Glossary

0845 - 0870  

 An 0845 or 0870 number is a non geographic number.

ADSL Router

ADSL is the same as broadband. A router allows you to connect one or more computers or one or more networks onto the ADSL service. Many routers have built in switches that allow you to plug your computer directly into them.

ADSL Router with VoIP

Many new ADSL routers come with support for VoIP. This support sometimes means that you can plug a normal telephone into the back of them or may refer to the fact that they can allow SIP traffic through the built in NAT firewall.

ATA

ATA is an acronym for either A Telephone Adapter or Analogue Terminal Adapter. Normally associated with a VoIP service. An ATA allows you to insert a normal telephone into a network. The ATA gets configured with your VoIP details. )

Breakout, Breakout calls, VoIP Breakout

A term referring to the VoIP service. When making a VoIP call that needs to exit the Internet and enter the public telephone system your call "breaks out" of the VoIP network. The Skype service doesn't allow this ability unless you upgrade to their Skype breakout service - this is possibly what a lot of people think of now days by the term breakout - its a Skype product. Skype is the brand / company name of another VoIP provider that uses a proprietary VoIP solution.

Broadband

Broadband is a common term for ADSL. Broadband simply refers to the amount of bandwidth (speed) that you have. More than low band (normal dial-up modems) less then highband (often your company network). It is a general term and does not mean anything specific but when people refer to broadband they are talking about ADSL which is just an internet connection. To get the most out of a VoIP service you really need broadband although even the slowest broadband will be OK for VoIP.

Broadband Calls

Another term meaning VoIP. The ability to make telephone calls over the Internet. See VoIP for more.

Broadband Phone, Broadband Telephone

A term that refers to a telephone used on a broadband line. This could be a softphone, a hardphone (IP Phone), a USB Phone or an ATA with a standard telephone. Refers to a VoIP service and the ability to make telephone calls across the Internet.

Broadband Voice

Another term relating to VoIP. The ability to transmit your voice across a broadband Internet connection. Various different companies use various different terms but all relate to a VoIP type service. Broadband Voice is also a product service name meaning a VoIP service.

Centrex

Centrex is a set of specialized business solutions that control and look after a VoIP (Voice over IP) service. It is one of the technologies that VoIP runs on.

Cisco

Cisco are a network equipment manufacturer. Cisco is the company name.

Cisco Phones

When many people think of telephones for a VoIP service they often think or refer to Cisco phones. Cisco make various IP phones for VoIP services and are often thought of as the market leader of VoIP phones. There are now many other VoIP phone manufacturers.

Email, E-mail

The E stands for Electronic. Instead of receiving paper based mail in envelopes the mail arrives on your computer.

Fax to Email, Fax2Email, Fax2Mail, Internet Fax, 0870 Fax

Fax to email is simply a term used for a service that can accept a standard fax (a piece of paper with writing on), convert it into a picture or an electronic document and then send that document to an email address. With a fax to email service you are assigned a telephone number to give out as your fax number. If a fax is sent to that number you will receive it in your email inbox.

Follow Me Service

A follow me service will redirect your phone calls to another telephone number, perhaps a mobile, perhaps a different office. The theory being that when you move location the calls will still come through to a phone near you. This can be totally replaced by VoIP if you have a softphone running on your computer since where ever your computer (normally a laptop for this purpose) is and as long as it is connected to the Internet you can receive a phone call on the same number that you normally use.

Freephone

Is anything free? Its all relative. The term freephone is normally associated with telephone numbers. A freephone number is one that starts with 0800 or 0808. These telephone numbers are free to call meaning you will not get charged for that call on your next phone bill, how ever, they are not free as the company that owns the telephone number actually pays for your call. Freephone numbers are often used as sales numbers to encourage potential customers to phone you.

Geographic Number

See non Geographic number. Most landline telephone numbers are geographic.

Hardware Phone

See IP Phone. A telephone that plugs directly into the network without the need for a computer.

IP PBX

Internet Protocol Public Branch exchange, an Internet version of a phone management system, most larger companies have a PBX. An IP PBX does the same job as a standard PBX system but often can be managed on a web page.

IP Phone, IP Phones

IP Phones are telephones that are used with a VoIP Service. They use the IP (Internet Protocol) to work on a standard network. These phones can be plugged directly into a computer network and not the BT telephone system. They are Internet phones. They are physical hardware as opposed to a softphone.

Internet Calls, Internet Phone Calls

Internet calls are the same as Broadband Calls - See VoIP. Internet calls refer to the ability to make phone calls via the Internet.

News feeds

News feeds are based upon XML. A news feed reader loads this XML file and converts its content to a series of headlines with links back to the full story.

Non Geographic Number

A telephone number that is not associated with a particular area of a the country. The area code of a telephone number specifies just that, the area. For example, 0207 is for the central London area. Any number starting with 05, 07 or 08 can be anywhere in the country. Non geographic numbers can be used by anyone, anywhere within the country. These type of numbers redirect to a geographic number,. Having a non-geographic number allows you to move office locations and keep the same number on your letter heads.

Net Calls

Another term for making telephone calls on the Internet and refers to the VoIP service. See VoIP for more.

PC to Phone

Another term relating to a VoIP service. PC to Phone means that you can make a telephone call from your PC (computer) to a normal telephone. Typically your PC would run a piece of software called a softphone  or webphone. You would use a microphone and headphone headset.

Portable Telephone number

A portable telephone number normally is another term for a non geogrphic number. An 0870 telephone number is an example of a portable number since it stays with you even if you move offices and get assigned new landline telephone numbers. Portable numbers would normally be your sales number meaning that you wouldn't have to change your contact number if you moved.

POP3

POP3 is an acronym for Post Office Protocol. It is the language that your email programme uses to talk to the email server. Most email accounts are of a POP type. Specifically version 3 of this protocol is used.

PSTN

PSTN is an acronym for the Public Switched Telephone Network. This is the telephone network that you know as BT.

SIP, Session Initiation Protocol

SIP is a protocol developed by the IETF MMUSIC Working Group and proposed standard for setting up sessions between one or more clients. It is currently the leading signalling protocol for Voice over IP, gradually replacing H.323 in this role. Basically it is a language that VoIP phones use to talk to each other.

SIP Phone

See SIP. A SIP Phone is a telephone that uses the SIP protocol. A SIP phone is used with a VoIP Service. A SIP phone can be a hardware IP phone or a softphone.

Softphone, Software Phone

Soft is short for software, a program that runs on your computer. A softphone is just a piece of computer software that acts as a telephone. Normally used with a headphone and microphone headset and associated with a VoIP service.

USB Phone

A USB Phone (Universal Serial Bus) is a telephone that plugs into your computers USB socket. A USB phone is used with a VoIP Service.

Voice over IP

See VoIP. The two terms are the same.

VoIP

VOIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol. The word VoIP is the term that is used to differentiate standard telephone calls from telephone calls that are made and received over the Internet. Standard telephone calls use the BT (or other operator) network of cables that you see along the roadside and that connect directly to your home or office. Internet phone calls travel over the Internet. The Internet uses a language called IP (Internet Protocol) so VoIP simply means transmitting a voice using the Internet.

VoIP Provider

A company that can offer a Voice over Internet Protocol to you  -such as SKYPE.

VoIP Gateway

A gateway is a point in a network where data gets changed from one format to another. In the case of a VoIP gateway it is where your internet phone call breaks out of the internet and onto the standard public telephone network. The voice data gets converted into a normal phone call for the rest of the journey until it reaches its destination.

Voice Mail, Voicemail

A telephone answering machine basically. With a VoIP service your voicemail messages are stored on the internet and can be played back to you or sent to you in an email as a sound file attachment.

VoIP Mail

Same as Voice Mail. An answering machine service for VoIP.

Voice over broadband

Voice over IP is what it technically is but many VoIP providers have coined this term instead. It is the same as Voice over IP but as most people will use and need broadband to use the service it seems better to use this new term.

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