High-speed networks

Terms related to high-speed communication networks, including network and end-system architecture definitions and words and phrases about high-bandwidth and low-latency communication.

network configuration management (NCM) - Network configuration management is the process of organizing and maintaining information about all of the components in a computer network.
network convergence - Network convergence is the efficient coexistence of telephone, video and data communication within a single network.
network operations center (NOC) - A network operations center (NOC) is a centralized place from which enterprise information technology (IT) administrators -- either internal or third party -- supervise, monitor and maintain a telecommunications network.
network protocol - A network protocol is a set of established rules that specify how to format, send and receive data so that computer network endpoints, including computers, servers, routers and virtual machines, can communicate despite differences in their underlying infrastructures, designs or standards.
network switch - A network switch connects devices in a network to each other, enabling them to talk by exchanging data packets.
noise - Noise is unwanted electrical or electromagnetic energy that degrades the quality of signals and data.
open networking - Open networking describes a network that uses open standards and commodity hardware.
optoisolator (optical coupler or optocoupler) - An optoisolator (also known as an optical coupler, photocoupler, optocoupler) is a semiconductor device that transfers an electrical signal between isolated circuits using light.
orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) - Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a method of data transmission where a single information stream is split among several closely spaced narrowband subchannel frequencies instead of a single wideband channel frequency.
passive optical network (PON) - A passive optical network (PON) is a system commonly used by telecommunications network providers that brings fiber optic cabling and signals all or most of the way to the end user.
personal digital assistant (PDA) - A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a small, mobile, handheld device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedules, calendars and address book information handy.
Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) - Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) refers to the traditional, analog voice transmission phone system implemented over physical copper wires (twisted pair).
point-of-presence (POP) - A point-of-presence (POP) is a point or physical location where two or more networks or communication devices build a connection from one place to the rest of the internet.
preamble - A preamble is a signal used in network communications to synchronize transmission timing between two or more systems.
private branch exchange (PBX) - A private branch exchange is a telephone system within an enterprise that switches calls between users on local lines, while enabling all users to share a certain number of external phone lines.
quality of service (QoS) - Quality of service (QOS) refers to any technology that manages data traffic to reduce packet loss, latency and jitter on a network.
radio access network (RAN) - A radio access network (RAN) is a major component of a wireless telecommunications system that connects individual devices to other parts of a network through a radio link.
real-time communications (RTC) - Real-time communications (RTC) is any mode of telecommunications in which all users can exchange information instantly or with negligible latency or transmission delays.
real-time location system (RTLS) - A real-time location system (RTLS) is one of a number of technologies used to pinpoint the current geographic position and location of a target.
Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) - Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a network standard designed for transmitting audio or video data that is optimized for consistent delivery of live data.
regional Bell operating company (RBOC) - Regional Bell operating company (RBOC) is a term describing one of the U.
satellite - A satellite is any object that orbits something else, as, for example, the Earth orbits the sun.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
serial digital interface (SDI) - Serial digital interface (SDI) is a standard for digital video and audio transmission over coaxial or fiber optic cabling.
service level - Service level describes, usually in measurable terms, the services a network service provider furnishes a customer within a given time period.
Service Profile Identifier (SPID) - In telecommunications, a Service Profile Identifier (SPID) is a number assigned by a phone company to a terminal on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) B-channel.
service-level agreement (SLA) - A service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider and its customers that documents what services the provider will furnish and defines the service standards the provider is obligated to meet.
session border controller (SBC) - A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted and terminated on a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
shielded twisted pair (STP) - Shielded twisted pair (STP) is a special kind of copper telephone and local area network (LAN) wiring used in some business installations.
short message service center (SMSC) - The short message service center (SMSC) is the portion of a mobile phone network that handles text message operations.
signal-to-noise ratio (S/N or SNR) - In analog and digital communications, a signal-to-noise ratio, often written S/N or SNR, is a measure of the strength of the desired signal relative to background noise (undesired signal).
Signaling System 7 (SS7) - Signaling System 7 (SS7) is an international telecommunication protocol standard that defines how the network elements in a public switched telephone network (PSTN) exchange information and control signals.
SIM card - A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card that stores identification information that pinpoints a smartphone to a specific mobile network.
Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP) - Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP) is a Cisco proprietary standard for terminal control for use with voice over IP (VoIP).
small cell - A small cell is an umbrella term used to describe a miniature radio access point or wireless network base station with a low radio frequency power output, footprint and range.
smishing (SMS phishing) - Smishing -- or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing -- is a social engineering tactic cybercriminals use to trick people into divulging sensitive information over text messages.
SMS gateway - An SMS gateway is a website that allows users to send SMS messages from a web browser to people within the cell served by that gateway.
softphone (soft client telephone) - A softphone (software telephone) is an application program that enables voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls from computing devices.
spectrum efficiency - Spectrum efficiency describes the amount of data transmitted over a given spectrum or bandwidth with minimum transmission errors.
Squid proxy server - Squid is a Unix-based proxy server that caches Internet content closer to a requestor than its original point of origin.
SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol or Secure RTP) - SRTP (Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol or Secure RTP) is an extension to RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) that incorporates enhanced security features.
static IP address - A static IP address is a 32 bit number that is assigned to a computer to be its address on the internet.
subcarrier - A subcarrier is a secondary modulated signal frequency modulated into the main frequency (the carrier) to provide an additional channel of transmission.
Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) - Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) is a public, packet-switched service aimed at enterprises that need to exchange large amounts of data with other enterprises over the wide area network on a nonconstant or bursty basis.
Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) is a group of fiber optic transmission rates that transport digital signals with different capacities.
telecommunications (telecom) - Telecommunications, also known as telecom, is the exchange of information over significant distances by electronic means and refers to all types of voice, data and video transmission.
teleconference - A teleconference is a live audio or audio-visual meeting with two or more participants.
ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) - Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) is a specialized type of high-speed memory that searches its entire contents in a single clock cycle.
throughput - Throughput is a measure of how many units of information a system can process in a given amount of time.
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) - Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) is a digital modulation technique used in digital cellular telephone and mobile radio communication.
time-division multiplexing (TDM) - Time-division multiplexing (TDM) is a method of putting multiple data streams in a single signal by separating the signal into many segments, each having a very short duration.
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transceiver - A transceiver is a combination transmitter/receiver in a single package.
trunk (trunking) - A network trunk is a communications line or link designed to carry multiple signals simultaneously to provide network access between two points.
unified communications (UC) - Unified communications (UC) is an umbrella term for the integration of multiple enterprise communication tools -- such as voice calling, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM), presence and content sharing -- into a single, streamlined interface, with the goal of improving user experience (UX) and productivity.
unlocked cell phone - An unlocked cell phone is a cellular telephone that can be used with more than one service provider, allowing a user the flexibility to switch between different networks.
virtual classroom - A virtual classroom is an online learning environment.
virtual phone number - A virtual phone number is a telephone number is used to route calls to the user's actual phone number or numbers.
vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) - Vishing (voice or VoIP phishing) is a type of cyber attack that uses voice and telephony technologies to trick targeted individuals into revealing sensitive data to unauthorized entities.
voice over LTE (VoLTE) - Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE networks to route voice traffic and transmit data.
VoIP caller ID (voice over Internet Protocol caller identification) - VoIP caller ID (voice over Internet Protocol caller identification) is a caller ID application for VoIP phones that works in the same way as caller ID on a conventional telephone line.
VoIP phone - A VoIP phone is a hardware- or software-based telephone designed to use voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to send and receive phone calls over an IP network.
Vonage - Vonage is a communication platform as a service (CPaaS) provider for consumers and businesses that makes it possible for customers to connect and communicate on any device through cloud-hosted voice, video, chat and short message service (SMS).
WAN (wide area network) - A wide area network (WAN) is a geographically distributed private telecommunications network that interconnects multiple local area networks (LANs).
What is a call center? Everything you need to know - A call center is a centralized department of customer service professionals who handle inbound and outbound calls from current and potential customers.
What is a personal area network (PAN)? - A personal area network (PAN) is a small network that interconnects technology devices within a limited range of just a few meters.
What is an abandoned call? - An abandoned call is a call or other type of contact initiated to a call center or contact center that is ended before any conversation occurs.
What is an SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network)? - An SSL VPN is a type of virtual private network (VPN) that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol -- or, more often, its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol -- in standard web browsers to provide secure, remote access VPN capability.
What is black box testing? - Black box testing assesses a system solely from the outside, without the operator or tester knowing what's happening within the system to generate responses to test actions.
What is Cisco Performance Routing (PfR)? - Cisco Performance Routing (PfR) is a way of sending network packets based on intelligent path control.
What is PSTN (public switched telephone network)? - The public switched telephone network, or PSTN, is the world's collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks.
What is Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP)? - Real-Time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP) is a network communication protocol that works alongside Real-Time Protocol (RTP) to monitor and track data delivery on large multicast networks via RTP's associated transmission metrics.
What is SIP trunking (Session Initiation Protocol trunking)? - Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is a service a communications service provider offers that uses the protocol to provision voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia connectivity between an on-premises phone system and the public switched telephone network (PSTN).
What is SMS (Short Message Service)? - SMS (Short Message Service), commonly referred to as 'text messaging,' is a service for sending short messages of up to 160 characters (224 character limit if using a 5-bit mode) to mobile devices, including cellular phones, smartphones and tablets.
What is telephony? - Telephony is technology associated with interactive communication between two or more physically distant parties using the electronic transmission of data.
What is UCaaS? Unified communications as a service guide - Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud delivery model that offers a variety of communication and collaboration applications and services.
What is voice recognition and how does it work? - Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and perform spoken commands.
What is VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol)? - VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) is the transmission of voice and multimedia content over an internet connection.
wireless backhaul - Wireless backhaul is the use of wireless communication systems to transport data between the internet and subnetworks.
wireless broadband (WiBB) - Wireless broadband (WiBB) is high-speed internet and data service delivered through a wireless local area network (WLAN) or wireless wide area network (WWAN).
wireless charging - Wireless charging is any of several methods of charging batteries without the use of cables.
wireline communication - Wireline communication (also known as wired communication) is the transmission of information over a physical filament.
wiretapping - Wiretapping is the surreptitious electronic monitoring and interception of phone-, fax- or internet-based communications.