Business VoIP A-Z - October Edition

Posted by: Jen Robinson

It's time for the third edition of Business VoIP A-Z! This month I'd like to highlight some of the widely used Voice over IP (VoIP)-related abbreviations. Whether you're just entering the VoIP world or are an industry veteran, these abbreviations are vital to understanding VoIP or explaining VoIP to others.

1. Direct Inward Dialing (DID) - A feature offered by telephone companies for use with their customer's PBX system. The company allocates a range of numbers all connected to their customer's PBX.
2. Domain Name System (DNS) - Translates computer hostnames to IP addresses.
3. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - A type of circuit switched telephone network system, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires.
4. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) - A computerized system that allows a person (telephone caller), to select an option from a voice menu and otherwise interface with a computer system.
5. Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) - A VoIP company like Aptela that uses your broadband Internet connection to deliver telephone service.
6. Power over Ethernet (PoE) - A technology to transmit power along with data over standard data network cables.
7. Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) - The concentration of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks.
8. Request for Comments (RFC) - One in a series of documents and standards widely followed by both commercial software and freeware.
9. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) - A protocol developed by the IETF MMUSIC Working Group and proposed standard for initiating, modifying, and terminating an interactive user session that involves multimedia elements such as video, voice, instant messaging, online games, and virtual reality.
10. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) - The set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks.