Go is simple and flexible. There are no bills, no contracts, just competitive call rates and easy top up options.

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R

  
Reflect O2

The annual survey of opinions of O2 employees.

Roaming

We use the term roaming to mean using your mobile abroad on another network. This applies to making or receiving calls, and using text or data.

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S

 
Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002

A US law requiring companies registered with the Securities Exchange Commission to abide by certain rules including the provision of a confidential help line on which employees can report concerns about the behaviour of their company.

SARs

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is the exposure limit for mobile phones and measures the amount of radio wave energy that is absorbed by the tissues in the human body. 

Stakeholders

Those affected by the company including customers, employees, suppliers, the communities we work in and the environment.

Strahlenschutzkommission (SSK)

The body in Germany setting safety standards for the operation of mobile communications equipment.

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T

 
Tariff

Also known as a calling plan. It is made up of packages, offers and services including minutes, texts and a browsing allowance.

TETRA

Terrestrial Trunked Radio - the technology used in the O2 Airwave service, different to conventional mobile communications technology.

Turnbull Report

Sets out how directors of companies listed on the Stock Exchange should comply with the UK's Combined Code requirements in setting up internal control procedures to cover such things as financial and operational performance, compliance and risk management.

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V

Verification statement, Verifier

Checking the evidence of a company's progress in relation to a specific target by an independent party. It provides assurance as to reliability and credibility of the information being reported and whether it represents a fair picture of performance.

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X

 
Xda/Xda II

The brand name for a combined mobile phone and handheld computer offered by O2.

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