A

Abbreviated Dialing - Preprogramming of a caller's phone system or long distance company's switch to recognize a 2- to 4-digit number as an abbreviation for a frequently dialed phone number, and automatically dial the whole number.

Access - Generally refers to the connection between your business and the public phone network, or between your business and another dedicated location. A large portion of your business phone bill typically consists of monthly recurring charges that cover access costs. Examples of access include individual business lines, digital T-1 connections, or dedicated access lines to long distance companies.

Access Charge - Monies collected by local phone companies for use of their circuits to originate and terminate long distance calls. Can be per minute fees levied on long distance companies, Subscriber Line Charges (SLCs) levied directly on regular local lines, fixed monthly fees for special telco circuits (ie. WAL, DAL,T-1), or Special Access Surcharge (SAS) on special access circuits.

Access Line - A telephone circuit which connects a customer location to a network switching center.

ADN (Advanced Digital Network) - Usually refers to a 56Kbps leased-line.

Analog - The original and still prevalent technology used for local telephone telecommunications transmission. Analog signals are direct reproductions of sound waves. Voice conversations, computer data, and video can be sent via analog technology; however, digital technology can be more reliable, particularly at high bandwidths (speeds). The world is rapidly adapting digital as the new standard. Some modern digital phone equipment will not work with analog phone lines.

Area Code - A three digit number identifying more than 150 geographic areas of the United States and Canada which permits direct distance dialing on the telephone system. A similar global numbering plan has been established for international subscriber dialing.

Asynchronous - A form of communication in which there is no mandatory timing between two signals.
Authentication - Technique by which access to Internet or Intranet resources requires the visitor to identify himself or herself by entering a username and password.

Authorization Code - A 5- to 14-digit number entered using a touch-tone phone to identify the caller as a customer of the long distance service. Used primarily before Equal Access as a way to verify the caller.

B

Backbone - The primary trunk carrying voice or data traffic between switches. All systems that connect to the backbone can connect to each other. This does not prohibit systems from setting up separate arrangements to connect directly with each other, bypassing the backbone, for cost, performance, or security reasons.

Bandwidth - Capacity or volume inherent in every telecommunications line. A full page of English text is about 16,000 bits. A fast modem can move about 15,000 bits in one second. Full-motion full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second, depending on compression.

Banner - A (generally) rectangular, graphic (usually paid) advertisement displayed on a web page. Interested viewers click on the banners and are linked directly to the advertiser's web site.

Baseband - The total frequency band occupied by the aggregate of all the voice and data signals used to modulate a radio carrier.

Bookmark - It's just an address book entry for a web Address. Some browsers call this a Favorite Place or a Hot Spot. Most browsers contain a simple "address book" where the reader can store the addresses of their favorite places. Click on the name of the place, and the Browser automatically goes there, like an online phone book with an autodialer.

Broadband - Broadband is a descriptive term for evolving digital technologies that provide consumers a signal switched facility offering integrated access to voice, high-speed data service, video-demand services, and interactive delivery services.

Browser - Software that allows you to view and explore the Internet (primarily the WWW). The most common browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. When you type an address in the browser or click on a link in an e-mail, the browser goes out over the Internet and gets the files that you requested. Not all browsers have the same features or capabilities.

Byte - A set of Bits that represent a single character. Usually there are 8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more, depending on how the measurement is being made.

C

Cache - (pronounced cash) actually has several different technical meanings. But the most important one in regard to the web has to do with trying to speed things up. Remember--every request you send over the Internet for a picture or text takes time. The Cache is a file on your reader's computer where their system stores a copy of things they've asked for recently. Then, if the reader asks for the same thing again, instead of issuing another Internet request, the reader's computer can simply use the copy from the Cache, sometimes saving as much as 10 or 20 seconds.

Carrier - A long distance company which uses primarily its own transmission facilities, as opposed to resellers which lease or buy most or all transmission facilities from carriers. Many people refer to any type of long distance company, whether it has its own network or not, as a carrier, so the term is not as restrictive as it used to be.

Carrier Access Code (CAC) - A dial sequence needed for a user to access switched services of an interexchange carrier.

Carrier Identification Code (CIC) - A unique four-digit number that identifies either the ILEC or CLEC.

Central Office - The physical point where your business line is connected by your local phone company to other subscribers. Telecom deregulation mandates that the phone company's central office computers be able to connect your call to customers of any other local phone company and to the long distance network of your choice. The central office is part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

Centrex - A service offered by your local phone company. Centrex makes "intelligent" features available to any individual business phone, without your company having to buy or maintain additional equipment. Centrex service is like "leasing" PBX (private branch exchange) features from your phone company instead of investing in your own PBX equipment.

Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) - A document filed with the state public utility commission that certifies a company as a carrier.

Channel - A broad term referring to a path of communication, also called a line or circuit. A channel often refers to a single digital communications link within a larger connection such as a T-1.

Channel Bank - Equipment used to combine, or multiplex, multiple channels either on a frequency-division or time-division basis.

Channel Service Unit - Usually a customer-owned CPE device that provides an interface between digital equipment (like codecs) and transmission facilities that comply with FCC requirements. It often includes capabilities to control switched networks and/or may include line-conditioning capabilities.

Cherry Picking - A term that describes how facilities-based CLECs often market only to high-density areas, such as to businesses in a downtown area. CLECs consider this to be cost-competitive; ILECs believe this is an unfair advantage.

Circuit - A line that connects devices.

Click Through - The number or percentage of visitors who click on a banner advertisement. This is important information to determine a banner's effectiveness. Bear in mind, however that click through is merely a measurement and not always the goal. Conversion rates or sales need to be evaluated as well.

Client - A software program that is used to contact and obtain data from a server software program on another computer, often across a great distance. Each Client program is designed to work with one or more specific kinds of server programs, and each server requires a specific kind of Client. A web browser is a specific kind of Client.

Co-location - Co-location is the provision of space for a customer's telecommunications equipment on the service provider's premises. The alternative to co-location is to have the equipment and the demarcation point located at the customer's premises.

Committed Information Rate (CIR) - The rate at which a Frame Relay network agrees to transfer information under normal conditions, averaged over a minimum increment of time. One of the most common metrics is to measure performance in bits per second.

Common Carrier - In the telecommunications arena, the term used to describe a telephone company.

Competitive Access Provider (CAP) - An ILEC competitor prior to the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) - (Pronounced see-lek) Competitive Local Exchange Carrier or Certified Local Exchange Carrier; CLECs compete for local exchange service, as well as long distance, international, Internet access, and entertainment (e.g. Cable TV and Video on Demand) with the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILEC).

Cookie - A cookie is a text file placed on your hard drive by some web pages that you visit. The cookie allows the webmaster to track your visits to their web site as well as correlate that information with other information such as the previous page you visited, your operating system, your browser plus any information that you volunteer via a form. When you return to that web site the site will retrieve your cookie file from your hard drive and use whatever information is stored to target content and advertising to both your stated preferences (where asked) and the behavior that you exhibited. It is this technology that allows you to store items in an electronic shopping basket and "remember" other useful pieces of information such as passwords.

Co-Provider - Another term for CLEC.

Cramming - A practice in which customers are billed for enhanced features such as voice mail, caller-ID and call-waiting that they have not ordered.

Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) - Telephone or other service provider equipment that is located on the customer's premises (physical location) rather than on the provider's premises or in between.

D

Data - A generic term referring to any telecommunications transmission other than voice conversation. Examples include computer file transfer, computer networking, Internet access, and video transmission. Data transmissions are greatly enhanced by larger bandwidth connections that supply faster transmission speed.

Data Local Exchange Carrier (DLEC) - (Pronounced dee-lek) DLECs deliver high-speed access to the Internet, not voice.

Dedicated Data Service - Also called "private line" or "leased line." A direct connection between your business and another location that bypasses the public switched phone network. This service guarantees the entire bandwidth will be available to you at all times and will not be constrained by any "traffic" from the public network. Dedicated data service is available in speeds ranging from 64 kilobits per second (Kbps) to 45 megabits per second (Mbps).

Dedicated Internet Access - Also called "private Internet connection." A dedicated data connection that bypasses the local phone company to connect your business directly to an Internet service provider. Unlike dial up or "shared" Internet service, dedicated private Internet connection can be accessed simultaneously by multiple users within your company's local area network (LAN).

Dedicated Long Distance - A service that allows you to connect your business phone system directly to the long distance company network of your choice. Long distance calls are then routed directly to the long distance carrier, bypassing the local phone company's central office. Monthly access charges are billed for the dedicated connection, but the long distance per-minute rates are typically greatly reduced.

Dedicated Access Line (DAL) - An analog special access line going from a caller's own equipment directly to a long distance company's switch or POP. Usually provided by a local telephone company. The line may go through the local telco Central Office, but the local telco does not switch calls on this line.

Dialed Number Identification Service (DNIS) - Telephone service that identifies for the receiver of a call the number that the caller dialed. It's a common feature of 800 and 900 lines. If you have multiple 800 or 900 numbers to the same destination, DNIS tells which number was called. DNIS works by passing the touch tone digits to the destination where a special facility can read and display them or make them available for call center programming.

Dialing Parity - The ability of CLEC customers to dial numbers in the same manner that ILEC customers do, without the need to use special access codes.

Dial-up Account - A data connection made between two computers through a standard telephone line using a modem.

Digital - A digital telecommunications signal is one which is transmitted using bits of information instead of sound waves. Digital signals can provide a more accurate reproduction than traditional analog sound waves, and digital technology can be used for all the same purposes such as voice conversations, computer data, and video transmission. Many of today's high speed, high quality computer communications are made possible by digital technology. The newest phone networks being built are constructed using 100% digital technology.

Digital Access Cross-connect System (DACS) - Included as part of public and private digital networks, a DACS may commonly switch DS3, DS1 and DS0 signals and is useful for configuring complex networks.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) - A method for moving data over regular phone lines. A DSL circuit is much faster than a regular phone connection, and the wires coming into the subscribers premises are the same (copper) wires used for regular phone service. A DSL circuit must be configured to connect two specific locations, similar to a leased line.

Direct Inward Dialing - Enables the employees of your company to each have their own phone number, and enables the phone system to route incoming calls directly to the employee's phone rather than through a receptionist or automated voice response routing system. The DID line must connect to a PBX (private branch exchange) located on your premise.

Direct Outward Dialing (DOD) - Enables your employees to dial a number outside the company without having to go through a receptionist or attendant. Usually done by dialing "9" to access an outside line before dialing the phone number itself. DOD assures the availability of an outside line no matter how heavy the incoming phone traffic. The DOD line must connect to a PBX (private branch exchange) located on the business's premise.

Directory - A database of content on the Internet through which you can search for web sites and other Internet sources of information on a topic or keyword(s) that you supply. A directory is organized by categories and based on hierarchical placement. Yahoo is one of the most popular formats of this type of search engine. An example of how this works would be how to get to keyword accounting, someone would have to go to Business then to services then finally click on accounting.

DNS (Domain Name System) - A database system that translates an IP address into a domain name. For example, a numeric address like 205.206.106.50 is converted into www.atx.com.

Domain Name - The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given machine may have more than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name points to only one machine.

Download - Copying a file that might contain software, e-mail, an image, or document from another computer or the Internet to your own computer.

DS-0 - The base unit of digital service transmission capacity, equal to 64 kilobits per second (Kpbs). It describes the digital speed for services that use a single dedicated telephone line, for instance a dedicated Internet connection for a small office.

DS-1 - Also referred to as a T-1. DS-1 service transmits information at the rate of approximately 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second), enough for services that use a single dedicated telephone line, for instance a dedicated Internet connection for a small office.

DS-3 - Also called a T-3. DS-3 service transmits information at the rate of approximately 45 megabits per second (Mbps), which is the equivalent of about 28 DS-1 or T-1s, or 672 simultaneous voice conversations over the line. That's enough capacity or bandwidth to meet the communications needs of heavy telecom users such as huge corporations, universities, and hospitals. The right phone equipment, such as a digital PBX (private branch exchange), must be owned to utilize the DS-3.

E

E-commerce - While there are many definitions for e-commerce, it is simply selling goods and services via the Internet.

E-mail (Electronic mail) - Also called electronic mail, refers to messages sent over the Internet. E-mail can be sent and received via newer types of wireless phones, but you generally need to have a specific e-mail account.

Encryption - Application of a specific algorithm to data so as to alter the appearance of the data making it incomprehensible to those who are not authorized to see the information.

Extranet - A web site that is accessible to authorized outsiders. An extranet provides various level of accessibility to outsiders (i.e. customers, vendors, etc.). You can access the extranet, typically if you have a valid user-name and password. In addition, your identity may determine which parts of the extranet you can view.

F

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - FAQs are documents that list and answer the most common questions on a particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on subjects as diverse as Pet Grooming and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written by people who have tired of answering the same question over and over.

Fiber Optics - A means of transmitting digital information over a glass strand or "fiber." Laser light pulses are sent over the glass strands in the form of digital signals (0s and 1s). Though only as thick as a human hair, each fiber optic strand has far greater capacity, or bandwidth, to carry information than copper wire.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - A very common method of moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a special way to login to another Internet site for the purposes of retrieving and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that have established publicly accessible repositories of material that can be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name anonymous, thus these sites are called anonymous ftp servers.

Firewall - A Firewall is a security barrier set up between a company's internal systems and outside systems. Firewalls can be designed to keep hostile visitors out, as a way of protecting the company's internal information--or they can be designed to keep company employees in, usually as a means of discouraging people from playing games or visiting recreational sites on company time.

Font - The name of a style of text.

Fractional T-1 - Businesses that want all of the features of a T-1 connection but do not need all the bandwidth a full T-1 supplies can sometimes arrange to lease a "fractional" T-1 from the phone company. The business then uses as much of the T-1's capacity as it needs and pays less than the cost of a full T-1 connection. Typically, any portion of the T-1 can be leased as a fractional T-1 and the phone company may lease the remaining capacity to another tenant in the same building.

Frame Relay- High-speed data transfer using a shared digital network. Frame relay is provided by your phone company via data lines that are physically separate from the public switched telephone network (PSTN) that transmits voice conversations. Frame relay is cheaper than a dedicated data line because it is shared. An important benefit of frame relay is its "inherent redundancy", which means there is no single point of failure in the transmission because the data can be sent via multiple paths. Frame relay is particularly appropriate for Internet connections or other data transfer between computers.

Foreign Exchange (FX) - A service that allows your business to have its dial tones supplied by a remote location. Often bought to preserve an existing phone number after a move or to use a phone number associated with another location (for example, a business close to, but not in, New York City might use FX service to have a New York telephone number to give the impression of being in the city).

H

Hits - Each time a browser asks for a piece of information or a file from a server it registers a hit. Most web pages contain several files including individual graphic images, audio clips, text and HTML documents. Since multiple hits can be caused by one or many visitors, hits can be a misleading way to measure the effectiveness of a web site or web page.

Home Page - The main page of a web site. The home page provides visitors with an overview and links to the rest of the site. It often contains or links to a table of contents for the site.

Home Region Call - A call placed within the local service area of a particular phone company. Generally transmitted without toll charges. IntraLATA.

Host - Any computer on a network that is a repository for services available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to have one host machine provide several services, such as WWW and USENET.

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - The programming language read by your browser and used to store, interpret and present information on the web. You do not need to know HTML to surf the web. Your browser software interprets all the code for you.

HTTP ( Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) - HTTP is a standard method of transferring data between a web server and a web browser.

Hyperlink - A feature of HTML that enables one location or document to be linked to related locations or documents with a click of a mouse. Graphics, sound and video may be linked as well as text.

Hypertext - Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which cause another document to be retrieved and displayed.

Hybrid System - A phone system that combines many of the features of a Key phone system and a PBX (private branch exchange) phone system. Not every incoming line appears on every phone, as in most Key systems, but the hybrid system can accommodate both Key and PBX phones.

I

Impressions - The number of people who have seen a specific web page. There has been much debate over how to value and therefore charge for advertising space on a web site. Impressions are a more relevant business measurement than hits because they aggregate all the hits per page to measure the number of people who have seen a specific web page. The number of impressions of an ad often determines online ad rates. Impressions are also referred to as page views.

Inbound - Service that handles incoming calls (calls placed to a business) but not outgoing calls (calls made from the business). Generally this means toll-free 800 service (receiver pays) but can also refer to 700 and 900 services (callers pay). Customer service, catalog sales, insurance claims, technical support, and reservations are a few applications for inbound service.

Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) - The companies that were in business before the CLECs. The highest-visibility ILECs are the regional Bell operating companies, or RBOCs.

Integrated Switched Digital Network (ISDN) - This is a dial up technology that digitally enhances regular telephone lines to provide users much faster data connections. It is slightly less expensive than a fractional T-1, but ISDN is not scalable to a business' needs in terms of bandwidth. ISDN can be ideal for the home office environment or Internet connectivity.

Interconnection - Mandated in the Telecommunications Act, this requires incumbents to connect to various parts of the incumbents' network. While the Telecommunications Act mandates interconnection, state public utility commissions largely set the terms.

Interconnection Agreement - The broad agreement that determines how a CLEC will connect to the ILECs network. Negotiated or arbitrated agreements typically must receive state public utility commission approval.

InterLATA - Communication between Local Access Transport Areas (LATAs), generally known as a "long distance call." For instance, a call you make to a location outside the calling area or LATA served by your local phone carrier. (see also LATA)

Internet - A global network connecting government, educational, private, and commercial networks. The Internet can be accessed by a computer, regardless of the computer's standards and protocols, and it provides access to any other computer logged onto its network.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) - A company that provides dedicated or dial up access to the Inter, either directly or indirectly to the Internet backbone.

Interstate - Between or among states. In telecommunications, this refers to a call placed outside the call originator's state. Interstate communications are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

IntraLATA - Communication within a Local Access Transport Area (LATA). For instance, a call you make within the local service area of your local phone carrier. (see also LATA)

Intranet - A network based on Internet protocols belonging to an organization, usually a corporation, accessible only by the organization's members, employees, or others with authorization. An intranet's web site looks and acts like any other web site, but the access security surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized usage. Intranets are used to share information.

Intrastate - In telecommunications, this refers to a call placed within state's boundaries. Intrastate communications are regulated by each state's public utility commission.

Inward Trunks - Circuits dedicated to incoming calls only. Companies that want to ensure their customers can always reach them dedicate a fixed number of circuits as inward trunks.

IP Address (Internet Protocol) - In the most widely installed level of the Internet Protocol (IP) today, an IP address is a 32-bit number that identifies each sender or receiver of information that is sent in packets across the Internet. When you request an HTML page or send e-mail, the Internet Protocol part of TCP/IP includes your IP address in the message (actually, in each of the packets if more than one is required) and sends it to the IP address that is obtained by looking up the domain name in the URL you requested or in the e-mail address you're sending a note to. At the other end, the recipient can see the IP address of the web page requestor or the e-mail sender and can respond by sending another message using the IP address it received.

K

Key System - A telephone equipment system in which the phones have several line buttons that can access outgoing or incoming calls directly to or from the local phone company's central office. Unlike a PBX (private branch exchange) system where your employees must dial "9" to get an outside line, Key System users can access outside lines directly from their set of line buttons on the phone.

Kilobyte - A thousand bytes. Actually, usually 1024 (2^10) bytes.

L

Landline - Traditional wired phone service.

Line - A path of communication. For residential customers, a line connects your individual phone with the local phone company's central office. For business customers, a line generally connects your phone system, rather than each individual phone, to your local central office.

Local Access And Transport Area (LATA) - A geographic area defined by the courts within which local switched services are offered by a particular local phone company.

Local Area Network (LAN) - A computer network limited to the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of a building. LANs enable workstations within your company to share data, software, and hardware such as printers or high speed modems.

Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) - A local telephone company, i.e. , a communications common carrier that provides ordinary local voice-grade telecommunications service under regulation within a specified service area.

Local Loop - The circuit between the end user and the central office. Sometimes referred to as last mile access.

Long Distance Call - A call placed outside the local service area of a local phone company. Long distance calls can be either intrastate or interstate. Generally, incremental use (per minute) charges apply and are billed by your long distance carrier.

M

Meta Tags - Special information embedded in web pages, which allows search engines to index and classify web sites more effectively.

MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) - The standard for attaching non-text files to standard Internet mail messages. Non-text files include graphics, spreadsheets, formatted word-processor documents, sound files, etc.

Modem (MOdulator, DEModulator) - A device that you connect to your computer and to a phone line, that allows the computer to talk to other computers through the phone system. Data is converted by the modem into an analog signal to be carried over the traditionally analog telephone network.

Monthly Recurring Charges - Charges for phone service that occur every month as a "set" fee, rather than as a variable, incremental use charge. Monthly recurring charges include individual business lines, digital T-1 connections, or dedicated access lines to long distance companies. Basic phone service and advanced features such as call waiting, voice mail, and call forwarding are examples of monthly recurring charges for residential or business customers.

Multiplexer (MUX) - A device that combines two or more data streams into a single stream, which streamlines the transmission process.

N

Navigate - To move around on the WWW by following hypertext paths from document to document on different computers.

Netscape - A WWW Browser and the name of a company. The Netscape (tm) browser was originally based on the Mosaic program developed at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).

Network - A generic term that refers to interconnected lines, switches, servers, software and other hardware that make up either a data or voice system.

Number portability - The ability for phone numbers issued by an ILEC to work for CLEC customers. It is a key competitive issue because customers are unlikely to switch to a CLEC if they must change phone numbers.

O

Online - When a user is connected to a network, they are described as being online.

Operator Service Provider (OSP) - A common carrier that provides services from public phones, including payphones and those in hotels/motels.

P

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) - The basic, traditional mode of copper-wire, switched telephone services.

POP (Point of Presence, also Post Office Protocol) - Two commonly used meanings: Point of Presence and Post Office Protocol. A Point of Presence usually means a city or location where a network can be connected to, often with dial up phone lines. So if an Internet company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade, it means that they will soon have a local phone number in Belgrade and/or a place where leased lines can connect to their network. A second meaning, Post Office Protocol refers to the way e-mail software such as Eudora gets mail from a mail server. When you obtain a SLIP, PPP, or shell account you almost always get a POP account with it, and it is this POP account that you tell your e-mail software to use to get your mail.

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) - Software that encrypts important information so it can be sent over the Internet securely.

Private Branch Exchange (PBX) - When businesses reach a certain size, they often convert their phone systems from simple business lines or Key Systems to a PBX, which is a piece of equipment that acts as the company's own internal telephone "switch," or central office. The PBX handles internal company calls and all the connections to and from the public telephone network. It also manages the availability of outside circuits so the employee's phones, computers, and fax machines can get through. PBX systems typically allow businesses to take advantage of sophisticated features offered by local phone companies.

Private Line - A full-time leased line directly connecting two points, used solely by purchaser. Used most often for data transfer among multiple company locations - for example, retail stores, bank branches, manufacturing sites, and branch offices.

Protocol - A specification that describes how computers will talk to each other on a network.

Public Utility Commission (PUC) - A state commission, also sometimes called Public Service Commission, that regulates all types of utilities, including the telecommunications industry.

R

Redundancy - Having one or more back-up communications systems to prevent system failure if one goes out. Modern telecommunications networks have redundancy built in to every critical component of the network.

Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) - Any one of seven local phone companies that were formed out of the old AT&T/Bell system: Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bell South, NYNEX, Pacific Telesis, Southwestern Bell (SBC), and US West. The RBOCs are the highest-visibility ILECs.

Regional Toll Call - A call placed to a location outside your local service area, yet within the area served by your local phone company. These calls are typically not covered by the monthly local service fee and are billed based on incremental (per minute) use.

Resale - Some companies buy local and/or long distance service in large quantities and repackage it for "resale" to their customers. Most resellers do not own their own networks, but in many cases they discount prices to their customers. In some cases, they also add value in the form of consolidated billing or more customer service.

Roaming - The use of a wireless phone outside of the "home" service area defined by a service provider. Higher per-minute rates are usually charged for calls made or received while roaming. Long distance rates and a daily access fee may also apply.

Router - A device that distributes data traffic to the proper destination.

S

Search Engine - A directory of content on the Internet through which you can search for web sites and other Internet sources of information on a specific topic or keyword(s) that you supply. Each search engine obtains its content, categorizes it and displays it in a slightly different way. Some very popular, commercially supported directories and search engines are Yahoo, Excite, AltaVista, Lycos, HotBot and Infoseek. There are hundreds of them and they frequently link to each other.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) - Software that encrypts information before sending it via the Internet.

Server - A computer dedicated to providing specific service to client computers. A computer that shares its resources - such as printers and files - with other computers on the network.

Signaling System 7 (SS7) - A protocol for addressing calls.

Slamming - The term used to describe what occurs when a customer's long distance service is switched from one long distance company to another without the customer's permission.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - This is a standard protocol on the Internet for delivering e-mail.

Spam - Term used to describe unsolicited e-mail or newsgroup posts, often in the form of commercial announcements. The act of sending a spam is called spamming.

Station - A term to describe a telephone based on how it is connected to the local central office (for example, the station lies behind the PBX [private branch exchange] or Key System). Can also refer to the line between an individual extension and the PBX or Key System.

Switch - A device that connects callers to their destinations. Most often located in C.O.'s.

Switched Access - Connection between caller's phone system and switch of chosen long distance carrier when a regular long distance call using regular local lines is made. Also the connection between the switch of caller's long distance carrier in the distant city and the phone being called.

Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) - The technology at each end of an optical fiber system that connects, or interfaces, those fibers to the rest of a system.

Switch - Equipment that routes a call. Many businesses refer to the "switch" or PBX (private branch exchange) in their phone closet. The term is more typically used to describe the huge computer switching centers that make up a phone company's central office. A switch responds to incoming signals and then connects or "switches" calls to the desired destination. The modern digital switches used in the newest phone networks are very advanced computer systems, providing sophisticated calling features and handling million of calls without interruption.

Switched Service - A term describing regular local or long distance phone service that is "switched" or run through the local central office. All residential and many business services are switched services. Unlike "private line" service, where lines carrying only one customer's phone traffic run between two points, switched service is carried on the public telephone network.

Sysop (System Operator) - Anyone responsible for the physical operations of a computer system or network resource. A System Administrator decides how often backups and maintenance should be performed and the System Operator performs those tasks.

T

T-1 - Also called a DS-1. A leased-line connection capable of carrying data at 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second). T-1 service transmits information at the rate of approximately , enough capacity to carry about 24 simultaneous voice conversations. At maximum theoretical capacity, a T-1 line could move a megabyte in less than 10 seconds. That is still not fast enough for full-screen, full-motion video, for which you need at least 10,000,000 bits-per-second. T-1 is the fastest speed commonly used to connect networks to the Internet.

T-3 - A phone line connection that can handle 45 Billion bits of information per second.

Tandems - Switches that consolidate traffic.

Tariff - The published rates, regulations, and descriptions governing the provisions of communications service.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software.

Telco - Jargon for a telephone company.

Telecommunications Act of 1996 - The sprawling, sometimes vague federal legislation that opened the way for CLECs to compete with incumbent carriers.

Telephony - The word used to describe the science of transmitting voice over a telecommunications network.

Throughput - The amount of data transferred from one place to another or processed in a specified amount of time. Data transfer rates for disk drives and networks are measured in terms of throughput. Typically, throughputs are measured in kbps, Mbps and Gbps.

Trunk - A high capacity connection, usually between the PBX (private branch exchange) equipment in your office and your phone company's local central office. Trunks can be configured to handle only incoming calls, only outgoing calls, or a combination of both.

U

Unbundling - The requirement in the Telecommunications Act that incumbent local carriers make available to CLECs each piece of their service instead of requiring CLECs to contract for them all. Failure to unbundled services prohibits the incumbent from entering the long distance market.

Unbundled Network Element (UNE) - The Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires each telephone network service to be unbundled. A UNE is an unbundled element of a network, such as an interconnection point or local loop that a CLEC can obtain from an ILEC or other CLEC.

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - The URL is a means of identifying an exact location on the Internet. For example, http://www.atx.com/html/info/default.htm is the URL which defines the use of HTTP to access the web page default.htm in the /html/info/ directory on the ATX web site). As the previous example shows, a URL is comprised of four parts: protocol type (HTTP), machine name (atx.com), directory path (/html/info/), and file name (default.htm).

Universal Service - The responsibility of RBOCs to provide service to virtually all customers in their geographic area, including those in low-profit areas such as rural areas. To offset the cost of universal service, RBOCs are allowed by the FCC to charge access feels to CLECs and to long distance carriers.

Virtual Private Network (VPN) - Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private. A typical example would be a company network where there are two offices in different cities. Using the Internet the two offices merge their networks into one network, but encrypt traffic that uses the Internet link.

Voice Grade - Channels that are suitable for good-quality voice transmissions. Such channels often also are used for fax and analog or digital data transmissions.

Voice-over-DSL (VoDSL) - Sending voice transmissions over DSL networks. This has the potential of being attractive to CLECs because it enables them to bypass parts of the ILEC infrastructure.

Voice-over IP (VoIP) - Converting voice transmissions to packets of data, then transmitting them over an IP network such as the Internet.

Web - See WWW (World Wide Web)

Web Host - A company that rents out space on the Internet to allow placement of web pages.

Web Page - A page on the World Wide Web.

Web Site - A collection of web pages. If you were to create more than one web page and link them all together they become a web site.

Webmaster - The person responsible for administering a web site.

Wideband - A term applied to facilities or circuits where bandwidths are greater than that required for one voice channel.

WWW (World Wide Web) - Frequently used (incorrectly) when referring to "The Internet", WWW has two major meanings - First, loosely used: the whole constellation of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP, HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools. Second, the universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which are the servers that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc. to be mixed together.