ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line – is a type of digital line for data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines over and above a conventional voiceband modem.
Analogue Telephone Lines
Also known as PSTN lines (Public Switch Telephony Network). These are the basic lines installed in millions of homes and businesses throughout the UK. They can be installed as single lines or multiple lines (e.g. 3 lines on the same number).
CCTV
Closed Circuit Television, or video surveillance – video cameras submit a signal to a specific place, usually a monitor or set of monitors. The footage is usually recorded. The signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point (P2P), point to multipoint (P2MP), or mesh wired or wireless links.
FTTC
Fibre To The Cabinet. Fibre to the cabinet is a connectivity technology that is based upon a combination of fibre optic cable and copper cable.
Full-Duplex
Refers to the transmission of data in two directions simultaneously. For example, a telephone is a full-duplex device because both parties can talk at once.
IoT
The Internet of Things is the inter-networking of devices, vehicles, buildings and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity. This enables these objects to collect and exchange data. Items can be referred to as connected devices and smart devices.
IP Telephony
Internet Protocol telephony is a general term for the technologies that use the Internet Protocol’s packet-switched connections to exchange voice, fax, and other forms of information that have traditionally been carried over the dedicated circuit-switched connections of the public switched telephone network.
ISDN
ISDN lines (Integrated Services Digital Network) come in two variants:
ISDN2e
Also known as BRI (Basic Rate Interface) this is the basic digital line which provides 2 voice channels (2 x 64k channels). It offers superior voice quality in comparison with analogue lines.
Most users have ISDN2e for DDI numbering (Direct Dialling Inward), plus it offers CLI (Calling Line Identity – caller ID) on multiple lines.
ISDN30e
Also known as PRI (Primary Rate Interface) this is the mainstay of large business users, providing up to 30 voice channels on each line. It offers similar benefits to ISDN2e but on a much larger scale.
LLU
Local Loop Unbundling. The wire connection between the local exchange and the customer is known as a local loop. The wire is owned by the carrier, usually BT Openreach. Unbundling is the process brought about by deregulating the market to introduce competition which allows other providers, such as iData, to have access to the local loop to provide business broadband and landline services to customers.
LTE
Long-Term Evolution is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals.
Microwave Broadband
Fixed wireless broadband is a microwave-based technology that allows you to send and receive high-speed data between two fixed sites or locations.
MPLS
Multiprotocol Label Switching is a type of data-carrying technique for high-performance telecommunications networks that directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table.
M2M
M2M is the abbreviation for Machine to Machine Communication. It is the technology that enables networked devices to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans.
Multi Lines
A variant on the basic analogue line, these are used by businesses as an alternative to a telephone system. E.g. in an office with 3 users, rather than having a telephone system the client can have 3 lines and calls can be transferred around the group.
POP3
Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) is a standard mail protocol used to receive emails from a remote server to a local email client. POP3 allows you to download email messages on your local computer and read them even when you are offline.
PSTN
Public Switched Telephone Network – circuit-switched telephone networks that are operated by national, regional, or local telephony operators.
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification – uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information.
SIP
Session Initiation Protocol – A communications protocol for controlling sessions in internet telephony and messaging over IP networks.
VPN
Virtual Private Network.