Glossary

The telecommunications industry is always changing and even the experts need occasional help with new terms. We've combined glossaries from several sources to attempt to give you a comprehensive and up-to-date listing of terms, phrases and acronyms. Click a letter below to go directly to words that begin with that letter.

 

A

Access Charge - The charges paid by an interexchange carrier (IXC) to a local exchange carrier (LEC) for the origination or termination of the IXC's customer's long distance calls.

Access Line - A telephone line reaching from the telephone company central office to a point usually on your premises. Beyond this point the wire is considered inside wiring.

Account Code - A code assigned to a customer. Typically, a person dialing a long distance phone call must enter that code so the computer call bill the cost of the call.

Additional Listing - Additional name(s) listed in the telephone directory and with directory assistance.

All Call Blocking - Prevents a customers name and number from appearing on a Caller ID device (for all calls made).

Anonymous Call Rejection - A service some local phone companies are providing to end-users. ACR allows subscribers to automatically stop certain calls from ringing their phone.

ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) - High bandwidth, low-delay, connection-oriented, packet-like switching and multiplexing technique requiring 53-byte, fixed-sized cells.

ANI (Automatic Number Identification) - Also called WTN or Working Telephone Number, automatic identification at a local central office (CO) of the calling station of a toll call.

B

Backbone - Is the part of the communications network, which carries the heaviest traffic. It is also the part of the network which joins LANS together either inside a building or across a city or the country.

Bandwidth - Refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transferred through a computer's backbone or communication channel in a given time, usually measured in one second. It is usually measured in Hertz, cycles per second, for analog communications and bits per second for digital communications.

BAP (Business Access Plus) - Is InfoHighway's premiere local service offering. To provision this service, InfoHighway purchases line elements at the network level from Verizon and SBC's unbundled network element platform (UNE-P) at a steep discount. In turn, we are able to offer our customers up to a 30% discount off of the Verizon/SBC retail rates. A customer's service will not change when they move to BAP: their numbers, features, hunt groups, etc, will all remain in tact, as will their local calling area. Customers will experience no out-of service downtime when they are converted to InfoHighway. The only place where BAP customers will see a change is the low prices on their new bill.

BRI (Basic Rate Interface) - An ISDN connection in which three digital messages are carried over a single pair of copper telephone wires. Two “B†channels carry voice traffic and one "D" channel carries signaling. This connection allows a caller to reserve a single circuit for multiple uses. For example, a caller could talk and fax simultaneously.

BRI-ISDN - You get two B-channels at 64 Kb per second and a data D-channel at 16 Kb per second. The B-channels are designed for voice or slow-scan videoconference and the D-channel is used for bringing in information about incoming calls, and taking out information about out going calls. The D channel is also used for slow speed data networks.

BTN (Billing Telephone Number) - Number identifying a group of one or more ANIs for billing and provisioning purposes.

Busy Redial - When you can't get through because the line is busy, Busy Redial will keep trying until your call is connected.

C

Call Block - Block up to six phone numbers from getting through, for increased productivity.

Calling Card - A card that is used to make calls from another number, a pay phone, etc. and charge the calls back to a home/business telephone number. It is more expensive to make calls this way; hence customers should use calling cards when they cannot make calls from their home/business numbers or do not want others to be billed for their calls.

Call Detail - A list of individual long distance or local calls and information about each, such as time, place called, duration, rate period, number called, etc. on the regular monthly bill.

Call Waiting - Is a feature on the phone system that lets you know someone is trying to call. If you are on the phone and another call comes in you might hear a beep or see a light on your phone turn on. When you hit the flash button or call-waiting button on your phone you can speak to the other person calling you.

Caller ID - When your phone rings you will be able to see the name and number of the person that is calling.

Caller ID With Name - Identify your caller by telephone number and name. All Caller ID service requires a compatible Caller ID box device, which will display the telephone number of an incoming call.

Call Forwarding - Forward calls to a telephone number you designate whenever the line is busy or unanswered.

Call Forwarding Busy - Permanently forward calls to a telephone number you designate whenever your line is busy.

Call Forwarding (Busy/Don't Answer) - Permanently forward calls to a telephone number you designate whenever your line is busy or unanswered.

Call Forwarding Don't Answer - Permanently forward calls to a telephone number you designate whenever your line is unanswered.

Call Return * 69 - Automatically dial the telephone number of the last incoming call.

Call Trace - Trace the source of an annoyance call. The number will be provided to the police, not to the customer who traced the call. Code: *57.

Carrier - A communications service provider.

Central Office - A facility where subscriber lines are joined to a switching office.

Centrex - Centrex lines are advanced telephone lines that work together to offer customers all the features and functionality of a premised based system (PBX) without the upfront financial cost of physical on-premise hardware. The Centrex system is housed, maintained, managed and upgraded by your local phone company.

Circuit - An electronic, radio or optical connection over which communications may occur.

CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) - A category of telephone service providers that offer services similar to the former monopoly local telephone company, as recently allowed by changes in telecommunications law and regulation. A CLEC may also provide other types of telecommunications services (long distance, Internet access, etc.)

Conference Calling - On Demand - InfoHighway's usage based service which allows subscribers to host a conference call at any time from any touch tone phone using a single toll-free access number and a personal account number. Up to 40 participants can join the call, by dialing in from remote locations.

D

D - Channel - Is used to carry control signals and customer call data in a packet switched mode on ISDN BRI lines. Typical speed of D channel transmission is 9.6 Kbps.

Data Communication - Transfer of data between points.

Dial Tone - Dial tone is a signal from your local telephone company that they are ready to receive the number you dial. Dial tone comes from the switch to which your phone is connected to.

DID (Direct Inward Dialing) - The ability for a caller outside a company to call an internal extension without having to pass through an operator or attendant. In large PBX systems the dialed digits are passed down the line from the central office, and the PBX then completes the call.

Digital - Describes a method of storing, processing and transmitting information through the use of distinct electronic or optical pulses that represent the binary digits 0 and 1. Digital transmission and switching technologies employ a sequence of these pulses to convey information, as opposed to the continuously variable analog signal. The precise digital numbers minimize distortion, such as graininess or “snow,†in the case of video transmission, or static or other background distortion in the case of audio transmission.

Distinctive Ring -1 Number - Receive calls for an additional telephone number on your main phone line. A distinctive ring will let you know the line for which the call is intended.

Distinctive Ring - 2 Numbers - Receive calls for two additional telephone numbers on your main phone line. A distinctive ring will let you know the line for which the call is intended.

DOD (Direct Outward Dialing) - A Centrex feature that allows a station user to gain direct access to the public exchange network.

Domain name - Domain names are unique addresses on the Internet issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Different extensions are used to indicate whether the domain belongs to a commercial enterprise (.com), an educational establishment (.edu), a government body (.gov), the military (.mil), a network (.net), or a nonprofit organization (.org).

DS-1 (or T-1) - T1 is a term used for a dedicated line transmission method that transfers digital signals at 1.544 Mbps (as opposed to ISDN's 64 Kbps).

DSL - Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) carry data at high speeds over standard copper telephone wires. With DSL, data can be delivered at a rate of 1.5 Mbps (around 30 times faster than through a 56-kbps modem). DSL users can receive voice and data simultaneously, so customers can use computers on the Internet without interrupting phone connections.

·ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Like ISDN, ADSL uses standard phone lines to deliver high-speed data communications. While ISDN's transmission speed is limited to 64 Kbps, ADSL technology can deliver upstream (from the user) speeds of 640 Kbps and downstream (to the user) speeds of more than 6 Mbps. Even better, ADSL uses the portion of a phone line's bandwidth not utilized by voice, allowing for simultaneous voice and data transmission.


·SDSL - Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. SDSL provides identical throughput upstream and downstream.

F

FCC Federal Communications Commission - The FCC is the federal regulatory agency responsible for the regulations for interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. It sets the prices for interstate phone, data and video service. It determines the electrical and physical standards for telecommunications equipment and service. It determines who can or cannot get into the business of providing telecommunications service or equipment in the US.

FCC Line or Subscriber Line Charge - Monthly charge for a single line business and residence, imposed by the Federal Government. Multi- line account charges vary by state.

Federal Excise Tax - Imposed by the Federal Government, 3%. Most telephone charges and taxes except maintenance. Calculated by the sum of (Access, Features, & Charges +PICC Surcharge+E911+Business or Residence Reg or Additional Line FCC +Usage) times 3%.

Fiber Optics - A technology in which light is used to transport information from one point to another.

Firewall - A combination of hardware and software, which limits the exposure of a computer or group of computer to an attack from outside. It enforces a boundary between two or more networks.

Flat Rate Service - Customers pay a flat rate monthly charge for unlimited calls within their immediate geographic area. The flat rate area includes their exchange (first three digits of their phone number) & exchanges in towns that border their town. Think of it as neighborhood calling. This service is not available in most of the 5 boroughs of NYC; Staten Island is the only borough where Flat Rate service is available. You may come across some customers that have had the service for a very long time in Queens and are "grandfathered" (They can keep it, unless they move. No new customers can have it). See the front pages of the appropriate telephone directory to determine customers flat rate calling areas.

Frame Relay - Frame relay switching is a form of packet switching that relies on higher quality phone lines to minimize errors.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol. This Internet protocol is used to copy files between computers-usually a client and an archive site.

G

Gateway -Is an entrance and exit into a communications network.

Ground Start - A way of signaling on subscriber trunks in which one side of the two-wire trunk is momentarily grounded to get dial tone. PBX’s work best on ground start.

Gross Receipts Taxes - Imposed by New York State, 3.5% to 5.3%. Most phone charges except FCC Line. Higher for the 12 counties surrounding NYC.

H

Hub - The point on a network where a bunch of circuits are connected.

Hunt Group - A series of telephone lines organized in such a way that if the first line is busy the next line is hunted and so on until a free line is found.

I

ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) - A company historically providing local telephone service. Often refers to one of the RBOCs, such as Verizon.

InterLATA Call - A call that is placed within one LATA and received in a different LATA. This type of call is classified as a long distance call.

Internet-Dedicated T-1 Service - This service provides a dedicated, high-speed and continuous connection to the Internet at 1.544 Mbps. The T1 port (the connection to the router and, thus, to the Internet) is shared with up to 5 other dedicated customers. Although the access is shared, there is limited degradation of speed due to the bursting nature of Internet traffic. Customers require a full T1 loop for this service.

IP Address - (Internet Protocol) - The IP address is a 32-bit address, used in IP routing, which includes a Network address identifier assigned by a central authority and Host ID.

L

LAN (Local Area Network) - A short distance data communications network (typically within a building or campus) used to link together computers and peripheral devises (such as printers).

Line Hunt - Sends incoming calls to the first free line in your office, so customers can always get through.

Local Exchange - The telephone company exchange where subscribers lines are terminated.

Loop Start - A supervisory signal given by a telephone or PBX in response to completing the loop path.

M

Message Per Minute Service - Customers pay for each minute of each call made. Local and Regional calls are timed and billed per minute.

Message Rate Service - Customers pay for each call made. Local calls un-timed and billed per call. Regional calls are charged based on initial time per call and for additional minutes spent on each call. Customers may also have unlimited calling plans with this type of service.

Modem - Equipment which converts digital signals to analog signals and vise-versa. Modems are used to send data signals over the telephone network, which usually is analog.

Multiplexer - Electronic equipment which allows two or more signals to pass over one communications circuit.

N

Non-Published - Provides for the omission of a subscriber's telephone number from the published directory and from directory assistance.

P

Packet - A bundle of data, usually in binary form, organized in a specific way for transmission.

Paging Notification - Enables a messaging mailbox to notify the subscriber's pager when the mailbox receives a call; by subscription.

Per Call Blocking - Stops the user's number and name from appearing on Caller ID Devices. Also prevents the person called from using Call Return. Code: *67 for Per Call Blocking.

PBX - Private Branch Exchange. A PBX is a small version of the phone company's larger central switching office.

POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service. Term used for the most basic type of analog line.

PICC - Flat rate per line charge imposed by local exchange carriers on long distance carriers.

PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Refers to network belonging to the local phone company.

Premise Visit Charge - Charged in addition to a service order charge when a premise visit needs to be made.

PRI ISDN - Primary Rate ISDN. A high speed 1.544 Mbps circuit that most commonly is channelized into 24 64Kbps channels. The 24th channel on the PRI is utilized for out of band signaling, which enables the delivery of the calling party's telephone number, name, etc when the PRI is used to serve dial tone to a PBX.

R

RBOC - Regional Bell Operating Company, such as Verizon.

Router - An interface between 2 networks. They will find the best route between the two networks.

Remote Call Forwarding - Set up a new local telephone number, even if you don't have a physical office in that area, so your business can have a local presence anywhere. Calls to this new telephone number will automatically be forwarded to your business.

Record Order Charge - Charged in connection with non-physical order activity, e.g.: add an additional listing.

Regional Calls - Calls outside of local and flat rate areas that are not long distance or international calls. These calls are charged based on initial time per call, and for additional minutes spend on each call. See the front pages of the appropriate telephone directory to determine customer's regional calling areas.

Repeat Dialing - A service that enables a subscriber to redial a call made to a busy line or redial the last number dialed by dialing an activation code. Code: *66 to activate, *86 to cancel.

S

Service Charge - Charged in connection with order activity, e.g.: moves, new lines, feature additions.

Select Call Forwarding - Forward select telephone numbers only to any telephone number you choose, so you don't have to bother answering unimportant business calls at home or on your mobile phone.

Speed Dialing 8 - Store 8 frequently dialed telephone numbers. Just enter the code for the person you want to call and you'll get connected.

Speed Dialing 30 - Store 30 frequently dialed telephone numbers. Just enter the code for the person you want to call and you'll get connected.

Subscriber Line Charge - A monthly charge on subscribers created by the FCC and paid to the local phone company. Also knows as the FSLC.

Switched Redirect - Redirect calls to another call center or location when your customer service staff is overloaded. You can schedule when to redirect calls: at night, weekends, holidays or whenever.

T

T-1 - A digital Transmission link of 1.544Mbps. Can be used as a point-to-point circuit to transport information at a high speed, or can be channelized into 24 channels to handle voice conversations. Each of these channels is digitized at 64Kbps.

Tariff - The schedule of rates and regulations governing the provision of telecommunications services. A document filed with a regulatory body by a common carrier (IXC) which defines services offered, established rate customers will pay, and states general obligations of the IXC and the customer.

Three-Way Calling - Add a third caller to a call in progress, no matter who initiated the call.

Toll Call - Any call to any point outside the local service area.

Toll Free Service - The ability of a caller to dial a long distance telephone number without incurring a charge for the call which is paid for by the party offering the toll free service (800, 888, etc.).

Trunk - A communications line between two switching systems.

U

Ultra Forward Service - Change the telephone number you forward calls to anywhere, anytime from any phone, even your mobile phone.

Unlimited Calling Plan - Gives customer unlimited regional calling (and local calling as an option) within their Regional Calling Area in New York State at a set monthly rate. Subscriber's rates are based on their past calling charges during a specific time period.

V

Voice T-1 Service - A 1.544 Mbps digital circuit channelized into 24 64Kbps channels that are designated as voice channels to serve a customers PBX.

Voicemail - Gives the subscriber the ability to receive both voice and fax messages with one single mailbox. Voice messages can be retrieved in two different ways: by calling in to your mailbox, or by logging into a secure Internet website.

W

WAN (Wide Area Network) - A system that is used to allow file sharing among geographically distributed work groups usually over a long distance.