See also http://www.forfas.ie/

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ADSL - Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. Access technology over the ordinary telephone copper cables that allows a maximum of 8 Mbit/s downstream towards the user and 640 kbit/s upstream.

Analogue - An electrical signal in which the voltage continuously varies. Easily susceptible to interference and degrades in quality as the signal is boosted and
re-amplified.

Asychronous - A method of transmitting data where each character is sent separately.

ATM - Asynchronous Transfer Mode - allowing voice, data, audio, video and other kinds of telecommunications traffic to be carried on the same network.

Backbone - A high-capacity network that links together other networks of lower capacity, usually local area networks.

Bandwidth - (Also known as ‘capacity’) In simple terms, how much information or traffic can be carried on the telecoms infrastructure in a given amount of time. The simple rule is that the greater the bandwidth, the greater the opportunities for commerce. As a specific example; with low bandwidth, transferring the contents of a music CD via the internet is not feasible; with higher bandwidth, it is entirely feasible.

Bits per second - A 'bit' is a unit of information. The speed of a communications link is often represented as bits per second. 1 Mbit/s is a million bits per second.

BRA - Basic Rate Access: ISDN Line consisting of two channels and a slow-speed data channel 2B+D.

Broadband - A high-speed telecommunications link, allowing transmission at 2 Mbit/s or higher.

Browser - A program used to access the World Wide Web.

CAD - Computer Aided Design: using computers to aid the design and drafting process.

CAD/CAM - Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacture: integrating CAD information in the manufacturing process.

CATV - Community Antenna TV: a type of cable TV system; shorthand for all cable systems.

CD-ROM - Compact Disc with Read Only Memory; compatible with computers, compact discs are inexpensive, high-capacity storage devices for data, text and video.

Collocation - The sharing between communications operators of the use of physical infrastructures, e.g. local exchange buildings and ducts, for the purposes of providing communications services.Connectivity A term for the quality and quantity of connections between communications networks.

Convergence - The ‘coming together’ of formerly distinct technologies, industries or activities; the most common usage refers to the convergence of computing, communications and broadcasting technologies.

CLI - Calling Line Identity. A facility that allows the telephone number of the calling party to be displayed on the recipient’s phone equipment before the call is answered.

CPE - Customer Premises Equipment. Anything that the telephone subscriber attaches to their telephone line. Fax, Answering machine and such like.

CTI - Computer Telephone Integration. Used to describe the marriage of any telephone function with computer control: Voice Response, Predictive Dialling, Call Centre scripting and such like.

DECT - Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephony. Provides good call security to cordless phones. Digital Information expressed in binary patterns of ones and zeros.

DTMF - Dual Tone Multi-Frequency. More simply described as ‘tone dialling’. Each button generate a combination to two tones (high and low) and allows access to advanced network features such as Voicemail and call diversion services.

DTT - Digital Terrestrial Television: digital television broadcast from ground-based antennae.

DWDM - Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing. A relatively new technology that allows a significant increase in the capacity of a single fibre pair.

EDGE - Stands for Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. This will allow GSM operators to use existing GSM radio band to offer wireless multimedia IP-based services and applications at speeds of 384kbit/s.packet switching. Voice services using FR are under development.

EDI - Electronic Data Interchange: allows information in agreed formats to be exchanged between organisations.
Electronic Consumerb and business transactions conducted over a network, using computers Commerce and telecommunications.

Fibre Optic - A modern transmission technology using lasers to produce a beam of light that can be modulated to carry large amounts of information through fine glass or acrylic fibres.

Frame Relay - Originally developed from ISDN, it is a variation of the X.25 interface offering fast Local Loop. The physical wires, usually copper, that run from a subscriber’s site to their telecommunications company’s local switch or exchange.

GPRS - General Packet Radio Service. Mobile networks are rushing to adopt GPRS, which will offer a fast (144Mb/s) connection for the transmission of data. (GSM subscribers are currently limited to 9600Kb/s). Will open the door for internet access on hand portable phones.

GSM - System for Mobile. A digital two-way cellular system developed in Europe and launched in 1991.

HDSL - High-Speed Digital Subscriber Line, access technology that allows two-way transport up to 2 Mbit/s over 2 or 3 twisted pair copper cables.

ICT - Information and Communication Technology.

IN - Intelligent Network. A network offering high levels of sophistication, and capable of identifying the profile of its users or subscribers. IN will allow for seamless integration of the different technologies.

Interconnection - The physical and logical linking of telecommunications networks in order to allow the users of one network to communicate with users of another network. Interconnection costs refer to the payments made by a telecommunications network operator to another operator to carry traffic to and from customers on their behalf.

Internet - The interactive global network linking millions of computers, transmitting, storing and providing information for users.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - Organisations which provide individuals and businesses with access to the Internet, (including commercial web sites). ISPs may be wholesalers or retailers or both. A wholesaler normally resells bandwidth and certain other services to smaller ISPs who act as retailers. The most significant component of the sale price is the amount of bandwidth purchased.

IP - Internet Protocol. IP forms the basis for a connectionless packet delivery service. New cellular services like GPRS will make use of IP to provide an always-on Internet and email connection.

ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network. Usually offered in two forms - Basic ISDN and the faster Primary ISDN.

ISDN-PRA - ISDN Primary-Rate Access: ISDN where 30 64kbit/s channels are accommodated on a 2Mbit/s link.

Local Loop - The physical wires, usually copper, that run from a customer’s site to their telecommunications company’s local switch or exchange.

LAN - Local Area Network: a network which allows the sharing of computer information within a building or business site.

Long-Run - Incremental Costs These are the additional costs (per unit) that a telecommunications operator incurs in carrying out a particular activity on a long term basis.

MAN - Metropolitan Area Network: a high-speed digital network which allows the sharing of voice and data communications over a relatively large area, within a city.

MMDS - Multi-channel Microwave Distribution System: an analogue broadcasting medium which allows distribution of a number of analogue television channels (typically ten). Used to provide ‘cable television’ in areas where cable-laying is not viable.

Modem - A contraction of ‘mo(dulator)’ and ‘dem(odulator)’, an accessory that allows computers and terminal equipment to communicate through telephone lines or cable.

Multiplexer - A device that can combine and reformat different signal streams over a single line. A similar device at the receiving end unscrambles the stream back to its component parts.

ONP - Open Network Provision: a European Commission policy initiative to provide open access to the networks of dominant telecommunications operators.

Peering - Arrangements made between Internet Service Providers and Internet Exchange Administrators for the exchange of data traffic at Internet exchanges.

PDH - Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy. Legacy technology used in the backbone network. Traditionally used to link every local exchange in the country for voice, but not well suited for the provision of broadband services.

PoP - Point of Presence: a point at which one network operator can hand traffic onto the network of another.

POTS - Plain Old/Post Office Telephone Service.

Protocol - A standard procedure for regulating data transmission between computers.

PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network. Traditional telephone system over a copper pair, carrying voice at 64 kbit/s and data at up to 56 kbit/s.

SDH - Synchronous Digital Hierarchy - a standard for high capacity transmission. Now being used for all major investment in the backbone network.

SMDS - Switched Multimegabit Data Service: high-speed switched data service, used in broadband backbone networks.

Third Generation Mobile Services - The third generation of mobile telephony (known as Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems in Europe) is designed to be a worldwide broadband, digital system. It will offer wireless Internet access, moving video images, two-way text communication and on-line transactions. Analogue and digital (eg. GSM) systems were the first and second generations of mobile, respectively.

TO - Telecommunications Operator: term used to describe both a national dominant supplier of public telecoms services and infrastructure and a private company operating public telecoms services and infrastructure, nationally or locally, either as a concessionary monopoly or in competition with others.

UMTS - Universal Mobile Telephone Service. The next generation of mobile telephones. Unbundling Local loop unbundling means the provision to competing operators of access to individual subscriber lines so that the costs to that operator are solely the basic costs of the subscriber line and do not include any other access network or overhead costs. Local loop unbundling thus gives a competing operator dedicated access to customers via the local loop.

USO - Universal Service Obligation: the obligation placed on one or more telecoms companies to provide telecommunications services to customers in areas where providing service is not economic or to customers which are not economic.

VSAT - Very Small Aperature Terminals: Suitable for point-to-multipoint applications such as transmission of voice and data from head office to branch office providing bandwidth from 9.6Kbit/s up to 35 Mbit/s.

WLL  - Wireless Local Loop. Radio signals transmitting at 164 kbit/s and 2 Mbit/s between points.

WWW - World-Wide Web - the system that links topics on the Internet, making it easy for users to find what they want.

xDSL - An umbrella term for the next generation of dedicated subscriber line technologies which allows high speed broadband communications over existing copper wires.

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