Aussie Phone Brokers - Telecommunications Glossary
'C' Glossary Terms
- Cable Broadband
- Use of a fibre optic cable (the same used for pay-TV connections) to deliver Internet connections at up to 10 Mbps.
- Cable
- A common term used to describe fibre optic cable.
- Cable Modem
- The modem used for operation of cable broadband through fibre optic cable.
- CAL - Communications Alliance Ltd.
- Formed in 2006, through the merger of the ACIF and SPAN, the CAL is an industry body focussed on promoting the 'growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance'.
- Call Barring
- The barring of outgoing calls, to selected numbers or groups of numbers, may be applied to both mobile phones and fixed services. This is a network feature.
- Call Centre
- A call centre (or Call Center) is a business unit whose purpose is to handle inbound/outbound telecommunications traffic for a company. A Contact Centre is more highly integrated and such a unit might handle various forms of correspondence between the company and its customers.
- Call Congestion
- The saturation of the available simultaneous connections on a communications channel by users. Applies to both Fixed Lines services and Wireless services (including Mobile services).
- Call Connect
- An additional feature of Directory Assistance services, whereby the caller can be connected to the desired number. Charges often start in excess of $1AUD per use. Available for both Mobile and Fixed Line services.
- Call Divert
- Often also called Call Forward, Call Divert is the ability to divert an incoming call to a designated number or service. Usual call charges often apply (however some of these charges might be reduced or removed by some Mobile service providers). Available to both Mobile and Fixed Line services. Call diversion products typically offer many conditional options (eg. Divert All Calls, Divert on No Answer, Divert on Unreachable, Divert on Busy, etc.).
- Call Drop Out
- The accidental disconnection of a phone call. Applies to both Fixed Line services (especially non-managed VoIP) and Mobile Services. Also called Drop Out.
- Call Forward
- See Call Divert, above.
- Call Waiting
- The ability to alert the user to the presence of a second incoming call to their current connection. The user has the option to retrieve the second call, while maintaining their initial connection. Either party may then be disconnected by the user, at their discretion. This feature is available for both Fixed Services (although not all types of Fixed Services) and for Mobile Services.
- Caller ID
- Also referred to as CID. This feature provides the caller's telephone number information whilst the call is ringing. The CID information is usually contained between the first and second ringing tone. CID may be blocked (on landlines) by the caller by dialling 1831 before the number, or by requesting a permanent block from the service provider. This information is obtained by using the relevant parts of CLI (Caller Line Identification) information.
Related: CLI - Calling Line Identification - Car Charger
- Charging device for mobile handsets, which plugs into the cigarette lighter socket of a vehicle. See mobile handsets, for their expanded definition.
- Carriage Service Provider
- Often referred to as Rebillers or Resellers of telecommunications services. These are service providers who are not carriers themselves.
- Carrier
- Telecommunications Carriers are the owners/maintainers of a telecommunications network (either Mobile or Landline). Not all Telecommunications Providers are Telecommunications Carriers; some are resellers of a Carrier's network.
- Casual Customer
- A customer who has not entered into a service provision contract of more than one month's duration. Typically, these contracts are of one month duration and are 'renewed' each month by the continued relationship of the two parties (customer and service provider). This allows the customer to cancel the services at any given time.
- CAT-5 Cable - Category 5 Cable
- In layman's terms: 'blue computer cable'. Variously also called Cat 5, C5 Cable, Ethernet cable, and now updated to CAT-5e (capable of x10 speeds of CAT-5). CAT-5 is composed of four twisted copper pairs and is capable of carrying network data communications at 100Mbps or up to four telephone lines. Now also being used to deliver VoIP traffic and data communications over the same cable, thus avoiding the need for two cables to each workstation and thereby reducing cabling costs.
- CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access
- A spread spectrum digital transmission, operating at 800MHz and 1900MHz. The ability to code the signal and spread its transmission over both frequencies allows for greater range of signal and hence greater coverage in regional areas.
Interestingly, 2G CDMA SMSs may only be 160 characters in length.
Related: WCDMA - 3G, NextG Network. - CDMA 2000
- A 3G wireless communications standard further evolved from CDMA technology. Supports speeds ranging from 144Kbps to 2Mbps.
- Cell
- Area of coverage from/to a radio transceiver that sends and receives mobile phone signals. In the US and Canada, the area covered by such a transceiver is a Cell - hence the term Cell Phones. See also Base Station coverage.
Related: Base Station - Cellular Transmission
- Mobile phone transmission, US and Canadian terminology.
- Cellular Phone
- US and Canadian term for a mobile phone. Named for the coverage area of a base station transceiver: called a cell. Also called Cell Phone.
- Centrex - Central Office Exchange Service
- A 'virtual' PABX/PBX where the functions of those systems are carried-out off-site at the local exchange or beyond. Calls may be transferred, put on hold, sent to messagebank, etc.
Related: PABX - Churn
- Term to denote the switch of a customer between telecommunications service providers.
- CLI - Calling Line Identification
- The provision of the calling party's number, called party's number, time of call, routing information, duration and other minor information between service providers. Often billed as CLIP - Calling Line Identification Presentation. Part of this information may be used to provide CND (Calling Number Display) to the called party.
Related: CND - CND - Calling Number Display
- The display of the calling party's number as the call is ringing. CND is typically sent (as an inaudible signal) between the first and second dial tones of a call. The caller may elect to have their CND information blocked on a per call basis (by prefixing the called number by 1831) or permanently blocked through their service provider. Also called Calling Name Display, Caller ID (or CID) and CNI (Calling Number Identification). CLI differs from CND and the others. See also CLI (Caller Line Identification).
- CNI - Calling Number Identification
- See CND, above.
- CO - Central Office
- The telephony equipment premises which houses switching equipment for a local exchange or area code. This building will typically house switching equipment, servers, storage systems, emergency power systems, and related devices that are used to run telephone systems. CO is also used by PABX manufacturers to denote external lines (as opposed to internal lines: extensions).
- Coaxial Cable
- Data transmission cable which has a single copper conductor in the center, surrounded by a plastic layer for insulation, with a braided metal conductor outer shield over the insulation, and covered by a plastic outer coating. Used for the premises connection of the Cable TV and Cable Internet network in Australia.
- Conference Call
- Call in which three or more parties are joined in the same conversation. Fixed services offer conference calling either through the use of PABX features or directly through the service provider. Mobile carriers have now begun to offer conference calling between multiple mobile phone handsets.
- Connection Fee
- A one-time fee for the set up your phone service.
Not to be confused with a Flagfall, which is the connection cost of an individual call.
Related: Flagfall - Contract
- For Telecommunications: an oral or written agreement between a Service Provider and a customer. The customer may be an individual or a corporate entity. The agreement states the terms and conditions for the supply or a product or service, for a specified price, for a specified period of time.
- Contract Cancellation Fee
- Also called a Contract Termination Cost, Contract Exit Fee, Contract Termination Fee. See ETC (Early Termination Charges).
Related: ETC - Contract Term
- The duration of a contract, as stated in that contract. Some contracts may also include a provision for automatic renewal of a contract term.
- Convergence
- For Telecommunications: As communications transmission and storage has become digitised, consolidation of various forms of communications (eg. voice, data and video) has become a possibility. Convergence is the likely joining of two or more communications forms into a single user product. The advantages for consumers are: convenience and cost savings. The advantages for service providers are: cost savings (through reduced operational expenses and capital expenditure) and increased customer loyalty.
- Copper (Wire) Network
- The Australian telecommunications network mostly remains a simple copper network. This describes copper lines connected to premises from local exchanges and then switched through other exchanges, for ultimate delivery to another premises. Telecommunications transmissions travel over these lines. Today, there are other methods of telecommunications transmissions such as IP networks, satellite networks, wireless networks (including Mobile Phone Networks).
Related: POTS, PSTN - Country Code
- The dialling prefix used to reach international destinations. To access IDD (International Direct dialling; dialling internationally without operator assistance) the access code 0011 must be used. The format for IDD is: 0111 + country code + area code + local phone number.
Related: IDD - Coverage Area
- For wireless communications (including mobiles): The locations in which a user can connect to and use a wireless service from their service provider. The term Coverage Area is most commonly used by mobile phone network carriers. These providers all supply Coverage Maps, see below, for links.
Related: Base Station - Coverage Maps
- Maps of coverage areas from each of the Mobile Network Carriers. Telstra. Optus. Vodafone. Hutchison 3.
Related:
Telstra Coverage Maps
Optus Coverage Maps
Vodafone Coverage Maps
Hutchison 3 Coverage Maps, - CPE - Customer Premises Equipment
- The on-site hardware of a customer's telecommunications. For example: PABX, PBX, telephone handsets, modems, routers, etc.
- CPN - Calling Party Number
- See CLI, above.
- Cramming
- The automatic addition of unwanted and unasked for services to a Telecomm account. Further defined as chargeable items. These items will be displayed on customer bills.
- CRF - Communications Research Forum
- A discontinued government funded industry body which was organised by the (also discontinued) CRU. They drew together researchers, key industry players and policy makers in a multi-disciplinary environment to consider communications policy and research in Australia.
- CRU - Communications Research Unit
- A discontinued former department of the DCITA which collected industry performance data, analysed industry performance, provided economic research, briefing and consultancy research services to external clients.
- CSG - Customer Service Guarantee
- A performance standard created by the ACMA. Provides financial compensation, of a prescribed amount, to end customers who are affected by delays in service connections and fault repairs. For a full description, with compensation amounts and timetables, please visit our Customer Service Guarantee page.
- CSP - Carriage Service Provider
- Often referred to as Rebillers or Resellers of telecommunications services. These are service providers who are not carriers themselves.
- CTN - Consumers' Telecommunications Network
- Consumer and community organisation representing the interests of residential customers throughout Australia.
- CUSP - Competing Universal Service Provider
- Provider which offers standard services or approved non-standard alternative telecommunications services in respect of a Universal Service Obligation. See also USO and USO contestability.
- Cutover
- The moment when a service, or element of infrastructure, is moved from one service provider to another. See also Port, for mobile phones, and see ULL, for fixed services.
Related: Mobile Number Portability, ULL
These pages contains commonly used terms and their definitions for the Australian telecommunications industry. The terms found here refer to the ICT industry (Information and Communication Technology), IT industry (Information Technology) and the general Telecommunications Industry - including Mobile Telecommunications, Fixed Line services and IP telecommunications.
Please use the index below:
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