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.

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 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.
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.
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.
spectrum efficiency - Spectrum efficiency describes the amount of data transmitted over a given spectrum or bandwidth with minimum transmission errors.
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.
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.
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 interactive voice response (IVR)? - Interactive voice response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information and routes calls to the appropriate recipients.
What is PSTN (public switched telephone network)? - PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the world's collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks via traditional circuit-switched 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 the Universal Service Fund (USF)? - The Universal Service Fund (USF) is a United States government program that supports telecommunications access and affordability in rural and low-income communities.
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).
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.