Asynchronous Transmission Data transmission of one character at a time to the receiving device, with intervals of varying lengths between transmittals.
ATM A protocol that packs digital information into 53-byte cells (5-byte header and 48-byte payload) that are switched throughout a network over virtual circuits. Its ability to accommodate multiple types of media (voice, video, data) makes it a likely player for full service networks based on ADSL and VDSL.
Cat 5 A Category of Performance for inside wire and cable systems. Various gauges supporting applications requiring a carrier frequency of up to 100 MHz.
DSL A proven technology that takes advantage of standard copper telephone lines to provide secure, reliable, high-speed Internet access. This is a general term for any local network loop that is digital in nature.
Frame Relay A high-speed data transport solution for cost-effective, flexible connectivity between multiple remote sites
Internet The world’s largest computer network. The Internet originated from a research effort initiated by the U.S. Government and was initially used to connect defense contractors and U.S. universities. Today, its nature is more commercial, and it is becoming the preferred method of linking businesses and individuals’ computers to one another.
ISDN ISDN provides standard interfaces for digital communications networks and is capable of carrying data, voice, and video over digital circuits. ISDN protocols are used worldwide for connections to public ISDN networks or to attach ISDN devices to ISDN-capable PBX systems (ISPBXs).
Latency Time for data or computer information packets to get from one location to it desintation. The lower this number the better.
Modem MOdulator/DEModulator. Equipment that converts digital signals to analog signals and vice versa. Modems are used to send data signals (digital) over the telephone network, which is usually analog.
MPLS Converged data, voice and video on a single fully-meshed Internet Protocol ( IP ) network platform
NIC The circuit board or other form of computer hardware that serves as the interface between a computer (or other form of data terminal equipment) and the communications network; in DSL, a common NIC is an Ethernet NIC, which serves as the interface to the DSL modem from the computer.
PBX Private Branch eXchange – Telephone switching equipment located at a business’s premises and used to connect the business’s private telephone network and the public telephone network.
Point-to-Point A high-capacity, point-to-point digital private-line service designed for full-duplex, synchronous transmission of digital signals
Router Physical device for connecting customer networks over Internet connections; an interface between two networks.
T1 A digital transmission link with a capacity of 1.544 Mbps. T1 uses two pairs of normal twisted wires, the same as found in most residences. T1 normally handles 24 voice conversations, each one digitized at 64 Kbps. But, with more advanced digital voice encoding techniques, it can handle more voice channels. T1 is a standard for digital transmission in the United States. T1 lines are used to connect networks across remote distances.
