Convergence & ISP Glossary

Making sense of Convergence & Internet Service Provider terms

Convergence – how communication media such as electronic media, telecommunications and broadcast media which originally worked as separate entities in different industries, have moved to a combination of different media types on one platform. For example PC’s with Internet TV and Voice over IP (VoIP), and mobile devices such as PDA’s and smart phones that have the similar functionality.

Gateway - A computer that connects one network to another, where the two networks use different protocols.

Hosted IP PBX - In a hosted IP PBX system, the PBX is located remotely and managed by the telephone or Internet service provider.  Communications (voice, data and video) are sent over the Internet. The customer pays for a service as opposed to buying hardware, software and maintaining it themselves. This system is centralised, more flexible and scalable.

Internet Protocol (IP) – A standard used for communicating data across a network or over set of interconnecting networks (e.g. over the Internet).

Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange (IP PBX) – The new generation of PBX which uses the Internet to carry information. It works as a telephone system which sends voice, data and video content over a data network.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - An Internet service provider is a company that maintains a server connected to the Internet, and provides a connection to the Internet for users. Along with Internet access, an ISP may provide web hosting and email.

Packet Switching – Data and voice is sent through a network, and although it seems as if the data is being sent/received in a continuous stream of data, this data is broken up into small pieces. Each piece is sent across the network to the destination device. Pieces of data from the same file may be sent via different paths and devices to get to the destination.

Private branch exchange (PBX) - A telephone exchange used within an organisation in place of a public telephone service provider.  These systems incorporate connections from the end users’ telephone, fax or computer to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) using trunk lines.  The system is in effect a private communications network for use within organisations.

Public switched telephone network (PSTN) - The network of all public circuit-switched telephone networks in the world.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – The delivery of voice communications over the Internet or other Internet Protocol networks.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) – A standard protocol for transferring multimedia data such as video, voice calls, instant messaging and virtual reality over a network.

Softphone - A software program that you can use on a standard PC with Internet access to make telephone calls.

Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) – A Simple Mail Transfer Protocol used to transfer e-mail between Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is the system that networks use to communicate with each other on the Internet.

VoIP PBX – another name for IP PBX.

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