As jargon-heavy industries and sectors go, telecoms is one of the hardest to master.
Littered with acronyms and technical phrases that are impossible to decipher if you don’t already have some knowledge of what they refer to, finding and buying the best package can be a nightmare.
But not any more: our jargon buster brings you the most common and need-to-know terms, and explains them as simply as possible.
So without further ado, here we go…..
ADSL: An Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line refers to a standard telephone line being transformed into a broadband connection to transmit large amounts of data by putting a splitter into the telephone wall socket. It typically delivers fast download but slower upload speeds. ADSL2+ is a faster version of this that is now available across much of the UK.
Hunt Group: This rotates incoming calls through a group of lines associated with the same number until a free one is found. Perfect for sales teams or call centre as the caller only receives a busy signal if all lines are busy.
IP: Internet Protocol is the standard way of transporting information across the internet in packets of data.
IP Telephony: Internet Protocol Telephony is the standard setting out transmission of data and calls across the internet.
ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network, often referred to as an ISDN line. ISDN is an international communications standard for sending voice, video and data over normal, copper telephone wires.
Non-Geographical Numbers: These are telephone numbers that do not include an area code, such as 0800 or 0845, and are often used for consumer call centres. What the number starts with depends what it costs, and not all are free on mobile packages, for example, so make sure you are clued up on costs.
Number Port: This allows you to move an existing telephone number to a new provider. The normal process is to request a port code and then give this to your new provider.
PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network, simply a standard telephone service. It is mostly digital these days, apart from the final part from the local exchange to a user’s phone where copper wires carry the analogue voice data.
Router: Either a device or computer software that directs IP packets to the next point towards their destination.
SDSL: A Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line works the same as ADSL (see above) but with equal speed/bandwidth in both directions.
SIP: Session Initiation Protocol allows worldwide free communication between people using computers and mobile devices on the internet. It harnesses VoIP (Voice over IP, see next entry) technology and is most commonly used to start and finish VoIP calls.
VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol translates speech into data packets for transmitting across the internet like any other file, transforming it back to its usual form on arrival. Much cheaper than traditional calls, communication can be carried out through any computer or phone that can connect to the internet.
VPN: A Virtual Private Network is a way of creating a private communications network on an otherwise public system such as the web, using security including passwords and authentication to allow access.
If there is any other telecoms related jargon you need help with, please feel free to contact us.