We recognise that not everyone is familiar with the ever increasing number of acronyms and terms used in the ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) industry and have put together a glossary of the most commonly used terms to guide you through this complex language.
ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) - Modem technology that provides greater bandwidth via an ordinary telephone line. ADSL supports higher capacity data rates when receiving data and lower capacity data rates when sending data.
ASP (Application Service Provider) - A service provider that manages and distributes software-based services and solutions to customers from a central data centre across a Wide Area Network (WAN). ASPs enable companies to outsource some or all of their IT needs.
Bandwidth - Measurement of the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits or bytes per second.
Billing cycle - Period for which a consumer receives an invoice, usually monthly.
B-ISDN (Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network) - The broadband equivalent of ISDN. An international standard fro transmitting voice, video and data at the same time over fibre optic telephone lines. B-ISDN can support data transfer rates of 2 Mbps (Megabytes per second).
Broadband - High speed data transmission circuit for data, voice or video, for example, Cable TV uses broadband transmission.
Bundling - Marketing strategy implemented after deregulation of the telecommunications industry which involves service providers offering multiple services together in a package. These packages are sold to consumers at discounted rates and are designed to lure customers away from competitors and encourage loyalty.
Bureau Based Service – Fully outsourced or managed application services delivered over the internet including business process support i.e. automated collections, payment management, service provisioning etc.
BSS (Business Support System) - A system that supports and manages information of various communications functions such as rating & billing, service provisioning, data warehousing, customer care, mediation, network management and account receivables. A BSS can also be incorporated into an OSS.
Business Logic Layer – The business rules and processes stored by software that effect the way the software supports the business functions. The business logic associated with Telecommunications companies and Energy providers is highly complex as a result of the varied and sophisticated billing rules associated with these environments.
CDR (Call Detail Record) - A data record that contains information related to a telephone call, includes; origination and destination addresses of call, time call started and ended, duration of call, time of day call was made and any charges added through the network.
Churn - The term used to describe customer turnover in the telecommunications industry. Customers change service providers for a number of reasons including; inaccurate billing and poor service or alternative providers offering new products and services, better value products and services and more attractive bundled packages.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) - Enterprise-wide software applications that allow companies to manage every aspect of their relationship with a customer. The aim of these systems is to assist in building long term relationships with customers and encourage customer loyalty.
E-commerce (Electronic Commerce) - The buying and selling of products and services over the Internet.
ESA (Endorsed Supplier Agreement) - The ESA is a pre-qualification scheme administered by the Department of Finance and Administration on behalf of the Australian Government. The ESA endorses suppliers that wish to sell to the Australian Government in certain business sectors including Information Technology (IT).
Fraud Management System - A system designed to discover unauthorised transactions or use of a network. Used by companies to track irregular and suspect transactions or network use and protect them from fraudulent activity.
GITC (Government Information Technology Conditions) - A framework of standard terms and conditions which forms the contractual basis for Queensland Government’s procurement of ICT products and services. In order to provide ICT services to Queensland Government a supplier must be GITC accredited.
ICT (Information Communication and Technology) – Information Technology and Telecommunications products and services.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - An international communications standard for sending voice, video, and data over digital or analogue telephone lines. ISDN supports data transfer rates of 64 Kbps (Kilobytes per second).
ISO 9001:2000 (International Organisation for Standardisation) - An internationally recognised process orientated quality management standard. A company with ISO 9001:2000 certification demonstrates a commitment to quality management.
ISP (Internet Service Provider) - A service provider connecting businesses and consumers to the Internet.
ITS 2036 (Information Technology Service) - A contract which provides NSW Government agencies with a panel of Software Development Contractors who are approved to supply services on a fixed price basis.
LAN (Local Area Network) - A computer network that spans a relatively small area, usually confined to a single building or group of buildings. Most LANs connect workstations, personal computers, printers etc enabling users to share data and expensive devices such as laser printers.
Licensed Carrier - A telecommunications provider that has a licence permitting it to own infrastructure used to supply telecommunications services to the public. Licenses are issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Online Credit Card Fraud - Payments made for goods and services over the Internet that were not authorised by the credit card holder.
Open Source Software – Software developed and supported by the Open Source community, free of traditional software licenses. Generally Open Source Applications are regarded as less expensive, faster to deploy and have a larger support base than commercial proprietary software.
OSS (Operations Support System) - A system that processes telecommunications information that supports various management functions including billing, customer care, network management, inventory control, maintenance, service provisioning and trouble ticket reporting.
Service Provisioning - Process whereby a requested service is designed, installed and tracked for a particular customer.
PSTN (Public Switched Telecommunications Network) - The international telephone system based on copper wires carrying analogue voice data. This is in contrast to modern telephone networks based on digital technologies, such as ISDN.
Rate Plan - The costs a consumer agrees to upon requesting a service.
Rating Engine - A system that matches information about network usage for a specific user and applies the associated cost to that usage.
Reseller - A company that purchases services at a volume or wholesale rate which it then sells at a retail rate to a consumer.
Service Provider - An organisation that offers communications services to businesses and/or consumers.
SLA (Service Level Agreements) - Written contracts between a provider and user guaranteeing a certain level of service and measurable performance indicators such as uptime, quality of service, level of customer support etc. SLAs usually include penalty provisions for services not provided.
Tariff - A legal document filed by a carrier with a regulatory agency describing their services and payments required for such services.
Telco - A telecommunications provider.
Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 - The classification system used to describe the size of a Telecommunications service provider based on the number of subscribers and the provider’s reach. Tier 1 refers to large carriers i.e. Telstra and Optus and Tiers 2 and 3 refer to smaller carriers.
Ticket/Ticketing - A method used to report an error or problem with a software product. Usually part of an on-line customer care tool whereby the customer logs a ticket on-line which sends and email to the software support team where it is acknowledged, logged, prioritised and resolved according to the terms of the SLA.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - A category of hardware and software that enables businesses and consumers to use the Internet to make telephone calls by converting voice data from a telephone into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. This signal is then converted back to voice data at the other end.
WAN (Wide Area Network) – A computer network that spans a large geographical area and usually connects two or more local area networks (LANS) via telephone lines.
Wholesaler - A carrier that offers wholesale services to resellers.
