List of telephony terminology
This is a list of telephony terminology and acronyms which relate to telephony networks.
A
- Advanced Intelligent Network,, see also IN or Intelligent Network
- Automatic number announcement circuit (ANAC)
- Automated Attendant
- ACD - Automatic Call Distribution
- Articulation score
B
- Blue box - a device that was used to bypass the normal long-distance call switching tones typically used to obtain free calls.
C
- Call originator - a person or device that initiates a telephone call by dialling a telephone number.
- Call waiting - a system that notifies a caller of another incoming telephone call by sounding a sound in the earpiece.
- Called party -
- Caller
- Calling party
- Conference call
- COCOT
- Cut – unexpected, and usually sudden, termination of call, line or service
D
E
F
- Fax - a device connected to the telephone network to enable documents to be scanned and sent to a receiving fax machine
- Frame - A distribution frame, a set of open wiring racks where circuits are cross connected to trunks and equipment
H
I
- Infrastructure
- Intelligent Network
- Interface functionality
- Inside plant
- Intelligent Network Interface Device - replaces the Network Interface Device outside a subscriber's house like when customers subscribe to AT&T's U-verse brand of services.
- Interactive voice response
- ISDN User Part
L
O
P
- Patch-through access
- Permanent signal
- Person-to-person
- Plain old telephone service, or "POTS"
- Public Switched Telephone Network
- Pupinization
R
- Receiver Off-Hook tone
- Red telephone box
- Red box
- Regional Bell Operating Company
- Ringer equivalency number
- Ringing signal
- Rural radio service
S
T
- Tandem signaling
- Tandem switch
- Transaction Capabilities Application Part
- Telemarketing
- Telephone
- Telephone booth
- Telephone call
- Telephone card
- Telephone directory
- Telephone exchange
- Telephone tapping
- Teletraffic engineering
- Time Division Multiplexing
- Toll-free_telephone_number A telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls, but free for the calling party.
- Trap and trace
- TWX
V
W
- Western Union
- Wide Area Telephone Service
- WATS line
- Wireless network
- Wireless Telephony Applications Interface
- Wi-Fi