Telecommunications Acronyms

ATM

Asynchronous Transfer Mode. High-speed switching technique to transmit voice, data and video.

ADSL

Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line. Typically faster download and slower upload speeds.

BRI

ISDN Basic Rate Interface.

CDMA

Code Division Multiple Access.

CPE

Customer Premise Equipment. Customer owned equipment located at his/her facility.

CTI

Computer Telephone Integration. Many applications e.g. often used in call centres, whereby the CTI software recognises the owner of the incoming call and presents this information on the receiving parties desktop.

DID

Direct Inward Dialing.

DSL

Digital Subscriber Line.

DSLAM

Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer.

DTMF

Dual Tone Multi Frequency. Also referred to as ‘Touch Tones’.

ETSI

European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

GPRS

General Packet Radio Service.

GSM

Global System for Mobile Communications.

Hunt Group

Also referred to as rotary. A group of telephone lines configured so that if the first line is busy (engaged), the call then goes to the next line. If that line is busy then the call goes to the next line etc. Hunt groups may hunt from the highest to the lowest, the lowest to the highest, or on some other arbitrary pattern.

HYBRID

A device which converts a two-wire signal such as POTS lines to a four-wire system (separate send and receive paths) such as used in the pro-audio world. E.g. Hybrid extensions can be either 2 wire analogue or 4 wire digital.

ISDN

Integrated Services Digital Network. A standard digital network that transmits voice, data and video over one telephone line.

IP

Internet Protocol. An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique address that certain electronic devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol standard (IP) In simpler terms, a computer address. Any participating network device, including routers, computers, time-servers, printers, Internet fax machines and some telephones, can have their own unique address.

ISP

Internet Service Provider.

LAN

Local Area Network. A data communications network that is geographically limited (typically in-house or up to a 1 km radius).

LNP

Local Number Portability. The ability of customers to retain their existing telephone numbers when switching carriers or remaining at a location, or changing their location but staying within the same geographical exchange area.

LOCAL LOOP

The telephone line that runs from the local Telco exchange to the end user’s premise. The local loop can be made up of fiber, copper or wireless media.

LSP

Local Service Provider. Namely the carrier providing dial tone to end users.

MDF

Main Distributing Frame.

Multiplexing or Mux

Multiplexing is a technique whereby multiple devices can share a telephone line. E.g. T-1 multiplexers enable 24 devices to share one telephone line.

PBX

Private Branch Exchange, previously known as PABX (Private Automated Branch Exchange). A private "business" telephone system, located at the customers premises. Smaller PBX’s e.g. 5 lines/10 extensions, are referred to as a (KSU) Key System Unit.

POP

Point Of Presence. The localised facility where your calls get routed.

Port

Interface between the local loop and the appropriate LEC Central Office switching equipment.

PSTN

Public Switched Telecommunications Network. The PSTN is composed of all transmission and switching facilities and signal processors supplied and operated by all telecommunications common carriers for use by the public.

Router

A device with routing intelligence that connects parts of local and remote networks together. Because they use routing tables to look up addresses for each message, routers introduce delays into networks.

SIP

Session Initiation Protocol. A common platform for VoIP handshaking.

TAPI

Telecommunication Application Programming Interface.

TCP-IP

Transmission Control Protocol-Internet Protocol.

TDMA

Time Division Multiple Access.

VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol. Voice over Internet Protocol, also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network such as an organisations LAN/VPN/WAN.

VPN

Virtual Private Network. Similar to WAN.

WAN

Wide area network e.g. providing Global reach. Basically a much bigger version of LAN.

WCDMA

Wideband Code Division Multiple Access.

WLAN

Wireless Local Area Network.