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Pipedrive is customer relationship management (CRM) software designed for sales. The software focuses on the sales pipeline, enabling sales teams...
Brenna Miles
Amanda Scheldt
Many companies have had to evolve their businesses to meet consumer wants and needs in new ways. One area that...
Siji Roy
Live streaming has grown in popularity due to the quick evolution of audiovisual and streaming technology over the past decade....
Alice Musyoka
There are about 4.6 billion active social media users globally, as of early 2022, and Facebook (Meta) is one of...
Ali Azhar
Social listening is the process of monitoring and analyzing digital interactions and communications on the internet, primarily on social media...
Ali Azhar
Sentiment analysis—an audience analysis method that relies on text analysis, natural language processing (NLP), and other data mining methods—is increasingly...
Shelby Hiter
Rich communication services (RCS) is a mobile messaging approach in which session initiation protocol (SIP) and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)...
Amanda Scheldt
Conversational AI is an artificial intelligence technology that comprehends human speech and corresponds with human interaction. Conversational AI is increasingly...
Maheen Kanwal
A virtual agent (VA) is an artificial intelligence (AI) program that mimics human conversations. Learn more in this definition. What...
Brenna Miles
Mobile workforce management (MWM) refers to the tools and software used to manage remote, field, and other employees who work...
Alice Musyoka
IT Service Management (ITSM) tools are the tools involved in designing, delivering, and managing IT services. These tools support IT...
Amanda Scheldt
Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based communications solution that provides the same functionality as an on-premises private...
Jen Gannon
A sales CRM, or customer relationship management (CRM) tool for sales, is frequently the centerpiece of sales operations for a...
Alice Musyoka
ZipRecruiter is a popular online job board and recruitment platform that was founded in 2010 by Ian Siegel. It has...
Sam Ingalls
Need a hand in sending your first direct message (DM) on one of the fastest growing social media platforms in...
Jenna Phipps
Telecommunication refers to telephony and cellular network technology. However, the broader definition includes all wired and wireless networks, such as...
Vangie Beal
Updated by Jenna Phipps Google Hangouts is a cloud-based messaging and video chat application developed by Google. It started as...
Abby Braden
Zoom is a cloud-based video communications application that allows users to set up virtual video and audio conferencing, webinars, live...
Webopedia Staff
Remote working software is software that enables workers outside of a main office to collaborate, communicate and track tasks and...
Webopedia Staff
COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease caused by the strain of a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus...
Forrest Stroud
Snapchat is a social networking app that enables users (Snapchatters) to send videos or pictures to other Snapchat users. These...
Forrest Stroud
Emoji refers to small pictures used on smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices to convey emotion or represent an object...
Forrest Stroud
Fake news, or hoax news, refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news. Fake...
Vangie Beal
WhatsApp is the name of a mobile messaging app for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone or for Mac or Windows PCs....
Vangie Beal
Project Fi is a virtual mobile network, owned by Google. It uses technology partners to help mobile customers connect to...
Short for Web real-time communications, WebRTC is a technology used for real-time human voice and video communications. The technology enables...
Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) is an IP (Internet Protocol) technology in some network routers that can be configured to...
Forrest Stroud
Amazon Echo is a new smart speaker product from Amazon that combines voice recognition “intelligent assistant” capabilities with speaker functionality...
Forrest Stroud
A next-generation PlayStation gaming and entertainment system from Sony that is currently scheduled to arrive in late 2013.
Forrest Stroud
An open source Web conferencing project that provides video conferencing, instant messaging, collaborative document editing and similar features. Apache OpenMeetings...
Vangie Beal
Cognitive Radio (CR) is an adaptive, intelligent radio and network technology that can automatically detect available channels in a wireless...
Forrest Stroud
A family of malware worms that typically spreads through instant messaging, USB removable drives, websites or social media channels like...
Forrest Stroud
Short for SMS Phishing, smishing is a variant of phishing email scams that instead utilizes Short Message Service (SMS) systems...
Vangie Beal
OoVoo is a free service that provides instant messaging, phone calling, video messages and video chatting with up to twelve...
Forrest Stroud
A free service powered by Skype that enables Facebook users to conduct one-to-one video chats with other users. There are...
Vangie Beal
Video chat allows people to connect over the internet audio and video interaction in real time. How does video chat...
Vangie Beal
What is FaceTime? FaceTime is a video and audio chat product developed by Apple Inc. that allows users to communicate...
Vangie Beal
Graymail is a word used to describe “unwanted” email from a company or website. At some point a user would...
Vangie Beal
A slang term used to describe a person who wears a Bluetooth wireless earpiece.
Vangie Beal
4G LTE is an abbreviation for fourth generation Long Term Evolution that was developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project....
Vangie Beal
A pocket dial (also called pocket call, butt dial or butt call) is a slang term used to mean an...
Vangie Beal
Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) is an audio codec developed by Apple for playback on iTunes and QuickTime and on...
Vangie Beal
A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) private box exchange (PBX) is a business telephone system that provides services similar to...
Vangie Beal
A Voice over IP call, or VoIP call, utilizes packet-switched Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) or Internet telephony as opposed...
Vangie Beal
What is a VOIP Service Provider? A voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service provider offers VoIP Internet telephony solutions to...
Vangie Beal
VoIP phones utilize packet-switched Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Internet telephony, to transmit telephone calls over the Internet as...
Vangie Beal
Voicemail is a computerized system that enables support for answering, storing and relaying telephone call messages. Also spelled as voice...
Over the seven years that I’ve been writing for Webopedia, many things have changed.  Our site finally lost the “ancient”...
Vangie Beal
Text from computer is a feature that allows you to send a text message (also called SMS) to a cellular...
Vangie Beal
Hactivism is the concept of hacking into a Web site or computer system in order to communicate a politically or...
Vangie Beal
Google Voice is an Internet telephony service from Google that enables free worldwide PC-to-PC voice calls and video-enabled calls as...
Vangie Beal
A small business phone system comprises multiple telephones used in an interconnected fashion that allows for advanced telephony features such...
Vangie Beal
Video conferencing software facilitates initiating and conducting live conferences between two or more participants at different sites by using computer...
Vangie Beal
An IP telephone system uses packet-switched Voice over IP (VoIP), or Internet telephony, to transmit telephone calls over the Internet...
Vangie Beal
A phone system comprises multiple telephones used in an interconnected fashion that allows for advanced telephony features such as call...
Vangie Beal
Internet phones, or IP phones, use packet-switched VoIP, or Internet telephony, to transmit telephone calls over the Internet as opposed...
Vangie Beal
Mobile VoIP refers to mobile handsets that have been integrated into an existing VoIP, or Internet telephony, network, typically via...
Vangie Beal
A private branch exchange (PBX) phone system that’s delivered as a hosted service, typically by one of the major telephone...
Vangie Beal
Hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a business VoIP model where the equipment, servers, and services are hosted by...
Vangie Beal
Conference phones are used to initiate and conduct conference calls, which enable multiple callers to listen and/or talk on the...
Vangie Beal
Enterprise VoIP services are enterprise-grade versions of residential VoIP and business VoIP solutions that provide large organizations with advanced features...
Vangie Beal
Digital phone services are offered through local phone companies, cable companies and broadband Internet service providers, typically as part of...
Vangie Beal
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, telephone products connect to VoIP, or Internet telephony, systems, which use packet-switched telephony to...
Vangie Beal
A cellular telephone that’s capable of connecting to the Internet through a Wi-Fi network or hotspot is frequently referred to...
Vangie Beal
What is 250 GB (250 gigabytes) and why is this phrase so popular? Webopedia explains what the phrase 250 GB...
Vangie Beal
Business VoIP services is commercial-class versions of residential VoIP services that provide small and medium-sized businesses with advanced features and...
Vangie Beal
Online phones use packet-switched VoIP, or Internet telephony to transmit telephone calls over the Internet as opposed to the circuit-switched...
Vangie Beal
A business phone system that’s delivered as a hosted service, typically by one of the major telephone companies. Frequently referred...
Vangie Beal
A system where multiple telephones are used by businesses in an interconnected fashion that allows for features like call handling...
Vangie Beal
Business telephone is a system where multiple telephones are used by businesses in an interconnected fashion that allows for features...
Vangie Beal
The phrase used to describe Internet access (wireless communications) that is obtained through a portable modem or other device, such...
Vangie Beal
Auto correct fail is a slang phrase used to describe the inaccuracies of the spell checker and subsequent AutoCorrect feature...
Vangie Beal
A popular Web-based instant messaging application that enables users to automatically log in to multiple IM services while working within...
Vangie Beal
Bandwidth hog is a common slang term used to describe files that take a very long time to download, or...
Vangie Beal
An implementation manager is an IT project manager who focuses on implementing information systems into a business environment. The implementation...
Vangie Beal
Customer self-service (abbreviated as CSS) refers to methods and processes put in place by a business so that a customer...
Vangie Beal
A 2-line phone system, also called a multi-line phone system, is a separate phone line that can be used for...
Vangie Beal
A phrase used to describe the practice of seeking resources — or subcontracting — outside of an organizational structure for...
Vangie Beal
Also called a contact center, a customer service center is a type of call center that is equipped to handle...
Vangie Beal
A type of call center that is designed to receive a large volume of requests — or inbound calls —...
Vangie Beal
A type of call center that is designed to send a large volume of requests — or outbound calls —...
Vangie Beal
A call center is a centralized department used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of inquiries by telephone. It...
Vangie Beal
Inbox placement rate (IPR) is used in permission-based email marketing as a deliverability benchmark to determine what percentage of send...
Vangie Beal
In email and online marketing, behavioral email marketing refers to the techniques, strategies and often the automated email systems used...
Webopedia Staff
Prior to plug and play devices, users had to set IRQ values of devices manually when adding the device, such...
Vangie Beal
A type of acronym that is made by deciding on the letters to create a word, and then creating a...
Vangie Beal
A type of acronym commonly used in the computer and technology industry that will reference a person, company or a...
Vangie Beal
A modem that plugs into a PCI bus and is controlled by a device driver. Other types of modems may...
Vangie Beal
A business phone system providing call routing, follow-me calling, voicemail, fax-mail, and ACD queues delivered over the public switched telephone...
Vangie Beal
In software development, smoke testing is a slang term used by programmers in reference to hardware testing. When testing software...
Webopedia Staff
A classification of software bugs that are considered to be difficult to understand, recreate and repair. Most bugs that are...
Vangie Beal
Used in real-time text-based communications such as instant messaging, email, online gaming services, chat rooms, discussion boards and mobile phone...
Webopedia Staff
The CCITT has classified dial-up modems according to modulation standards. Listed here are the standards and their different transmission speeds....
Vangie Beal
ADSL+2 is an extension to ADSL broadband technology that provides subscribers with significantly faster download speeds when compared to traditional...
Vangie Beal
Also called a splitter or DSL filter, microfilter is a small device that plugs into the telephone cable that provides...
Vangie Beal
Trojan.Peskyspy is a Trojan horse that has the capability to intercept calls – such as Skype or VoIP calls –...
Vangie Beal
In malware and virus terminology, a blind drop is a message board, forum, BBS or other Internet site where attackers...
Vangie Beal
Satellite radio, also called subscription radio (SR) or digital radio is a satellite-based radio broadcast service. It uses direct broadcasting...
Vangie Beal
A U.S.-based satellite radio provider that offers subscribers digital channels covering Music, Sports, News, Talk and Comedy. Sirius boasts commercial-free...
Vangie Beal
A U.S.-based satellite radio provider that offers North American-based services. XM and and competing satellite radio provider, Sirius, merged in...
Vangie Beal
An open source attack framework first developed by H. D. Moore in 2003. Metasploit is used for hacking into systems...
Webopedia Staff
Collocation or co-location refers to the placement of multiple satellites near each other in orbit to use a single fixed...
Webopedia Staff
In satellite communications, Ku band is the frequency range from 10.5 to 17 GHz; where 13.75 to 14.50 GHz is...
Vangie Beal
In satellite communications, spin stabilization is a method of satellite stabilization and attitude control. Spin stabilization is achieved by spinning...
Vangie Beal
In satellite communications, a block down converter is the name of a device used to convert a 3.7 to 4.2...
Vangie Beal
In satellite communications, down converter is a device for fixed satellite service (FSS) television receivers to convert 4-GHz signals to...
Vangie Beal
A device designed to eliminate the echo in a channel.
Webopedia Staff
In satellite communications, an echo refers to an unwanted refection of a signal to its originator.
Vangie Beal
A series of Canadian (domestic) geostationary communications satellites. The Anik satellites were launched by Telesat Canada for Canadian television and...
Vangie Beal
In satellite communications the attitude control is the term used to describe the orientation of the satellite in relationship to...
Forrest Stroud
Beacons are small, often inexpensive devices that enable more accurate location within a narrow range than GPS, cell tower triangulation...
What is a Smiley Face? A smiley face is a facial expression, or emotion in text conversations. Learn how to...
Vangie Beal
Drexting is the abbreviation used to describe the act of of driving and texting. Drexting is a slang term that...
Vangie Beal
libpurple is a development library that is used as the core of an IM program.
Vangie Beal
Formerly called Gaim, Pidgin is an open source, a graphical multiheaded IM program for Linux, BSD, MacOS X and Windows multi-IM client that works similar to Trillian.
AIM
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Short for AOL Instant Messenger, AIM is a public IMnetwork that was launched by AOL in 1997. AIM is an...
Vangie Beal
Created by Cerulean Studios and released in 2001, Trillian is a multiheadedIM client that connects users of multiple public IM...
Vangie Beal
In 1998 Yahoo launched its own IM service under the name of Pager, later top be called Yahoo Messenger. With...
Webopedia Staff
The term used to describe the malicious activity that is the result of an activated computer virus. While not all...
Vangie Beal
According to the official Tux3 Web site, it is a write-anywhere, atomic commit, btree-based versioning filesystem. The main purpose of...
Vangie Beal
In aeroacoustics, beamforming is a signal processing technology that is used to direct the reception or transmission (the signal energy)...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as FMC or F/MC, Fixed Mobile Convergence is the term used to describe integrated connectivity between fixed and wireless...
Webopedia Staff
(1) Short for communications over Internet Protocol CoIP is an extension of VoIP that refers to a set of standards...
Vangie Beal
A VoIP service that enables users to skip the IVR (interactive voice response) menu of a company they are dialing...
Vangie Beal
The term used to describe a satellite, launched by Japan, that is capable of providing Internet connectivity at speeds of...
Vangie Beal
A published book that is based on and largely contains text messaging sentences as they were typed out on a...
Vangie Beal
A slang term used to describe a user who is uneducated in a given topic area or one who behaves...
Vangie Beal
In mobile computing, a dual-mode device is one that offers voice and data connectivity to both Wi-Fi and cellular communications...
Sam Ingalls
Twitter is a microblogging social media platform where individuals, organizations, and businesses can share and connect through text and multimedia...
Vangie Beal
A Qualcomm embedded notebook chipset that combines broadband modem technology with GPS functionality. With the Gobi chipset, WAN wireless data...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as HSPA, High Speed Packet Access is a set of mobile telephony protocols that includes two popular standards; HSDPA...
Vangie Beal
In mobile phone technology, call divert is a phone feature that enables the user to forward or redirect their incoming...
Vangie Beal
In online discussion forums and blogs with comments enabled, the site or forum authors monitor and often censor inappropriate comments...
Vangie Beal
The term used to describe the family of 802.11 specifications developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN technology. 802.11 specifies...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as EM, and also called just spectrum or electromagnetic radiation spectrum, electromagnetic spectrum refers to the complete range of...
Vangie Beal
In instant messaging (IM) terminology, a multiheaded client is a desktop or Web-based application that can be used to connect...
Abbreviated as AMIS, the Audio Messaging Interchange Specification is a voice processing standard for call and voice processing. AMIS enables...
Vangie Beal
A suite of software products that include multiple integrated components commonly used in a call center. The suite provides organizations...
Webopedia Staff
A term used to describe the ongoing relationship between the OEMand customer where services are rendered to the customer throughout...
Webopedia Staff
Abbreviated at BTO, in computer systems and electronic circuit boardterminology it refers to a service offered by a manufacturer where...
Vangie Beal
A slang term used to describe Internet chat abbreviations and other terms used by AOL Internet service subscribers that are...
CYS
Vangie Beal
Short for check your settings, CYS is technical support shorthand used to note that the user requesting support was advised...
Webopedia Staff
Short for Check Disk, chkdsk is a command run utility that is used on DOS and Microsoft Windows-based systems to...
Vangie Beal
Slang term used to describe a group of people who socialize and interact online — in multiplayer games, forums, chat rooms or on social networking sites, but who have not necessarily met offline, in real life.
Vangie Beal
Short for Adaptive Multi Rate -- WideBand AMR-WB is a standard speech codec that uses a wider bandwidth of 50 to 7000 Hz to offer a higher speech quality.
Vangie Beal
Short for high-definition voice, and also called wideband voice, in Internet telephony, it refers to the use of wideband technology...
Webopedia Staff
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) uses circuit-switched telephony between two points for the duration of the call. In contrast,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
An International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard for for audio (speech) compression and decompression that is used in digital transmission systems,...
Vangie Beal
Refers to a suite of International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards for audio (speech) compression and decompression. This family of standards...
Vangie Beal
Short for Low Delay Code Excited Linear Prediction it is a voice data compression algorithm that uses a low coding...
Vangie Beal
Short for sub-band adaptive differential pulse code modulation SB-ADPCM is a voice data algorithm for compressing 7 KHz audio into...
Vangie Beal
In private branch exchange (PBX) phone systems an auto assistant, also called an auto attendant or reception assistant is a...
Webopedia Staff
Global IP Solutions (GIPS iSAC) is a proprietary wideband codec used in high and low-bit-rate VoIP communications. GIPS iSAC is...
Vangie Beal
In telecommunications it refers to the grouping of connection switches and circuits within a telephone exchange. Trunking is a process...
Vangie Beal
In telecommunications terminology, wideband is used to describe a “wide band” of frequencies within a spectrum. Wideband means that the...
QoE
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Short for Quality of Experience in telecommunications terminology, it is a measurement used to determine how well that network is...
Vangie Beal
Also called a SIP server or SIP proxy server, in telecommunications it is one of the main components of an...
Vangie Beal
In online forums and other online discussion spaces posts and conversations that are inactive or have been closed to new...
Vangie Beal
In online forums double posting is when a user posts the same message or slightly edited versions of the message...
Vangie Beal
In online forums and other online discussion spaces, a flame war is a series of flame posts or messages in...
Vangie Beal
In online forums and other online discussion spaces, a hit-and-run post is the term used to describe users who register...
Vangie Beal
What is a Moderator? A moderator is a user who presides over an online forum discussion. In these forums, moderators...
Vangie Beal
In online forums an off-topic discussion area may be available to users. This area of the forum is designated for...
Vangie Beal
In online forums power-posting is the term used to describe a user who posts a large number of empty or...
Vangie Beal
In online forums and other online discussion spaces bump is the word used to describe an action (e.g. a message...
Vangie Beal
When using Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing (ICS, an ICS client computer can be used to remotely monitor and control...
Vangie Beal
In Windows XP, a Network Bridge is a feature that is used to combine two or more local area networks...
Vangie Beal
Previously called MSN Messenger, Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger (WLM) is an advertisement-supported instant messaging service. It currently has more than...
Vangie Beal
Acronym for be back in a few. BBIAF is commonly used in newsgroups, chat rooms, instant messaging, text messaging, SMS,...
BFF
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Uppercase or lowercase, BFF is an acronym for best friend forever. It gained popularity with the rise of chat rooms,...
GG
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GG (or lowercase gg) is an abbreviation for “good game” that has been widely used as shorthand in competitive multiplayer...
LOL
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Capitalized or lowercase, LOL is an abbreviation for “laugh out loud,” an indication of humor or cheerfulness. Abbreviations like LOL...
Vangie Beal
While the term USB modem refers to any type of data/fax/voice modem device which can be connected to a computer...
Vangie Beal
The term used to describe a set of technologies, such as high definition audio, video, and other interactive elements that...
Vangie Beal
TR-069 CPE WAN Management Protocol (CWMP) was created by the DSL Forum to standardize the Wide Area Network (WAN) management...
Vangie Beal
A 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that has become popular due to its speed advantage over the widely used 802.11b...
Vangie Beal
Short for Radio over Internet Protocol (IP), RoIP is frequently used to describe an extension of VoIP using radio repeaters...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as TDD, test-driven development is a concept in computer software programming to ensure code quality. The TDD cycle concept...
Vangie Beal
Free space optics technology (abbreviated as FSO), also referred to as open-air photonics or optical wireless or infrared broadband, transmits...
IAX
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Short for Inter-Asterisk eXchange, IAX is the native Asterisk PBX protocol and is now supported by many VoIP platforms. It...
Vangie Beal
In online virtual communities, such as online chat rooms or in online games, a virtual identity is one created by...
Vangie Beal
Unified communications is a phrase used to describe any communications system, usually a business system, that encompasses a broad range...
Vangie Beal
When transmitting data, 8B/10B encoding refers to the algorithm for encoding the data for transmission where each eight-bit data byte...
Vangie Beal
In TCP/IP networks, localhost is the name used to describe the local computer address. Localhost always translates to the loopbackIP...
Vangie Beal
A mobile phone messaging service that enables the user to use special versions of instant messaging clients through their mobile...
Vangie Beal
A multi-platform BSD-based UNIX-like operating system. OpenBSD supports binary emulation of most binaries from SVR4 (Solaris), FreeBSD, Linux, BSDI, SunOS,...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as UAC, in VoIP, a client application in an SIP system that initiates the SIP request that is sent...
Vangie Beal
The angle of inclination is used to describe the orbit data of a satellite. An angle of inclination is defined...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as DBS, a direct broadcasting satellite is a type of satellite used for consumer services such as the transmission...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as FSS, a fixed service satellite is a type of satellite used for services such as telephone calls, and...
Webopedia Staff
Short for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites GOES is a series of geosynchronous satellites, first launched in the 1970’s by the...
Vangie Beal
(1) In cellphone terminology, a jammer is a device that blocks transmissions by creating interference. The jammer emits signals in...
Webopedia Staff
Slang term used to describe a communications satellite that is in geosynchronous orbit. See geosynchronous satellite.
Vangie Beal
Often abbreviated as comsat, a communications satellite is a satellite that has been stationed in space for the purpose of...
Vangie Beal
(1) Capitalized, COMSAT is Short for Communications Satellite Corporation, the company that was created in 1962 with the passage of...
Webopedia Staff
The earth-based communications station providing the communication link to a communications satellite. The earth station itself is usually an antenna...
Vangie Beal
Also called geostationary, or simply GEO, it refers to the movement of communications satellites where the satellite circles the globe...
Vangie Beal
Short for Interim Standard 95, IS-95 is a version of CDMA specified by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and is...
Vangie Beal
In groupware terminology, latecomer is the word used to mean any person who joins a group session, after the session...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as WAAS, Wide Area Augmentation System is a system of satellites and ground stations that provide GPS signal corrections for errors caused by ionosphere disturbances, timing, and satellite orbit errors.
Vangie Beal
Also called an array antenna, antenna arrays are several antennas connected and arranged in a regular structure to form a...
Vangie Beal
Also called an aerial, an antenna is a conductor that can transmit, send and receive signals such as microwave, radio...
Vangie Beal
A dipole antenna is an antenna that has omnidirectional coverage (equal sensitivity in all directions). Access Points usually have one...
Webopedia Staff
An antenna that is used to increase signal strength. High-gain antennas are necessary for long-range wireless networks.
Vangie Beal
A multiband antenna is an antenna designed to operate on several bands. These antennas often use designs where one part...
Vangie Beal
Yagi is an antenna that radiates in only one direction. Yagi antennas are most commonly used in point-to-point communications. Also...
Vangie Beal
In computing, cascading may refer to Cascading classifiers Uses all information from an output of a given classifier as additional...
Vangie Beal
A videoconference in two or more languages with interpretation, either consecutive or simultaneous.
Vangie Beal
In videoconferencing systems, the participant map is a visual map (graphic) that shows where each participant in the conference is...
Vangie Beal
A videoconferencing which takes between two sites.
Vangie Beal
In videoconferencing, a video bridge is a computerized switching system that allows for multipoint videoconferencing.
Vangie Beal
In videoconferencing whiteboarding is the term used to describe the placement of shared documents on a participant’s on-screen whiteboard. This...
Vangie Beal
A software program that can be used to automatically call thousands of numbers from a phone list or database. An...
Webopedia Staff
An auto dialer software program that will transfer an automated phone call to an operator or agent when the call...
Webopedia Staff
Also called bare-metal, it is considered to be a low-level method of programming that is specific to the hardware used...
The Eiffel Parallel Execution Environment (EPEE) is an object-oriented framework for programming distributed memory parallel computers. It contains a set...
Vangie Beal
Abbreviated as ASC, the Application Session Controller network element resides at the application layer and sits between the application layer and the core network to provide and manage connectivity to the evolving telecom network.
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The handoff point of any IP-enabled infrastructure. This is where a session passes from one network to another and can...
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A session controller, abbreviated as SC, is used to connect VoIP applications and systems into a single network. It provides...
FON
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FON is the name of a Wi-Fi community that uses social routing; its members share their wireless access and in...
Webopedia Staff
The name of the 54 Mbps wireless router used by FON. It plugs into your broadband Internet connection, and turns...
Vangie Beal
The term used to describe communities or groups of individual Internet users who freely share their broadband Internet connection. FON...
AUC
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Short for Authentication Center and also abbreviated as AC, it is a device located in the HLR (Home Location Register)...
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Abbreviated as BSC, the base station controller is a combination of device and software used by a base station. The...
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Often referred to as a COW, Cell on Wheels is a portable base station, usually a large truck or a...
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Abbreviated as HLR, a Home Location Register is the main database of subscriber information for a mobile network. Every subscriber...
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Abbreviated as MSC the mobile switching center connects calls by switching the digital voice data packets from one network path...
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Abbreviated as VLR, the visitor location register is a database maintained by a cellular service provider used to track users...
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An an application layer messaging protocol at Level 7 of the OSI Model that provides client/server communication between devices connected...
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Short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite services to Handhelds. DVB-SH is a system used to deliver IP based media...
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Abbreviated as SSB, Single SideBand modulation is a type modulation that eliminates all components of one sideband from an amplitude-modulated...
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From AIM to Meebo to Yahoo Messenger, here’s a list of the leading public (and free) instanting messaging services. The...
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Short for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications DECT is a digital wireless technology that originated in Europe, but is now used...
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Internet telephony is broken down into three main categories consisting of PC-to-PC telephony, PC to Phone, and Phone to Phone....
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In instant messaging, federated IM networks are those that allow communications across different IM clients and platforms, similar to the...
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In chat abbreviations AWOL is short for Away without leaving, an indication that the user is still near the computer...
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In chat abbreviations BBIAS is short for be back in a sec, an indication that the user is leaving the...
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ASAP is an acronym for As Soon As Possible, meaning at the earliest possible moment or promptly. ASAP is a...
ASL
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In digital communication, ASL (sometimes written A/S/L, capitalized or lowercase, and with or without a question mark) is an abbreviation...
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In chat abbreviations D/L is short for download. Chat abbreviations are commonly used in Internet and online communications mediums such...
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An open source free VoiceXML interpreter for Java that supports Java APIs such as JSAPI and JTAPI. JVoiceXML is an...
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Formerly known as PHP VXML, PHP Voice is a framework used in developing developing voice application using PHP. It supports...
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A buzzword used to describe the trends, technologies and applications used to bring IP telephony to the Web to create...
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An extension to 802.11 specification developed by the IEEE for wireless LAN (WLAN) technology. 802.11eis a wireless draft standard that...
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A type of cable used for plugging in a telephone. Silver satin is the name given to the wiring where...
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Often called softcooling, software cooling is a type of computer system cooling that uses software to access the CPU’s power-saving...
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A carrier’s carrier is a telecommunications industry business model where a carrier sells or leases bandwidth on its own infrastructure...
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Facilities-based competition is often used in the telecommunications industry to describe competition between providers of the same or similar services,...
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In Access broadband over power line (BPL) systems, a BPL repeater is a device used to boost the distance the signal can travel.
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PowerPacket technology uses the same power line that provides electricity to your computer to network it to other computers in your home or office.
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HomePlug is the name of the specification that defines the home networking technology that connects devices to each other through...
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Abbreviated as NAS, a network access server is an access gateway between an external communications network and an internal network....
Short for spatial division multiple access, SDMA is a satellite communications mode for using data from antenna arrays in wireless...
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A virtual machine (VM) mode that completely emulates all hardware devices and puts demand on CPU resources from the VM...
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A single driver that supports a range of products from one hardware company and also supports multiple operating systems, as...
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Network neutrality or net neutrality, as it is abbreviated, is the term used to describe networks that are open to...
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A telecommunication credit card used by consumers to pay for telephone and cellular services. Calling cards employ a prepaid credit...
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A means of proactively detecting whether a node on an Ethernet network can transmit a signal without risk that it...
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Short for Voice over Instant Messenger, it is a category of products which offer PC-based voice services (VoIP) and also...
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FoIP, short for Fraud over Internet Protocol, is the act of taking advantage of VoIP security vulnerabilities to steal network...
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Short for High Speed Uplink Packet Access, HUSPA is a method of sending data through UMTS devices. It enables high-speed...
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A software product emulating a PAD and requires a computer supporting an X.25 connection. It generally provides an asynchronous terminal...
PAD
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Short for packet assembler/disassembler PAD is a device (hardware or software) used in packet switching to enable data terminal equipment...
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Provided by the Post Telephone and Telegraph (PTT) administration or network provider that you can access by a local call...
NUA
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In X.25 communications, it is the X.121 address containing up to 15 binary code digits. [Source: National Center for Supercomputing...
Webopedia Staff
A type of software or Web service that allows people to communicate and collaborate while using the application. E-mail, blogs,...
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A slang term that combines the words multiple original prints (plus the “y” from the word “copy”). The term is...
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A single print device that serves several functions, including printing, faxing, scanning, and copying. Also called a multifunction printer (MFP)....
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ADSI, or Analog Display Services Interface, is a Bellcore standard telephony technology used in POTS or computer PBX services that...
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Metro Ethernet is a general term used to describe an Ethernet technology network in a metropolitan area. Metro Ethernet is...
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Open Settlement Protocol (OSP) is the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ESTI) Technical Specification 101 321 for Inter-Domain pricing, authorization and...
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(1) In print and copy terminology, duty cycle refers to the number of copies or prints that the device can...
Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) is a number used to identify a mobile phone number internationally. MSISDN is...
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ARQ is an acronym for Automatic Repeat reQuest. A function of a modem that enables it to detect flawed data...
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Short for Mobile Virtual Network Enabler, MVNEs provides both an infrastructure and related services to MVNOs. This includes network provisioning,...
Ron Pacchiano
According to a recent study only 12 percent of the people surveyed were familiar with the concept of VoIP. Of...
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Short for Internet Protocol Private Branch eXchange, a telephone switch that supports VoIP. An IP PBX provides services similar to...
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(1) In general, the period of time that one component in a system is spinning its wheels waiting for another...
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In voice telephony the term MOS, or mean opinion score is a measurement of the quality of human speech at...
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Megaco is a signaling protocol that enables switching of voice, fax and multimedia calls between the PSTN and IP networks....
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RTP control protocol or RTCP, forms part of the RTP protocol used to carry VoIP communications. RTCP monitors the quality...
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A session border controller (SBC) is a piece of network equipment or a collection of functions that control real-time session...
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VoIP packet loss occurs when a large amount of traffic on the network causes dropped packets. This results in dropped...
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See media gateway controller.
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Call controller is the same as media gateway controller, a system used in some VoIP architectures.
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Call signaling is a process that is used to set up a connection in a telephone network. In VoIP systems,...
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An International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard that provides specification for computers, equipment, and services for multimedia communication over packet based...
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Abbreviated as MGC, media gateway controller is a system used in some VoIP architectures. MGC handles the registration and management...
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The terms media gateway and VoIP gateway are used synonymously, however, where VoIP gateway refers specifically to VoIP communications, the...
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FiOS is a type of fiber-to-the-premise service offered by Verizon, currently available in select locations only.
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Short for Basic Telephony Extended Markup Language, a scripting language and system that allows for enhanced control of IP phones....
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A telecommunications term used to signify an installation date for telecommunication services such as a DSL, ISDN, or T1 line....
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Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is a financial performance benchmark in the telecom industry that measures the average monthly revenue...
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(1) In telecommunications, loopback is a method used to perform transmission tests of the lines at the switching center. (2)...
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A bonded T1 (also called DS1) is two or more T1s that have been joined (bonded) together to increase bandwidth....
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A hydraulic lift system used on the back of large vehicles and trucks. The system uses a bucket that a...
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A term commonly used in the GIS industry. Refers to data that has collected by a sensor that is not...
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Short for wireless ISP, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offers services Internet connection services to subscribers using a wireless...
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The process of producing maps with the aid of computer driven devices such as plotters and graphical displays.
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The process of manipulating, managing or controlling (shaping) portions of a network connection to the outside world and determining an...
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Short for Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, iDEN is Motorola’s mobile communication technology that combines dispatch radio, full-duplex telephone interconnect, short...
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PTT service term. Subscribers can create what is commonly called a public or open group, which can be made available...
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Push-to-talk Over Cellular (POC) is the push to talk (PTT) voice service for mobile communications. It provides direct one-to-one and...
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Push-to-talk (or press-to-talk) is a two-way communication method that uses half-duplex mode where transmission occurs in both directions, but not...
Xen
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Xen is a virtual machine monitor (VMM) for x86-compatible computers. Xen can securely execute multiple virtual machines, each running its...
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A Next-Generation Network (NGN) is the term given to describe a telecommunications packet-based network that handles multiple types of traffic...
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Evolution Data Only (EVDO) is now called Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO).
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Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) is a fast wireless broadband access (3G), where you are the hotspot (meaning you don’t need a...
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A Web-driven voice application platform that allows service providers and their enterprise customers to deliver Web-driven self service and customer...
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Short for Call Control eXtensible Markup Language, CCXML is an XML-based language designed to provide telephony call control support for...
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The converged application platform (CAP) offers a common scalable architecture that supports telephony, video and data services through a single...
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A subscriber identity module (SIM) is a smart card inside of a GSM cellular phone that encrypts voice and data...
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The ATM OAM Ping feature sends an ATM Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) packet to confirm the connectivity of a...
Short for Demand-Assigned Multiple Access, DAMA is a satellite channel access protocol that provides a highly efficient means of instantaneously...
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(1) Short for multiple channels per carrier, a VSAT satellite transmission system that is used for the distribution of broadcast...
Joe Moran
VoIP offers benefits over conventional telephony, and they generally boil down to lower cost, less complexity and more advanced communication...
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A phone handset-to-Ethernet adapter that allows traditional (analog) telephone devices to be used with Voice Over IP (VOIP) services and equipment.
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BGAN, or Broadband Global Area Network is a satellite based uplink that provides broadband speeds. BGAN provides seamless network coverage...
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Flagged as “broadband for a mobile planet” the Inmarsat-4 Satellite is Inmarsat’s first step in providing the next-generation of mobile...
Short for Regional Broadband Global Area Network, the RBGAN network provides email and satellite internet access direct to portable terminals....
Short for telecommunications equipment manufacturer. Manufacturers of telecom equipment is centrally focused on hardware used for the purposes of telecommunications...
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The Metro Ethernet Forum is a non-profit organization chartered with the mission of accelerating worldwide adoption of Carrier Class Ethernet networks and services.
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A macrocell provides the largest area of coverage within a mobile network. The antennas for macrocells can be mounted on...
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Skype is a computer program that can be used to make free voice calls over the Internet to anyone else...
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Java IDL adds CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) capability to the Java platform, providing standards-based interoperability and connectivity. Java...
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Mobile phone forensics is the science of retrieving data from a mobile phone under forensically sound conditions. This includes full...
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A Slingbox is a compact electronic device that connects to the back of your TV.
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Abbreviated as IMUX, an Inverse Multiplexor combines multiple network channels to one aggregate higher speed pipe. It defines all forms...
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In this article we’ll take a look at some of the most popular forms of real-time Internet based communications. If...
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Acronym for The Real-time Operating system Nucleus. It is a set of interfaces and design guidelines (a set of software...
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Acronym for International Mobile Subscriber Identity, IMSI is a unique number that is associated with all GSM and UMTS network...
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Short for Global Threat bot, a GTbot is a renamed mIRC client (usually temp.exe) running in stealth mode. It uses...
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mIRC is one of the most popular IRC clients for Windows. mIRC is a user-friendly IRC client that offers users...
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Short for Broadband Remote Access Server, it is the aggregation point for the subscriber traffic. It provides aggregation capabilities (e.g....
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The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is an independent, non-profit organization, whose mission is to produce telecommunications standards for today...
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Often used in conjunction with AOL programs, a buddy list is a window that shows all your buddies (friends, family,...
VOX
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(1) Capitalized, VOX is short for voice operated switch it is a term commonly used in telecommunications. It refers to...
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A smiley is a symbol used in text communications to convey an emotion with a message. People use a smiley...
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Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take...
Short for Private Automated Branch Exchange, this telephone network is commonly used by call centers and other organizations. PABX allows...
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Short for Point-to-Multipoint, it is typically used in wireless Internet and IP telephony networks. Point-to-Multipoint is a communications network that...
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Hoot and holler networks provide “always on” multiuser conferences without requiring that users dial into the conference. These networks came...
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Based on SIP (Session Initiated Protocol) a SIPphone is a SIP service that provides a free SIP-based VoIP network.
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ENUM (RFC 2916) is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) protocol that will assist in the convergence of the Public...
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Carrier Ethernet is high speed Ethernet for Metro Area Networks. It defines native Ethernet packet access to the Internet as...
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This term refers to a software entity which implements the Link Layer Discovery Protocol for a particular chassis.
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Short for Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, UTRA is a standard for 3G mobile communications services being specified by 3GPP. The...
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Short for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP is a collaboration agreement that was established in December 1998. The collaboration...
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Users of a VAN (Value Added Network) can send messages to and retrieve messages from a mailbox. This is a...
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H.225.0 is a key protocol in the H.323 VoIP architecture defined by ITU-T. H.225.0 describes how audio, video, data and...
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Is an H.323 protocol for capability negotiation, messages for opening and closing channels for media streams; for example – media...
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Point at which a call transitions from H.323 to non-H.323, typically at a gateway.
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Registration, Admission and Status (RAS) is a management protocol between endpoints (terminals and gateways) and gatekeepers. The RAS is used...
AHT
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Acronym for Average Hold Time Average Hold Time, or AHT, refers to the average length of time between the moment...
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Interpolates lost and/or corrupted packets by using the previously received voice frames. It increases voice quality by making the voice...
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A call duration measurement unit expressed in seconds. Depending on your service provider, some services are measured and billed in...
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Dial peer hunting is the process used when an originating router tries to establish a call on different dial peers...
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An addressable call endpoint – a software structure that binds a dialed digit string to a voice port or IP...
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The international public telecommunication numbering plan. An E.164 number uniquely identifies a public network termination point and typically consists of...
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Also known as E&M, Ear and Mouth is the interface on a VoIP device that allows it to be connected...
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An endpoint refers to a device that exists at the end of a network connection. It uses the network to...
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FXO is an abbreviation for Foreign Exchange Office. It is also known as the interface on a VoIP device for...
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Acronym for Foreign Exchange Station. FXS, or Foreign Exchange Station, is the interface on a VoIP device for connecting directly...
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Acronym for Gatekeeper Transaction Message Protocol. A proprietary Cisco protocol used for communication between the Cisco IOS Gatekeeper and external...
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In VoIP, hairpin (or hairpining) is the means to send a call back in the direction that it came from....
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Q.931 is an ISDN connection control protocol, roughly comparable to TCP in the Internet protocol stack. Q.931 doesn’t provide flow...
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Short for [Q (point of the ISDN model) Signaling]. QSIG is a common channel signaling protocol based on ISDN Q.931...
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V.92 is a dial-up modem specification from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that introduces new features providing convenience and performance...
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Shotgun, when capitalized, refers to the Shotgun modem-bonding technology. Shotgun technology bonds the data streams of two modems together to...
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The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an IP multimedia and telephony core network that is defined by 3GPP and 3GPP2...
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(n.) An analog-to-digital converter, or ADC as it is more commonly called, is a device that converts analog signals into...
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WATS is an acronym for Wide Area Telecommunication Service. The WATS telecommunication service allows subscribed customers to make outgoing (OUTWATS)...
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Internet telephony is a combination of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium...
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Satellite broadband offers two-way Internet access via satellites. Your computer, through a special satellite modem, broadcasts requests to a satellite...
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VoWiFi is a Wi-Fi based VoIP service. Where VoIP consists of the hardware and software.html that enables people to use...
HSDPA is short for High Speed Downlink Packet Access. High Speed Downlink Packet Access, or HSDPA, is a packet based...
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Multiple System Operators (MSO) is a term used in the cable industry to describe a company which owns and operates...
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Acronym for multiple-in, multiple-out. MIMO (multiple-in, multiple-out) takes advantage of multiplexing to increase wireless bandwidth and range. MIMO algorithms send...
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Net send is used to send messages to any host on network (LAN or the Internet) where messenger service is...
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A watchdog is a device used to protect a system from specific software or hardware failures that may cause the...
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A botnet refers to a type of bot running on an IRC network that has been created with a trojan....
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According to Internet and technical publications, spit (spam over internet telephony) is already an acronym, even though as of October...
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(pak et buf &r) (n.) Memory space that is set aside specifically for either storing a packet that is awaiting...
ESN
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(pronounced as separate letters) Short for electronic serial number, a unique identification number that every cellular phone has and is...
NTU
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(pronounced as separate letters) Short for network termination unit, a device that connects the PSTN with a CPE. This device...
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(pronounced as separate letters) Short for mobile virtual network operator, a mobile service operator that does not have its own...
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Short for integrated fiber in the loop, another name for FTTC.
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(pronounced as separate letters) FoIP, short for fax over Internet Protocol, the technology that enables the internetworking of fax machines...
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(dij i-t&l loop kar -&r) (n.) Abbreviated as DLC, a system for transmitting digital multiplexed data signals using existing cabling...
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Soft phone, also spelled softphone, is an application that enables a desktop, laptop or workstation computer to function as a...
BPL
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Abbreviated as BPL, broadband over power line is a technology that allows Internet data to be transmitted over utility power...
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Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a category of telephony hardware and software that uses the Internet to transmit data....
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Provisioning is the process of making IT resources, data, and other technology services available to users and customers. It’s a...
Webopedia Staff
( -em w rm) (n.) A worm (i.e., a self-replicating program typically designed to perform harm to a computer or...
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In Internet telephony, a call detail record (CDR) is a data record that contains information related to a telephone call,...
DAL
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Short for dedicated access line, a telecommunications line that reserves its data transmission capability for a specific user. The DAL...
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(br d kast flag) (n.) A bit-sized file that is sent along with a digital television transmission that prohibits high-definition...
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A category of software that is also referred to as Internet blocking or Internet filtering software. Censorware limits the user’...
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The technology of using LAN data networks rather than traditional telephone lines and a PBXto carry voice traffic along with...
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Also called a jitter filter, a hardware device or software process that eliminates jitter caused by transmission delays in an...
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(n.) The transfer of a cellular phone transmission from one radio frequency within a cell to another radio frequency in...
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Pronounced “peep” and short for Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol, a protocol developed jointly by Microsoft, RSA Security and Cisco for...
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Also called a frequency guard band, a narrow frequency band between adjacent channels in multiplexing that is kept unused to...
DAA
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Short for Data Access Arrangement, part of a modem s system for interfacing with a telephone network. The DAA provides...
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Also referred to as a transmission channel, the path between two nodes of a network that a data communication follows....
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New media is used to describe content made available using different forms of electronic communication made possible through the use...
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Before choosing an ISP or switching to a new provider, it is important to consider how the different ISPs available...
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(1) In wireless network technology, to transmit voice and data traffic from a cell site to a switch, i.e., from...
Short for Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance, a network contention protocol that listens to a network in order to avoid...
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Short for web-based seminar, a webinar is a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the web using...
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Abbreviated as EMS, an application-level extension to SMS for cellular phones available on GSM, TDMA and CDMA networks. An EMS-enabled...
SDP
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Short for Session Description Protocol, a protocol that defines a text-based format for describing streaming media sessions and multicast transmissions....
Webopedia Staff
Rational Unified Process, or RUP, is an agile software development method from Rational, an IBM division. It serves as an...
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A wiki is a collaborative website that houses the perpetual collective work of many authors. Wikis are created using a...
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Short for electromagnetic interference, a naturally occurring phenomena when the electromagnetic field of onedevicedisrupts, impedes or degrades the electromagnetic field...
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Short for dialed number identification service, a telephone service that identifies for the receiver what telephone number was dialed by...
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Short for direct inward dialing (also known as direct dialing inward), a service of an LEC or local phone company...
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(v.) (1) To deliberately post derogatory or inflammatory comments to a community forum, chat room, newsgroup and/or a blog in...
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Short for unbundled network elements-platform, the FCC ruling requiring ILECs to make their network facilities (i.e., UNEs) available to CLECs...
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Companding is formed from the words compressing and expanding. It is a PCM compression technique where analog signal values are...
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A switch that is located at the meeting point between two networks. The edge switch typically connects an end user’s...
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Short for single channel per carrier, a VSAT satellite transmission system that uses a separate carrier for each of its...
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(adj.) Of or relating to the earth. The term is used in reference to satellite technologies to distinguish between what...
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Abbreviated DSS, a network of satellites that broadcast digital data. An example of a DSS is DirecTV, which broadcasts digital...
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A unit of measurement of traffic density in a telecommunications system. The erlang describes the total traffic volume of one...
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Often abbreviated STB, an electronic device that is connected to a communication channel, such as a phone, ISDNor cable television...
Webopedia Staff
Abbreviated as MMS, Multimedia Message Service is a store-and-forward method of transmitting graphics, video clips, sound files and short text...
Webopedia Staff
A technique common in messaging services where a data transmission is sent from one device to a receiving device but...
Webopedia Staff
Short for Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, an open, XML-based protocol for server-to-server near-real-time extensible instant messaging and presence. XMPP...
Webopedia Staff
(1) The ability to detect the electronic presence of other users who are connected to the Internet, through a PC...
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Short for chat robot, a computer program that simulates human conversation, or chat, through artificial intelligence. Typically, a chat bot...
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An instant message (IM) service is a type of communication platform that enables users to chat online in real time....
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A form of signal modulation in which the data is encoded in the amplitude of a series, or train, of regularly recurrent signal pulses.
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(n.) Short for line of sight. Radio frequency technologies use the term LOS to describe an unobstructed path between the...
Webopedia Staff
(n.) NLOS is short for near line of sight. Radio frequency technologies use the term NLOS to describe a partially...
PoE
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Short for Power over Ethernet, a solution where electrical current is run to networking hardware over the Ethernet Category 5...
IA
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Short for interconnection agreement, a contract between a requesting carrier or CLEC and an ILEC for UNEs, collocation, resale, access...
UNE
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Short for unbundled network element, parts of a network that ILECs are required to offer to their customers on an...
ACD
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Short for Automatic Call Distributor, a telephone facility that handles incoming calls and manages them based on a database of...
Webopedia Staff
In satellite communications, downlink is the establishment of a communications link from an orbiting satellite down to one or more...
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In satellite communications, uplink is the establishment of a communications link from a ground station up to the orbiting satellite....
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Short for Delta-channel, the channel in an ISDN connection that carries control and signaling information. Basic Rate ISDN (BRI) service...
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(1) The original band of frequencies of a signal before it is modulated for transmission at a higher frequency. (2)...
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Short for 2 Binary 1 Quaternary, a full duplex physical layer encoding method used in ISDN and other digital communication...
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Short for Transport Layer Security, a protocol that guarantees privacy and data integrity between client/server applications communicating over the Internet....
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(adj.) Refers to the telecommunications technology that connects the customer’s home directly to the cable or telephone company. When used...
Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) is typically a two-letter domain name extension that corresponds to a geographic location.
MCU
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Short for multipoint control unit, a device in videoconferencing that connects two or more audiovisual terminals together into one single...
Webopedia Staff
Short for software switch, a softswitch is an API that is used to bridge a traditional PSTN and VoIP by...
FSK
Webopedia Staff
Short for frequency-shift keying, a modulation technique used by modems in which two different frequencies in the carrier signal are...
Webopedia Staff
Internet connection sharing (ICS) is a method for connecting multiple computers in a LAN to the Internet through a single...
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When signals are transmitted from one modem to another, each modem interfaces at a specific speed.
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A cable television company’s local facility that originates and communicates cable modem and cable TV services to its subscribers. The...
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Short for cable modem termination system, a system of devices located in the cable head-end that allows cable television operators...
Webopedia Staff
(adj.) Downstream is a transmission from a server to an end user. A downstream transmission can be in the form...
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(adj.) Upstream is a transmission from an end user to a server. An upstream transmission can be in the form...
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Sending short text messages to a device such as a cellular phone, PDA or pager. Text messaging is used for...
Webopedia Staff
CO is short for central office. In telephony, a CO is a telecommunications office centralized in a specific locality to...
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In telephony, a local loop refers to the connection between a telecommunication company’s CO to the lines in the service...
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A channel bank is the foundation for all digital telecommunication transmissions. It is the part of a carrier –multiplex terminal...
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In satellite communications, most satellites orbit the earth in elliptical patterns with the earth not in the exact center of...
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In satellite communications, most satellites orbit the earth in elliptical patterns with the earth not in the exact center of...
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Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is one of two types of spread spectrum radio, the other being frequency-hopping spread spectrum. DSSS...
Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) is one of two types of spread spectrum radio, the other being direct-sequence spread spectrum. FHSS...
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In North America, the phrase telco is used to mean telephone company; a communications service provider that offers telephone and...
Ali Azhar
Radio frequency (RF) is a representation of the oscillation rate of the electromagnetic spectrum measured in hertz (Hz). How is RF...
Vangie Beal
Short for Optical Local Exchange Carrier, a telephone company that uses a fiber-optic system as opposed to traditional passive, twisted-pair copper wires to connect equipment at the customer premises to carrier facilities.
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In computer technology, the name Tempest originated with the U.S. military in the 1960s as the name of a classified...
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(n.) Also referred to as sun fade, sun outage or solar outage, a signal degradation phenomenon that affects the transmission...
(pronounced as separate letters) Short for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, an FDM modulation technique for transmitting large amounts of digital...
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Short for Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, the former name of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
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This term was created by the Wi-Fi Alliance to refer to wireless LAN products based on the IEEE 802.11a specification...
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Short for Global Positioning System, a worldwide MEOsatellite navigational system formed by 24 satellites orbiting the earth and their corresponding...
GEO
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Short for geosynchronous, or geostationary, earth orbit, a satellite system used in telecommunications. GEOs orbit the earth at 22,300 miles...
LEO
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Short for low earth orbit, a satellite system used in telecommunications. LEO satellites orbit the earth between 400 and 1,000...
MEO
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Short for medium, or middle, earth orbit, a satellite system used in telecommunications. MEO satellites orbit the earth between 1,000...
ALI
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Short for Automatic Location Identification, a technology advanced by the FCC to help identify and locate the source of emergency...
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Short for Enhanced 911, a location technology advanced by the FCC that will enable mobile, or cellular, phones to process...
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Short for public safety answering point, a physical location where 911 emergency telephone calls are received and then routed to...
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A wireless communications device usually attached to a satellite. A transponder receives and transmits radio signals at a prescribed frequency...
ADM
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Short for add/drop multiplexing, a multiplexing function used in SONET optical technology but can also be used in electric signal...
Vangie Beal
Short for wide-band CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access), a 3G technology that increases data transmission rates in GSM systems by using...
BOC
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Short for Bell Operating Company, any of the 22 original operating companies and their successors that were divested from AT&T...
IXC
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Short for interexchange carrier, a telephone company that provides connections between local exchanges in different geographic areas. Outlined in the...
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DoCoMo (meaning “anywhere” in Japanese) is a NTT subsidiary and Japan’s biggest mobile service provider, with over 31 million subscribers...
Short for Multipoint Microwave Distribution System, also know as Multi-channel Multi-point Distribution System and wireless cable, is another wireless broadband...
IoS
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IoS is a term that can refer to either Internet over Satellite or Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. In the...
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(n.) An organization that supplies access to high-speed transmission lines that connect users to the Internet. These lines comprise the...
Vangie Beal
G.lite (also known as Universal ADSL, and referred to as G.992.2 by the ITU), allows for high-speed “always on” digital...
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Short for high performance radio local area network. Developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, HiperLAN is a set of...
Vangie Beal
Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is an optical repeater device that is used to boost the intensity of optical signals being...
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(pronounced as separate letters) Short for customer premises equipment, CPE means communications equipment that resides on the customer’s premises (i.e.,...
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Also known as headroom, attenuation crosstalk ratio (ACR) is the difference between attenuation and crosstalk at a given frequency along...
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In telecommunications, a shared loop refers to a loop, or subscriber line, that is shared by a competitive local exchange...