A
Application program interface (API) A formalized set of software calls and routines that can be referenced by an application program in order to access supporting network services.
AHT (Average Hold Time) The average length of time between the moment a caller finishes dialing and the moment the call is answered or terminated.
AIN (advanced intelligent network) an SS7 network architecture that allows U.S. telecommunications carriers to process telephone calls based on data stored in external databases
ANI (Automatic Number Identification)A telephone function which transmits the billing number of the incoming call (Caller ID, for example).
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)The American standardization body known for interface recommendations and standardization of programming languages. ANSI is a non-profit making, government-independent organization.
AS (Autonomous System) A group of networks under mutual administration that share the same routing methodology.
ASP (Application Service Provider) An independent, third party provider of software-based services delivered to customers across a wide area network (WAN).
ASR (Answer-Seizure Ratio) The ratio of successfully connected calls to attempted calls (also called 'Call Completion Rate').
ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) Used to connect a standard telephone to a high-speed modem to facilitate VoIP and/or fax calls over the Internet.
ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) A technology for switched, connection-oriented transmission of voice, data and video. It makes high-speed dedicated connections possible between a theoretically unlimited number of network users and also to servers
Applications Service Providers (ASPs) - Companies that provide applications along with all the IT infrastructure and support services necessary to deliver the applications to customers on a subscription basis. ASPs typically host applications at a remote data center and deliver them to customers via the Internet or a private network.
Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) - A high-speed multiplexing and switching method utilizing fixed-length cells of 53 octects to support multiple types of traffic Note: ATM, specified in international standards, is asynchronous in the sense that cells carrying user data need not be periodic.
Authentication - a fraud-prevention technique that verifies the integrity of the calling party
B
Backbone A high-speed network spanning the world from one major metropolitan area to another.
Bad Frame Interpolation Interpolates lost/corrupted packets by using the previously received voice frames. It increases voice quality by making the voice transmission more robust.
Bandwidth - A measure of channel capacity for communications links. Analog telephone line capacity is measured in electrical cycles per second or Hertz; digital channel capacity is measured in bits per second.
Basic service - applies to basic dial tone or POTS service (local and long-distance); no value added services, such as data protocol conversion, are included
Batch processing - infers processing that is not real time, such as processing data on a magnetic tape
Billing & Back Office - management and support tasks that are located away from a company’s headquarters. Services can include billing, telemarketing, credit card processing and data file maintenance.
Billing Increment A call duration measurement unit, usually expressed in seconds.
BLI (Busy Lamp Indicator) A light or LED on a telephone that shows which line is in use.
Broadband A descriptive term for evolving digital technology that provides consumers a single switch facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video demand services, and interactive delivery services.
BDSG Federal Data Protection Act
C
Call deflection Call Deflection allows a called endpoint to redirect the unanswered call to another endpoint.
Carrier - a telecommunication company which offers its services to the public; typically, a carrier files tariffs that are equally applied to all consumers; (2) a continuously varying electromagnetic signal that carries analog signals such as FM, AM, or digital signals
CDR (call detail record) - A system feature that tracks details about calls, such as type, time, duration, originator and destination. CDRs can be used for network monitoring, accounting and billing purposes
CLEC - (Pronounced “see-lek or klek”) A Competitive Local Exchange Carrier is a telephone company that has been allowed by the government (CRTC) to offer local telephone service in competition with an Incumbent Local Exchange
Carrier (ILEC) such as a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC), GTE, ALLNET, Telus etc.
Cellular - a radio telephone system in which a geographical area (such as a city) is divided into small sections that consists of approximate hexagonal geographic areas (cells) with groups of frequencies allocated to each cell.
Clearinghouse - a third part entity that handles financial clearing and settlements between carriers
Codec (Compression-decompression) In VoIP it is a voice compression-decompression algorithm that defines the rate of speech compression, quality of decompressed speech and processing power requirements. The most popular codecs in VoIP are ITU-T G.723.1 and G.729 (AB).
Co-location - placement of telecommunications equipment owned by a CLEC at an ILEC's central office to facilitate the use of unbundled local loops
CPE (customer premises equipment) - the equipment at the customer's premises that is owned by the consumer that is connected with the common carrier network
Communications protocol - protocols used in telecommunications to establish a set of rules for information exchange and flow control between electronic devices on a network
Compression Compression is used at anywhere from 1:1 to 12:1 ratios in VOIP applications to consume less bandwidth and leave more for data or other voice/fax communications. The voice quality may decrease with increased compression ratios.
Congestion The situation in which the traffic present on the network exceeds available network bandwidth/capacity.
CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) - a standard that assists in the transfer of messages between distributed objects in various platforms and in a dispersed computing environment
CSMA/CD(Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection) This is the access procedure to the Ethernet in which the participating stations physically monitor the traffic on the line. If no transmission is taking place at the time the particular station can transmit. If two stations attempt to transmit simultaneously this causes a collision that is detected by all participating stations. After a random time interval the stations that collided attempt to transmit again.
D
Dial-peer (Addressable Call Endpoint)
A software structure that binds a dialed digit string to a voice port or IP address of the destination gateway. Several dial peers always exist on each router in the network, and at least two will be involved in making a call across the network, one on the originating end and one on the terminating end. In Voice over IP, there are two kinds of dial peers: POTS and VoIP. VoIP peers point to specific VoIP devices.
Dial-peer hunting Process when the originating router tries to establish call on different dial peers if the originating router receives a user-busy invalid number or an unassigned-number disconnect cause code from a destination router.
DiffServ (Differentiated Services) A quality of service (QOS) protocol that prioritizes IP voice and data traffic to help preserve voice quality, even when network traffic is heavy.
Digital - a signal consisting of a stream of bits (binary digits of zeros and ones) representing sound, video, computer data or other information
DNIS (Dialed Number Identification Service) A telephone function which sends the dialed telephone number to the answering service.
DNS (domain name service) a software application that can map Internet protocol addresses. It allows a user to find computers on the Internet according to their domain name.
DSL (digital subscriber line) a digital telecommunications protocols and encoding techniques that increase the digital transmission rates of local copper telephone lines
DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi Frequency) The type of audio signals generated when you press the buttons on a touch-tone telephone.
Dynamic Jitter Buffer Collects voice packets, stores them, and shifts them to the voice processor in evenly spaced intervals to reduce any distortion in the sound.
E
E&M (Ear and Mouth) Is the interface on a VOIP device that allows it to be connected to analog PBX trunk ports (tie lines).
E.164 The international public telecommunication numbering plan. An E.164 number uniquely identifies a public network termination point and typically consists of three fields, CC (country code), NDC (national destination code), and SN (subscriber number), up to 15 digits in total.
E1 A wide-area digital transmission scheme (European): 2,048 Mbits/s; 31 channels, 64 Kbps each.
Endpoint SIP or H.323 terminal or Gateway. An endpoint can Call and be Called. It generates and terminates the information stream.
e-commerce - buying and selling over the public internet, the public web and corporate internets.
Encryption - the conversion of data via a secret code for transmission, unreadable by anybody except those in possession of the code
F
Facilities-based - a carrier with self-owned/leased equipment-one that sells its own services rather than reselling services of other providers; usually refers to CLECs
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - an Internet application protocol that enables the user to log onto computers at other sites and transfer or retrieve files
Firewall A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of both. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the security criteria specified on the firewall.
FoIP (Fax Over Internet Protocol) The term used for the technology that transports facsimiles over the Internet.
Forward Error Correction Increases voice quality by recovering lost or corrupted packets.
FXO (Foreign Exchange Office) Is the interface on a VOIP device for connecting to an analog PBX extension.
FXS (Foreign Exchange Station) Is the interface on a VOIP device for connecting directly to phones, faxes, and CO ports on PBXs or key telephone systems.
G
G.711 An ITU-T PCM half-duplex codec that uses either A-law or ?-law compression (64 kbps, high quality, minimum processor load).
G.723.1 An ITU-T double rate CELP codec (6.4/5.3 kbps, medium quality, high processor load).
G.726 An ITU-T ADPCM wave form codec (16/24/32/40 kbps, good quality, low processor load).
G.728 An ITU-T low delay CELP codec (16 kbps, medium quality, very high processor load).
G.729 An ITU-T ACELP codec (8 kbps, medium quality, high processor load).
G.7xx A family of ITU standards for audio compression.
Gatekeeper The central control entity that performs management functions in a Voice and Fax over IP network and for multimedia applications such as video conferencing. Gatekeepers provide intelligence for the network, including address resolution, authorization, and authentication services, the logging of Call Detail Records, and communications with network management systems. Gatekeepers control bandwidth, provide interfaces to existing legacy systems, and monitor the network for engineering purposes as well as for real-time network management and load balancing.
Gateway In IP telephony, a network device that converts voice and fax calls, in real time, between the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and an IP network. The primary functions of an IP gateway include voice and fax compression/ decompression, packetization, call routing, and control signaling. Additional features may include interfaces to external controllers, such as Gatekeepers or Softswitches, billing systems, and network management systems.
GKTMP (Cisco Gatekeeper Transaction Message Protocol) A proprietary Cisco protocol used for communication between the Cisco IOS Gatekeeper and external applications.
Grace Period The time interval at the beginning of a call, measured in seconds that is not billed.
H
H.225 Protocols (RAS, RTP/RTCP, Q.931 call signaling) and message formats for H.323.
H.245 A protocol for capability negotiation, messages for opening and closing channels for media streams, etc. (i.e. media signaling).
H.323 An ITU-T "umbrella" of standards for Packet-based multimedia communications systems. This standard defines the different multimedia entities that make up a multimedia system - Endpoints, Gateways, Multipoint Conferencing Units (MCUs), and Gatekeepers -- and their interaction. This standard is used for many Voice-over-IP applications, and is heavily dependent on other standards, mainly H.225 and H.245.
Hairpin Telephony term that means to send a call back in the direction that it came from. For example, if a call cannot be routed over IP to a gateway that is closer to the target telephone, the call typically is sent back out the local zone, back the way from which it came.
Hop off Point at which a call transitions from H.323 to non-H.323, typically at a gateway.
I
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) One of two technical working bodies in the Internet Activities Board. The IETF meets three times a year to set technical standards for the Internet.
Internet card issuer - specializes in providing virtual prepaid cards via the web.
Internet Protocol (IP) - part of the TCP/IP family of protocols describing software that tracks the Internet address of nodes, routes outgoing messages and recognizes incoming messages.
ILEC (Pronounced “eye-lek”) Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) - a term used to refer to a local telephone operating company that had the local service monopoly when the Telecom Act of 1996 was passed.
Intranet - an in-house network Web site that serves the employees of the enterprise and offers features and services similar to those of the Internet
Intelligent network (IN) - A network that allows functionality to be distributed flexibly at a variety of nodes on and off the network and allows the architecture to be modified to control the services.
Integrated T-1 Comprised of 24 64Kbps channels, T1 lines can be used for a diverse number of applications. Commonly referred to as an integrated T1 or channelized T1, this highly flexible circuit is designed for businesses that need to run multiple services over the same line. Common applications for integrated T1 service include, Frame Relay/dedicated long distance and Internet/point-to-point. Often confused with a fractional T1, integrated service is made up of multiple fractional T1 services.
IP (Internet Protocol) - an ISO standard that implements network layer 3 of an open system interconnection (OSI) model, containing a network address and used by a router to direct an IP packet to a different network
IP Centrex IP Centrex delivers such services as call hold, call transfer, last number look-up and redial, call forward, three-way calling, but does it on a packet-based network.
IP Telephony The transmission of voice and fax phone calls over data networks that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). IP telephony is the result of the transformation of the circuit-switched telephone network to a packet-based network that deploys voice-compression algorithms and flexible and sophisticated transmission techniques, and delivers richer services using only a fraction of traditional digital telephony’s usual bandwidth.
ISP (Internet service provider) - a service provider linking consumers and businesses to the Internet via dial-up, leased T-1 or DSL access
ITSP (Internet telephony service provider) - a company that provides long-distance telephony service via the Internet or an intranet through dial-up access via the PSTN
IVR (interactive voice response) - an automated telephone answering system that uses remote touch-tone telephones and a digitized synthesized voice to "read" the screen to the distant caller. A voice menu allows the user to make choices and enter information via a touch-tone keypad.
ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) Provider of telephony based services.
ITU-T ITU standards for telecommunications.
J
Jitter The variation in the amount of Latency among Packets being received.
K
L
LAN (Local Area Network) A LAN is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link and typically share the resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within an office building).
Latency Also called Delay. The amount of time it takes a Packet to travel from source to destination. Together, Latency and Bandwidth define the speed and capacity of a network.
LD (long distance) - a metered call in the public switched telephone network that goes beyond the local calling area
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) - a protocol that is implemented in querying directory databases, such as those used by gatekeepers for IP telephony
LEC (local exchange carrier) - any authorized carrier that has been given permission by the state PUC to provide voice-level telecommunication services within a predetermined area within the state
Loop - a pair of wires that connects the central office to the telephone set
M
MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol) A protocol complementary to H.323 and SIP, designed to control media gateways from external call control elements in decomposed gateway architectures. MGCP is meant to simplify standards for the new Voice over Packet technology by eliminating the need for complex, processor-intense IP telephony devices, thus simplifying and lowering the cost of these terminals.
N
O
OLTP. Short for On-Line Transaction Processing. A type of computer processing in which the computer responds immediately to user requests. Each request is considered to be a transaction.
OSS (operations support system) - a system that processes telecommunications information that supports various management functions, such as billing, customer care, network management, inventory control, maintenance, trouble ticket reporting, surveillance and service provisioning. OSS is not considered a network element or part of the network (switches, fiber optics, etc.) itself.
P
Packet - a group of bits transmitted and/or switched as a unit block of data for transmission in a packet-switched network
PBX (private branch exchange) - a private telephone switching system that connects telephone extensions to each other, as well as to the PSTN
PCS (personal communications service) - a wireless service concept or vision that allow users to communicate with the combination of terminal and personal mobility. The allocation of spectrum in the 1800-1900 MHz band is called the PCS band.
PIN (personal identification number) - the four-digit number entered after one enters their local exchange company calling card when they place a third party-billed call
Point-of-sale activation (POSA) equipment - computer terminals that connect with a central computer for activation of a prepaid phone card or stored value
card at the point of sale.
POP (point of presence) - the location at which a line from a long distance carrier (IXC) connects into a local telephone carrier's switching network facility
Portals. A single access point to information typically customized to the user, which was invented to tame the diversity of the public internet by giving users a route to the information they were looking for. The first generation portals were accessed via web browsers, (ie. AOL, YAHOO!,MSN) however the portal is a generic concept, which will also be accessed in future from wireless devices and the telephone.
POTS (plain old telephone service) - the basic telephone service connecting most residential and small business users to the public switched telephone network (PSTN)
Prepaid “xxxx” – A convenient alternative to a wallet for holding money. Prepaid telephone or internet service cards represent purchases of commitments to provide specified services. Prepaid parking and buss passes are the same type of transaction proof for different services. A prepaid Master Card represents a commitment to provide an almost any type of product or service. The prepaid token can be a coin, plastic card, paper, customer confirmation number or pass code, or even encoded data in a wireless device.
Prepaid dial tone provider - companies that provision land line phone service on a prepaid basis.
Prepaid wireless provider - companies that offer prepaid options through wireless technology such as cellular and PCS
PRI (Primary Rate Interface) An ISDN service that provides 23 64-Kbps B (Bearer) channels and one 64-Kbps D (Data) channel (23 B and D).
Protocol. The definition of the data sent across a network to allow some application program uses to talk to server (e.g. providing the messaging infrastructure). Protocols are typically standardized by an impartial industry forum, a process critical to product interoperability.
Provisioning - the process by which a requested service is designed, implemented and tracked for a particular customer
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network.
Q
Q.931 ISDN connection control protocol, roughly comparable to TCP in the Internet protocol stack. Q.931 doesn't provide flow control or perform retransmission, because the underlying layers are assumed to be reliable and the circuit-oriented nature of ISDN allocates bandwidth in fixed increments of 64 kbps. Q.931 does manage connection setup and breakdown. In H.323 scenario, this protocol is encapsulated in TCP and sent to port 1720.
QoS (Quality of Service) Measure of performance for a transmission system that reflects it’s transmission quality and service availability. Standards based QOS for VoIP usually involves the implementation of Ethernet standards 802.1p and 802.1q at layer 2 across an Ethernet.
QSIG (Q (point of the ISDN model) Signaling) Signaling standard. Common channel signaling protocol based on ISDN Q.931 standards and used by many digital PBXs.
R
Reseller (also know as Rebiller) – a distributor of minutes between the facility owner (“lesor”) and the customer. It is possible to have multiple distributors in the value chain or the owner may sell directly to the customer. Distributors in clued those who add value by enhancing the product, bundle products together, strip products out of bundles, buy at bulk prices and sell at retail prices or have a unique relationship with a specific customer group that is too expensive for others to reach. A Rebiller is a reseller who used billing, rating and or reconciliation expertise to change the value and or cost of a product as it passes from facility owner to customer to make a profit.
Reconciliation - the processes by which carriers determine charges owed to one another for network interconnection
RAS (Registration, Admission, Status) A management protocol between terminals and Gatekeepers.
Redundant Redundant describes computer or network system components, such as fans, hard disk drives, servers, operating systems, switches, and telecommunication links that are installed to back up primary resources in case they fail.
RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol) A protocol that supports the reservation of resources across an IP network. Applications running on IP end systems can use RSVP to indicate to other nodes the nature (bandwidth, jitter, maximum burst, and so on) of the packet streams they want to receive. RSVP depends on IPv6. Also known as Resource Reservation Setup Protocol.
RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) Commonly used with IP networks. RTP is designed to provide end-to-end network transport functions for applications transmitting real-time data, such as audio, video, or simulation data, over multicast or unicast network services. RTP provides such services as payload type identification, sequence numbering, time stamping, and delivery monitoring to real-time applications.
S
SCP (service control point) - an SS7 database platform that enables carriers' computers to offer enhanced services including 800 numbers, collect and third-party billing calls and calling cards
Softswitch Also called a Proxy Gatekeeper, Call Server, Call Agent, Media Gateway Controller, or Switch Controller. Software used to bridge a public switched telephone network and voice over Internet by separating the call control functions of a phone call from the media gateway (transport layer). Softswitch performs call control functions such as protocol conversion, authorization, accounting and administration operations.
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) An application-layer control protocol, a Signaling protocol for Internet Telephony. SIP can establish sessions for features such as audio/videoconferencing, interactive gaming, and call forwarding to be deployed over IP networks thus enabling service providers to integrate basic IP telephony services with Web, e-mail, and chat services. In addition to user authentication, redirect and registration services, SIP Server supports traditional telephony features such as personal mobility, time-of-day routing and call forwarding based on the geographical location of the person being called.
SS7 (Signaling System 7) - a set of packet network protocols for setting up between switches and for transaction services requiring special databases, such as caller ID, automatic redial and call forwarding
SSP (service switching point) - SS7 software capable of sending triggering signals to service control points and querying these databases for processing information for a specific telephone call
STPs (signal transfer points) - SS7 packet switches that interconnect SSPs, SCPs and SMSs
Switch - a mechanical or electronic device for making, breaking, or changing the direction of a flow of electrical or optical signals
Service bureau - telecom providers that own network, switching or platform hardware and offer a full spectrum of prepaid services. Some provide ancillary services such as packaging, distribution, fulfillment and interactive voice recognition (IVR.).
Service Providers. a term used to describe companies that deliver communications and software services to customers (Application Service Providers, Wireless Carriers, Internet Service Providers)
Smart card - a plastic card with an embedded chip that offers functions for secure information storage; it also is referred to as an IC card, chip card or memory card.
Stored value - an off-the-shelf card product that can be loaded with money and used to purchase products and services, obtain cash when needed and transfer money from one point to another.
Switches & platforms. The hardware and software used to establish and maintain connections between two or more disparate channels in a data or voice communication.
Switchless reseller - a company that buys long distance service in bulk from a long distance company and resells that service to smaller users. A switchless reseller owns no communications facilities, switches or transmission capabilities.
T
T1 1.544-Mbps point-to-point dedicated digital circuit provided by the telephone companies consisting of 24 channels.
TAPI (Telephony API) A programming interface that allows Windows client applications to access voice services on a server.
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) Connection-oriented transport layer protocol that provides reliable full-duplex data transmission. TCP is part of the TCP/IP protocol stack.
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). A communications protocol developed by the Department of Defense to inter-network dissimilar systems, operating at layers 3 and 4 (network and transport, respectively) of the OSI model
Text To Speech (TTS). The conversion of a piece of text, such as an email, into an audible form that can be played down the telephone to the caller.
Telco. A public telephone company, typically refers to an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier)
Trunk A communications channel between two points, typically referring to large-bandwidth telephone channels between switching centers, handling many simultaneous voice and data signals.
Trunking Trunking means that several connections in a network may be established simultaneously, and that setup of connections proceeds automatically using the channels available at the time in question. In this way many users may share a few connections, and if the number of connections is increased, the capacity of the network is increased more than proportionally. This means that an optimal trunking effect is obtained in very large networks.
U
Unified Communications An extension of Unified Messaging to embrace forms of real time communications (that are not therefore strictly messaging), such as call management, Instant Messaging and Voice over IP conversations.Unified Messaging. A solution bringing together electronic mail, fax and voice messaging into a single message store, using a single directory, and accessed by a common set of clients – delivering the user with access to any message, anytime, anywhere on any device.
Usage based. A charging method for a service in which it is charged according to the frequency of usage
V
Voice over IP (VoIP). The transmission of voice calls, as would normally happen over the telephone, over TCP/IP based networks, such as the Internet.
VPDN (Virtual Private Dial-up Network) Also known as virtual private dial network. A VPDN is a network that extends remote access to a private network using a shared infrastructure. VPDNs use Layer 2 tunnel technologies (L2F, L2TP, and PPTP) to extend the Layer 2 and higher parts of the network connection from a remote user across an ISP network to a private network. VPDNs are a cost effective method of establishing a long distance, point-to-point connection between remote dial users and a private network
VPN Virtual Private Network. Enables IP traffic to travel securely over a public TCP/IP network by encrypting all traffic from one network to another. A VPN uses “tunneling” to encrypt all information at the IP level.
W
Wholesale long distance provider. Companies that purchase long distance minutes in bulk from carriers at a wholesale price and resell them.
X
xDSL (x Digital Subscriber Line). A set (x) of DSL protocols that increases the digital speed of copper telephone lines. The "x" indicates any one of a variety of such DSL technologies: ADSL, HDSL, IDSL, RDSL, SDSL, and VDSL.
Y
Z