Term Meaning Description
3G Third Generation The third generation of mobile phone standards and technology, often called mobile broadband, enables faster data-transmission speeds, greater network capacity and more advanced network services than 2G and 2.5G technologies. 3G services include wide area wireless voice and data coverage, real-time video and Internet access—all in a mobile environment.
4G Fourth Generation The fourth generation of mobile phone standards and technology, succeeding 3G. Potential and current uses include improved mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV and video conferencing.
ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is the common name given to the type of technology that is used to provide an internet connection to the premises that is ‘always on’. This technology does not utilise the full capacity of an analogue line meaning that it is still possible to make voice calls over the line.
ADSL2 ADSL2 and ADSL2+ use the same cabling and exchange infrastructure as a regular ADSL connection. However, the software that makes the technology possible allows for greater amounts of data to be transmitted, which means that it can reach speeds of up to 3x regular ADSL – 24Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.
ADSL2+ ADSL2 and ADSL2+ use the same cabling and exchange infrastructure as a regular ADSL connection. However, the software that makes the technology possible allows for greater amounts of data to be transmitted, which means that it can reach speeds of up to 3x regular ADSL – 24Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.
Antenna A device that radiates or receives radio signals.
AP Access Point Generally, a standalone device in a wireless local area network (WLAN) that plugs into an Ethernet switch. APs act as a communication hub by transmitting and receiving data to connect users within the network. A small WLAN may only require a single AP but additional APs may be required as the number of network users and the physical size of the network increase.
API Advanced Programming Interface A set of subroutine definitions, protocols, and tools for building application software. In general terms, it’s a set of clearly defined methods of communication between various software components.
AS Autonomous System A collection of connected Internet Protocol routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators on behalf of a single administrative entity or domain that presents a common, clearly defined routing policy to the Internet.
ASP Aplication Service Provider A third-party business offering access to online software applications via the internet.
ASP Active Server Pages Microsoft’s first server-side script engine for dynamically generated web pages. Superseded by ASP.NET in 2002.
ASP.NET Active Server Pages An open-source server-side web application framework designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. It was developed by Microsoft to allow programmers to build dynamic web sites, web applications and web services.
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode A network technology based on transferring data in or packets of a fixed size.
AWS Amazon Web Services A subsidiary of Amazon.com offering a suite of cloud-computing services that make up an on-demand computing platform.
Backhaul The backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network and the small subnetworks at the “edge” of the entire hierarchical network.
BaaS Backup as a Service It is an approach for backing up data via a recovery service. Connecting to a private, public or hybrid cloud that is located off-site.
Bandwidth The amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in Mbit/s (megabit per second).
BGP Transit Border Gateway Protocol Transit A BGP transit autonomous system is an AS that allows full internet traffic to pass through it. This is traffic that neither originated from nor is destined to an AS you control. It’s just “passing through” your AS.
Bit Binary Digit The smallest unit of data in a computer.
Bps Bits per second A measure of how fast data is transferred from one place to another.
Broadband Access to the internet that uses ADSL (copper) telephone lines, ADSL kit and ADSL processes. Broadband replaced Narrowband internet access (otherwise known as ‘dial-up’) in the early 2000s and preceded Fibre (or ‘Super-fast’) internet access.
Blockchain A system in which a record of digital transactions made in cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, are maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network. Blockchain also has many other applications.
Capped/uncapped While many of the broadband services offered by service providers impose no downloading limit or cap, some service providers have introduced a cap to enable them to offer services at lower cost. With a capped service, you may be required to pay a premium price if your downloads exceed your limit.
CDN Content Delivery Network A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers (network) that deliver webpages and other Web content to a user based on the geographic locations of the user, the origin of the webpage and a content delivery server.
CDRs Call detail records A data record produced by a telephone exchange or other telecommunications equipment that documents the details of a telephone call or other telecommunications transaction (e.g., text message) that passes through that facility or device.
Cloud Cloud computing is a type of Internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand.
Co-lo Colocation A type of data center where equipment, space, and bandwidth are available for rental to retail customers. Colocation facilities provide space, power, cooling, and physical security for the server, storage, and networking equipment of other firms—and connect them to a variety of telecommunications and network service providers—with a minimum of cost and complexity.
CODEC A codec is a device or computer program for encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal.
Content Filtering Content filtering is a service that assists in controlling or blocking content deemed inappropriate for your internal users to view.
Contention Sharing (or contending) bandwidth with up to 50 other business or residential users in your area who are connected to the same telephone exchange. For example, a service that is ‘contended at 50:1’ means that, in the worst-case scenario, a user could be sharing their Internet connection with up to 49 other users. So, if they were all using it at the same time, a user with an ‘up to’ 76Mbps connection would only be able to download data at a rate of 1.52Mbps.
Contention Ratio The ratio in which an internet connection is shared between multiple users at the exchange. A simplified explanation of this is that ultimately ADSL lines for multiple customer’s all meet at the exchange, at the DSLAM, where the signals are combined and sent to the wider network (the internet) together. Otherwise each exchange would need tens of thousands of connections to the internet which would be impractical. Products with higher contention ratios will be subject to minor performance issues when the exchange is under load such as at peak times.
CLI Caller Line Identity The telephone number displayed to the party who receives a call. This is the “telephone number” associated to a line and is used to differentiate between PSTN lines.
CPE Customer Premises Equipment CPE is 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. Telephone handsets, cable TV set-top boxes, and DSL routers are examples.
CPS Calls per second This refers to how many telephone calls can be handled in a second. CPS is one measure of the performance of Switching systems. It helps in estimating Busy-hour call attempts and Busy-hour call completion of Switching systems.
CPU Central Processing Unit Alternately referred to as a processor, central processor, or microprocessor, the CPU is the Central Processing Unit of the computer. A computer’s CPU handles all instructions it receives from hardware and software running on the computer.
Data Rate Data rate, or throughput, refers to the speed at which you are able to download and upload information from Web sites or other services on the internet.
DDI Direct Dial In A telecommunication service offered by telephone companies to subscribers who operate a private branch exchange (PBX) system.
DoS Denial of Service In computing a DDoS attack is a cyber-attack where the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services of a host connected to the internet.
DDoS Distributed Denial of Service DDoS is a type of DoS attack where multiple compromised systems, which are often infected with a Trojan, are used to target a single system causing a Denial of Service attack.
DES Data Encryption Standard An encryption algorithm, developed by the US government, that allows the use of variable-length keys. The longer the key, the more difficult it is to break the algorithm.
DHCP Dynamic Host Control Protocol A protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. Dynamic addressing simplifies network administration because the software keeps track of IP addresses rather than requiring an administrator to manage the task. This means that a new computer can be added to a network without the need to manually assign a unique IP address.
DIA Direct Internet Access Accessing the internet through a dial-up service or a dedicated direct connection. DIA is the connection between a company or user’s site and the internet.
DLM Dynamic Line Management A collective term for the systems used by BT to stabilize an IP Stream Max service. It automatically logs information on a line’s performance and takes steps to stabilize the line. It can do this by applying Interleaving, and/or reducing the maximum speed a line can connect at. DLM should result in a stable service being established over the first three days after receiving the service.
DNS Domain Name System The system whereby internet domain names are located and translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. In practical terms it can be likened to a telephone directory in that it can convert a name into a number that in turn is used to provide a method of contact between two or more parties. When you enter a domain into your browser, for example www.google.co.uk, the DNS server will look up the IP address of the domain and route your traffic to and from that IP address.
Download/Downstream The transmission of packets (data) from a server or the internet towards an end user usually expressed in Mbps.
DSL Digital Line Subscriber DSL is a technology for bringing high- bandwidth information to homes and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines. xDSL refers to different variations of DSL, such as ADSL, HDSL, and RADSL.
DSLAM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer The hardware at a phone company’s central location that links many customers DSL connections to a single high-speed line. For ADSL connections, this is found in the exchange but for FTTC, it is found in the green cabinets that the copper leg of the line connects to in the street.
DRaaS Disaster Recovery as a Service The process/service used to recover data and software following human or natural disasters. DRaaS allows a business to replicate, rewind and recover lost information and services by backing up services on a regular basis.
DWDM Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing DWDM is an optical multiplexing technology used to increase bandwidth over existing fibre networks. DWDM works by combining and transmitting multiple signals simultaneously at different wavelengths on the same fibre.
ECCs Excess Construction Charges ECCs cover the additional costs of either providing additional service or dealing with situations where the cost of providing service is more than the Openreach price list.
EFM Ethernet First Mile Part of the Ethernet family of computer network protocols between a telecommunications company and a customer’s premise. From the customer’s point of view, it is their “first” mile, although from the access networks’ point of view it is known as the “last mile”. EFM can deliver symmetrical speeds and is much more resilient than the standard ADSL or FTTC products.
ELR Estimated Line Rate The estimated bandwidth a customer will receive once connected to the up to 8Mb product.
Encryption The security measure that scrambles plain text messages into a difficult-to-interpret format as a way to protect confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of the message from hackers and identity thieves. Encryption uses an encryption algorithm and one or more encryption keys to scramble the message.
EoFTTC Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet The next generation on from Fibre Broadband, EoFTTC, offering superfast broadband with non-contended lines with guaranteed fix SLA’s. Ideal for businesses where 24/7 access to the internet is critical, at a constant bandwidth but at a competitive price.
Ethernet Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN).
Exchange A telephone exchange is a centralised location housing telecommunications and broadband equipment that interconnect (switch) telephone subscriber lines to establish telephone calls between the subscribers and control and manage broadband signals to the internet.
Fibre A technology that uses glass (or plastic) threads (fibres) to transmit data. A fibre optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves.
Firewall A piece of security hardware or software that prevents unauthorised users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet. Firewalls separate computers from the Internet and check packets of data as they arrive into the Firewall or out of the computer to decide if they should be allowed to enter or be blocked if they do not meet the stated security criteria.
FTP File Transfer Protocol A standard network protocol used for the transfer of computer files from a server to a client using the Client–server model on a computer network.
FTTC Fibre to the Cabinet FTTC involves running fibre optic cables from the telephone exchange or distribution point to the street cabinets which then connect properties to the FTTC enabled street cabinet using the standard overhead copper phone line to provide broadband.
FTTH Fibre to the Home Provides and end-to-end fibre optic connection the full distance from the exchange to the building and can deliver faster speeds than FTTC as there is no copper within the solution length at all.
FTTP Fibre to the Premises Provides and end-to-end fibre optic connection the full distance from the exchange to the building and can deliver faster speeds than FTTC as there is no copper within the solution length at all.
FUP Fair Usage Policy The amount of bandwidth a customer can use before they are charged for any additional bandwidth they use. For example, if a customer pays for 50Gig of bandwidth, any usage in excess of this allowance will constitute a breach of the Fair Usage Policy and as such they will be charged a flat rate per extra GB.
FWA Fixed Wireless Access A variant of wireless broadband, where a radio link is used instead of cable or fibre for the transmission of voice and data. FWA can, for example, be used for rapid Internet access and video conferences.
Gateway A connection point to an external network. In most scenarios this would be the internet. Commonly when setting up a router, you will see what is called the Default Gateway which relates to the IP address assigned to the internal facing side of the router. This is the connection between the router and a network device such as a personal computer.
GbE Gigabit Ethernet Ethernet is a technology which enables connectivity transmission. This is the physical bearer used in local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), it is this technology which determines the speed (Megabits / Gigabits per second) which data is transmitted at.
Gbps Gigabits per second A measure of bandwidth on a digital data transmission medium such as optical fibre. With slower media and protocols, bandwidth may be in the Mbps or the Kbps range. 1Gbps = 1000Mbps.
GUID Globally Unique Identifier A 128-bit integer number used to identify resources. The term GUID is generally used by developers working with Microsoft technologies.
HDD Hard Disk Drive A data storage device that uses magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information using one or more rigid rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. The platters are paired with magnetic heads, usually arranged on a moving actuator arm, which read and write data to the platter surfaces. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order and not only sequentially. HDDs are a type of non-volatile memory, retaining stored data even when powered off.
HyperScaler Companies who are making efforts to not only dominate the public cloud and cloud services industries but to expand their business into numerous related verticals, as well.
HyperVisor A hypervisor is a process that separates a computer’s operating system and applications from the underlying physical hardware.
IaaS Infrastructure as a Service A form of cloud computing that provides virtualised computing resources over the internet. IaaS is one of three main categories of cloud computing services, alongside Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).
INCA Independent Networks Cooperative Association Membership organisation for ISPs
Interleaving Interleaving involves the use of powerful error-correction algorithms to improve broadband speed and stability on long or noisy phone lines. While interleaving helps make your broadband faster and more stable, it can also increase the delay (latency) of your connection by up to 40ms. While most people wouldn’t normally notice this, it can adversely affect some delay-sensitive applications such as certain online games.
IoT Internet of Things The inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as “connected devices” and “smart devices”), buildings, and other items—embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that enable these objects to collect and exchange data.
IP Internet Protocol The principal communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the internet.
IP address Internet Protocol Address Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique address consisting of four parts separated by dots, e.g. Every machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP address – if a machine does not have an IP address, it is not really on the Internet. Most machines also have one or more domain names that are easier for people to remember.
IPSec Internet Protocol Security A protocol suite for secure Internet Protocol communications which works by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session.
IPv4 Internet Protocol version 4 The fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP).
IPv6 Internet Protocol version 6 The next generation Internet Protocol which offers greater address space, and improved support for quality of service and security.
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network A telecommunications network through which sound, images, and data can be transmitted as digitized signals.
ISO International Standards Organisation The International Organisation for Standardization is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.
ISP Internet Service Provider An organization that provides services for accessing and using the Internet. Internet service providers may be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privately owned.
ISPA Internet Service Providers Association The UK’s Trade Association for providers of internet services.
ITSPA Internet Telephony Services Providers Association A UK membership-led organization that represents companies who provide or resell business and residential customers VoIP networks as well as other “over the top” applications including instant messaging and video.
IXP Internet Exchange Point A physical infrastructure through which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) exchange internet traffic between their networks (autonomous systems).
Jitter In Voice over IP (VoIP), jitter is the variation in the time between packets arriving, caused by network congestion, timing drift, or route changes. A jitter buffer can be used to handle jitter.
Kbps Kilobits per second A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 bits per second. 125 bytes per second.
LAN Local Area Network A computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building and has its network equipment and interconnects locally managed.
Last Mile The final portion of the telecommunications network chain that physically reaches the end-user’s premises.
Latency The delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction for its transfer.
Leased Line A premium internet connectivity product, normally delivered over fibre, which provides uncontended, symmetrical speeds, full-duplex. It is also known as an ethernet leased line, dedicated line, data circuit or private line.
Line rate The speed at which your ADSL router or modem communicates with the BT Exchange. This is always higher than the speed data will actually be downloaded or uploaded when you use the connection.
LLU Local Loop Unbundling The process of opening up a telephone exchange so that it can be used by a number of different broadband providers. These broadband providers are then able to use connections from the telephone exchange through to the customer’s homes to deliver home broadband.
LoS Line of Sight The path between two antennas.
MAC Migration Authorisation Code Used to authenticate the migration request from one ISP to another.
MACs Moves, Adds and Changes MAC is a commonly used term in telephony management as well as network administration where incremental changes occur frequently. Many enterprises standardize moves, adds and changes and provide employees with instructions for how to request and document MACs.
MAN Metropolitain Area Network A network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than that covered by even a large local area network (LAN) but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN).
Mbps Megabits per second A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000,000 bits per second. 1,000 kilobits per second. 125,000 bytes per second.
MEB M247 Enabled Building Multi storey office building with M247 (UK) connectivity running through.
Metro Ethernet The use of Carrier Ethernet technology in metropolitan area networks (MANs).
MHz Megahertz A unit of frequency equal to one million hertz.
Migration The movement of a broadband service between providers which normally incurs minimal downtime and no engineering work at the customer’s property unless they are also regrading the service.
MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output One of several forms of smart antennas systems that use an array of multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to improve communications performance.
Modem MOdulator-DEModulator. A modem is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over, for example, telephone or cable lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analogue waves. A modem converts between these two forms.
MPLS Multiprotocol Label Switching MPLS ia a type of data-carrying technique for high-performance telecommunications networks that directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses, avoiding complex lookups in a routing table.
MSR Maximum Stable Rate A line rate threshold established by BT over the first 10 days of service. It is used to determine when a drop in line rate would be considered a fault. Once an MSR is established BT will accept a fault report if the line rate drops by 30% or more. e.g. if the MSR established is 8192kbps a fault can be reported when the line rate drops to 5734kbps or less.
NAT Network Address Translation A method of connecting to the Internet using just one IP address. The NAT system is set up as a way of only using one public-facing IP address, giving any machines or devices connected to the Internet behind this a private address. This is accessible only to other devices on the same network.
Network A system which enables computers to connect together to share information and access hardware and printers. Commonly you can split this into two categories which are WAN (see WAN) or LAN (see LAN).
Network Adapter A hardware component that connects a computer to a local area network (LAN). There are a variety of network adapter forms, including traditional PCI Ethernet cards, PCMCIA devices (also known as “credit card” or “PC card” adapters) and USB devices. These adapters can be preinstalled in laptops or added to existing devices to create a network connection. Also called network card, network interface controller or LAN adapter.
NGFW Next Generation Firewall An integrated network platform that is a part of the third generation of firewall technology, combining a traditional firewall with other network device filtering functionalities.
NLOS No Line of Sight The path between two antennas being obstructed or blocked.
NOC Network Operations Centre One or more locations from which network monitoring and control, or network management, is exercised over a computer, telecommunication or satellite network.
NTE Network Termination Equipment This is installed at a customer’s premises which the incoming lines are connected to. Also commonly referred to as the Master Socket. The NTE provides the customer with a means to connect to the PSTN line.
Ofcom The Office of Communications The independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. www.ofcom.org.uk
OS Operating System The system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Outage The time when a computer system, telecoms facilities, mains electricity supplies, etc. are unavailable for use due to some failure. Also known as downtime. Planned outages are scheduled in advance.
P2MP Point to Multi-point Communication which is accomplished via a distinct type of one-to-many connection, providing multiple paths from a single location to multiple locations.
P2P Point to Point The simplest topology with a dedicated link between two endpoints. Easiest to understand, of the variations of point-to-point topology, is a point-to-point communications channel that appears, to the user, to be permanently associated with the two endpoints.
PaaS Platform as a Service A category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.
Packet A data transmission unit of data containing user information and header information such as the source and destination addresses, packet length and the protocol type. Sent from one computer to another, usually via a network.
Packet Loss Occurs when one or more packets of data travelling across a computer network fail to reach their destination. Packet loss is typically caused by network congestion. Packet loss is measured as a percentage of packets lost with respect to packets sent.
Packet Switching The method used to move data around on the internet. In packet switching, all the data coming out of a machine is broken up into chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from and where it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different sources to co-mingle on the same lines and be sorted and directed to different routes by special machines along the way. This way many people can use the same lines at the same time.
PBX Private Branch Exchange A private telephone network used within a company. Users of the PBX phone system share a number of outside lines for making external phone calls.
Perl A family of high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming languages. The languages in this family include Perl 5 and Perl 6.
PHP Hypertext Preprocessor A widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
PoP Point of Presence A point-of-presence is an access point from one place to the rest of the internet.
PPTP Point to Point Tunneling Protocol An obsolete method for implementing virtual private networks, with many known security issues. PPTP uses a control channel over TCP and a GRE tunnel operating to encapsulate PPP packets.
Protocol An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices.
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network PSTN, the world’s collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks, both commercial and government-owned. It’s also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).
PUE Power Usage Efficiency A measure of how efficiently a computer data center uses energy; specifically, how much energy is used by the computing equipment (in contrast to cooling and other overhead).
QAM Quadraturn Amplitude Modulation A method of combining two amplitude-modulated (AM) signals into a single channel, thereby doubling the effective bandwidth. QAM is used with pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) in digital systems, especially in wireless applications.
QoS Quality of Service The overall performance of a telephony or computer network, particularly the performance seen by the users of the network.
RAM Random Access Memory A form of computer data storage which stores frequently used program instructions to increase the general speed of a system.
RAMS Risk Assesment & Method Statements A safety method statement is not required by law. It describes in a logical sequence exactly how a job is to be carried out in a safe manner and without risks to health. It includes all the risks identified in the risk assessment and the measures needed to control those risks.
RAN Radio Access Networks A radio access network (RAN) is part of a mobile telecommunication system. It implements a radio access technology. Conceptually, it resides between a device such as a mobile phone, a computer, or any remotely controlled machine and provides connection with its core network (CN).
Rate Adaptive Up to 8Mb is referred to as a ‘Rate Adaptive’ service – this means the service will change the line rate based upon line conditions, which can vary over time. Due to fluctuations in line quality a line could Rate Adapt from a higher speed during the day to a lower speed at night.
Router A network device that splits an internet connection several ways and routes the connections over Ethernet leads or via wireless.
RF Radio Frequency Describes the portion of the spectrum used to transmit radio signals. Often used adjectivally.
RPO Recovery Point Objective The recovery point objective (RPO) is the age of files that must be recovered from backup storage for normal operations to resume.
RTO Recovery Time Objective The recovery time objective (RTO) is the maximum tolerable length of time that a computer, system, network, or application can be down after a failure or disaster occurs.
SaaS Software as a Service A software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted.
Satellite Internet A wireless connection spread across multiple satellite dishes located both on earth and in space, they provide remote areas of the planet with valuable access to core networks. Often confused with wireless radio internet technology.
SDSL Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line A version of DSL where the upload and download speeds are the same i.e. symmetric.
SD-WAN Software-Defined Wide Area Network SD-WAN can be used in conjunction as a hybrid WAN solution to deliver more hands-on control of your network, allowing you to steer traffic to business applications effectively, across the connectivity that is available to you.
SIP Session Initiation Protocol A communications protocol for signaling and controlling multimedia communication session such as voice and video calls. The most common applications of SIP are in internet telephony, as well as instant messaging, over Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
SLA Service Level Agreement A contract between a service provider and its internal or external customers that documents what services the provider will furnish and defines the performance standards the provider is obligated to meet.
SMEs Small to Medium Enterprises The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro.
SMTP Single Mail Transfer Protocol An internet standard for electronic mail (email) transmission.
SOHO Small Office and Home Short for small office/home office, a term that refers to the small or home office environment and the business culture that surrounds it. A SOHO is often thought of as being the smallest of small businesses. It is a privately owned and operated business or individuals who are self-employed.
Splitter A device that divides a telephone signal into two or more signals.
SSID Set Service Identifier The name assigned to a Wi-Fi (WLAN) network. All devices within the network must use this same, case-sensitive name, which contains up to 32 characters, to communicate. Device manufacturers typically ship their products with the same SSID. While knowing the SSID alone does not enable hackers to break into a home network, using a default SSID is a sign of a poorly configured network. When configuring a WLAN, it’s recommended that the default SSID be changed as soon as possible to a more secure pass code.
SSL Secure Sockets Layer The standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral.
Static IP The IP address assigned to a router when it gains Authentication. This IP address will always be the same for the duration of the broadband service unless it is specifically requested to be changed by the ISP.
Terabyte A Terabyte (TB) is a measure of computer storage capacity that is approximately s 1,024 gigabytes (GB), while a petabyte consists of 1,024 TB.
Tier 1 Network A tier 1 network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network that participates in the Internet solely via settlement-free interconnection, also known as settlement-free peering.
Tier 2 Network A tier 2 network is an Internet Service Provider which engages in the practice of peering with other networks, but which also purchases IP transit to reach some portion of the internet.
Tier 3 Network A network that solely purchases transit from other networks to reach the internet.
UKAS United Kingdom Accreditation Service The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole national accreditation body recognized by the British government to assess the competence of organizations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.
Upload/Upstream The transmission of packets (data) from a customer to a server or the internet usually expressed in Mbit/s (megabit per second).
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when the primary power source is lost. It also provides protection from power surges.
UTM Unified Threat Management Unified threat management is an approach to information security where a single hardware or software installation provides multiple security functions.
VCOs Voltage Controlled Oscillators An oscillator with an output signal whose output can be varied over a range, which is controlled by the input DC voltage. It is anoscillator whose output frequency is directly related to the voltage at its input. The oscillation frequency varies from few hertz to hundreds of GHz.
VDSL Very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line Digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies providing data transmission faster than ADSL.
VESDA Very Early Smoke Detection Apparatus A laser based smoke detection system. The name VESDA has become a generic name for most air sampling applications. The name VESDA is a trade mark of Xtralis.
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network Any broadcast domain that is partitioned and isolated in a computer network at the data link layer (OSI layer 2). LAN is an abbreviation for local area network. To subdivide a network into virtual LANs, one configures network equipment.
Virtual Machines A virtual machine is a computer that is then backed by the physical resources of a host, it is then connected to virtual devices that provide the same functionality as physical hardware and have additional benefits in terms of portability, manageability, and security.
VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol VoIP is a methodology and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the internet.
VPN Virtual Private Network This extends a private network across a public network, such as the internet. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.
VPS Virtual Private Server A virtual machine sold as a service by an Internet hosting service. A VPS runs its own copy of an operating system, and customers may have superuser-level access to that operating system instance, so they can install almost any software that runs on that OS.
WAN Wide Area Network A telecommunications network or computer network that extends over a large geographical distance. Wide area networks are often established with leased telecommunication circuits.
Wi-Fi A wireless Ethernet network, Wi-Fi uses a wireless access point to connect mobile devices, such as laptops or handheld devices, to a local area network (LAN). These wireless access points or “hotspots” are commonly used in homes, coffee shops, airports and other public places to share an Internet connection.
Wi-Fi Hotspot A location that offers high-speed Internet access over a wireless local area network (WLAN) for free or for a minimum fee per day. Wi-Fi hotspots are commonly used in coffee shops, airports or other public spaces that frequently have Internet users. A Wi-Fi hotspot usually has a range of 300–500 feet and can provide access for up to 20–50 users, depending on the access point installation.
WISPA Wireless Internet Service Providers Association Membership organization for ISPs
WLAN Wireless Local Area Network Also known as Wi-Fi, WLAN uses a wireless access point to connect mobile devices, such as laptops or handheld devices, to the local area network. These wireless access points or “hotspots” are commonly used in homes, coffee shops, airports and other public places.
WMAN Wireless Metropolitan Area Network A form of wireless networking that has an intended coverage area or range, to the approximate size of a city.
WPA & WPA2 Wireless Protected Access Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) are two security protocols. and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks. The Alliance defined these in response to serious weaknesses researchers had found in the previous system, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP).
WWAN Wireless Wide Area Network Also known as mobile broadband, WWAN is provided by cellular tower technology from mobile operators via 3G (third-generation) wireless networks. Because of the vast geographical coverage provided by cell phone companies, WWAN can provide high-speed wireless connections in places where Wi-Fi may not be available.
XML Extensible Markup Language Flexible ways to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and elsewhere.

Sales: +4 031 080 0700

Support: +4 031 080 0700

Email us

To find out how our technology can transform your business get in touch