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Definition: SMR


(1) (Specialized Mobile Radio) The communications services used by police, ambulances, taxicabs, trucks and other delivery vehicles. Throughout the U.S., approximately 3,000 independent operators are licensed by the FCC to offer this service, which provides always-on communications similar to a walkie-talkie, but over a larger geographic area. Nextel Communications is known in this field for having acquired a large number of SMR operators and turning them into a nationwide system. See Nextel.

(2) (Shingled Magnetic Recording) A hard disk recording method that overlaps the recording tracks to increase capacity up to approximately 25%. The tracks overlap each other in parallel like roof shingles; hence, the term. Seagate has been shipping SMR drives since 2013, and SATA 3.3 added support for SMR in 2016 (see SATA). Contrast with CMR.