Technical Glossary
Access BPL
The wide area access version of Broadband via Powerline (BPL) that
is operated between electricity substations and household
consumers
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a telephone
connection that offers braodband at pre-specified limits and user
ratios
Bluetooth
A computing and telecommunications industry specification that
describes how mobile phones, computers and PDAs can easily
interconnect with each other and with home and business phones and
computers using a short wireless connection
BoEN/BPL
Broadband over the Electricity Network (BoEN) or
Broadband via Powerline (BPL) is the delivery of
broadband network functionality via the electricity cabling
network. Now this term has been substituted by Powerline which
spans wider than just broadband delivery (go to Powerline
below)
CCTV
Closed Circuit Television is a video monitoring
and security system using cameras that transmits visual informaiton
over a closed circuit through transmitters and receivers
Digitisation
The delivery of a digital signal through a building or community
that offers access to true triple paly connectivity
Ethernet
One of the most common local area network (LAN) wiring schemes,
Ethernet has a transmission rate of 10 megabits per second; a newer
standard called Fast Ethernet will carry 100 megabits per
second.
HDTV
High Definition Television is a digital television
broadcasting format where the broadcast transmits widescreen
pictures with more detail and quality than found in standard analog
television
IP
Internet Protocol is the most basic protocol to
communicate via the internet. An IP number is a numerical address
consisting of four numbers separated by full-stops, each of which
uniquely identifies a certain computer on the internet and uses a
domain name (e.g. fdn.com) to facilitiate its use
IPPBX
Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange is a
telephone switch that supports voice over IP (VoIP). IP PBXs
convert IP phone calls into traditional circuit-switched TDM
connections for the PSTN. They also support traditional analog and
digital telephones, allowing enterprises to migrate slowly to an
all-IP telephony environment.
LAN
Local Area Network spans a relatively small area -
usually confined to one building or a group of buildings
PBX
Private Branch Exchange is a telephone system
within an enterprise that switches calls between enterprise users
on local lines while allowing all users to share a certain number
of external phone lines. The main purpose of a PBX is to save the
cost of requiring a line for each user to the telephone
company's central office
PLC
Powerline Communnication is a technology that
makes it possible to use the powerlines of energy distributions
grids (electrical networks) as a means of voice and data
transmission, turning them into a communications medium
Portal
A website or service which offers a broad range of resources such
as email, forums, search engines, etc.
RSS
The de-facto standard for the syndication of frequently updated web
content, mainly used in the distribution of news headlines, blogs
or podcasts
TDES Encryption
Triple Data Encryption Standard is an encryption
algorithm with a strength of about 112 bits to ensure high levels
of security
Triple Play
The merging together of three data forms - voice, data and image -
to allow individuals to use any peripheral to connect to a
digitised environment where they can communicate, watch movies and
images, listen to music, or access data and emails
Servers
Hardware solutions that act as application providers, allowing
users to run spcific software packages and internet applications to
multiple users in given organisations
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol allows telephone
calls to be made (both long distance and international) at the
price of local calls, whilst also allowing free calls between
business sites and the ability to listen to emails over the
phone
VPN
A Virtual Private Network is constructed using
public wires (e.g. the internet) to connect nodes - encryption is
used so that only authorised users can access the network
WAN
A Wide Area Network usually spans a large
geographical area and typically consists of a system of LANs
Wi-Fi
'Wireless Fidelity' uses low power
microwave radio to link one or more groups of users together, or to
provide a link between two buildings. It can span several
kilometres point to point but cannot be used where trees are in the
way (water in the leaves absorb the radio signal). WiFi hotspots
cover an area of a hundred metres radius using multiple channels to
provide multi-user access to a central Internet access point.
WiMax
A grid of digital signal emitted over a large area to provide
wireless access toall locations, effectively providing a
'blanket' of broadband.
