Telecoms Acronyms Explained

ACR: Anonymous Call Rejection - network based service that allows End Users to block calls from people who have withheld their numbers.

ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - a form of DSL, an ‘always on’ data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional dial up modem can provide. ADSL offers faster download speeds than upload speeds.

AIN: Advanced Intelligent Network - a telephone network architecture that adds advanced computer intelligence to the telephone system such as voice recognition.

ASP: Application Service Provider

BAN: Billing Account Number - the main telephone number used for billing regardless of the number of lines associated with that number.

BTR: BT Retail - sales division of BT Group, selling BT Group's voice and data services to individuals and businesses.

BTW: BT Wholesale - division of BT Group, selling BT wholesale services to businesses.

BT 21CN: BT’s 21st Century Network - 21CN is BT’s global, software driven customer network that introduces a new, simpler portfolio of next generation services.

CDR: Call Data Record

CLI: Caller Line Identification - a telephone service that transmits a caller’s number to the called party’s telephone equipment before the call is answered.

CLIP: Caller Line Identifier Presentation - the ability to call out from a line and present a different number.

CNI: Ceased Number Intercept - Another name for Caller Re-direct.

CP: Communications Provider - the term encompasses public and private companies in the fixed line, wireless, internet, cable, satellite and managed services businesses.

CPE: Customer Premise Equipment - any terminal and associated equipment located at a subscriber's premises and connected with a carrier's channel.

CPS: Carrier PreSelect - the process where by a telephone subscriber whose telephone line is maintained by one company, can choose to have some of their calls automatically routed across a different telephone company's network without needing to enter a special code or special equipment.

CR: Caller Re-Direct or Change Request - when an End User ceases service and takes up service elsewhere, or has a line renumbered. Caller Redirect can be used to refer callers to the new number, where the End User requests this. Availible in monthly or quarterly variants.

CRM: Customer Relationship Management - a term applied to processes implemented by a company to handle its contact with its customers. CRM software is used to support these processes, storing information on current and prospective customers.

CSP: Communications Service Provider - the term encompasses public and private companies in the fixed line, wireless, internet, cable, satellite and managed services businesses.

CWP: Customer Wholesale Portal - a group of reports that provide local service providers (LSP’s) with information to facilitate order processing.

DACS: Digital Access Carrier System - a method used to carry two voice lines over a single copper pair.

DDI: Direct Dial Identifier - a feature offered by telephone companies for use with their customers' PBX systems, whereby the telephone company allocates a range of numbers all connected to extensions on the customer PBX.

DEDS: Data Exchange Distribution System - contains all the Call Data Records (CDRs) that have been collected and processed from 21CN and Legacy PSTN network for a particular CP.

DN: Directory Number - telephone number as it appears in the Telephone Book.

DOA: Dead On Arrival - refers to a line which has just been successfully provided but is not working.

DPNSS: Digital Private Network Signaling System - a network protocol used on digital trunk lines for connecting two PABX.

DS: Dialogue Service - a tool that allows CPs to interact with Openreach to gain information and perform certain order fulfilment and assurance activities.

DUNS ID: Duns Identification Number - nine digit corporate financial ID number issued by Dunn & Bradstreet.

ECC: Exchange Carrier Code - a four character code assigned to local exchange providers when a company buys (or leases) telephone lines.

EMP: Equivalence Management Platform - Openreach's platform providing equal access to its products for all CPs.

EU: End User - the customer who contracts with the CP for telephone service.

FCS: Federation of Communication Services - is the UK Trade Association for the communications services industry representing businesses delivering products and services to customers by radio, mobile, fixed and IP telephony.

GPRS: General Packet Radio Service - a packet oriented mobile data service and can be used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and for Internet communication services such as email and World Wide Web access.

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications (originally Groupe Spécial Mobile) - the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling users to use their phones in many parts of the world.

IAP: Internet Access Provider - a company which primarily offers their customers access to the Internet using dial-up or broadband access.

IDA: Indirect Access - permits you to choose an alternative service provider to route your calls using access codes.

IP: Internet Protocol - a protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. This is an addressing system actively deployed worldwide.

ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network - a telephone system network. The key feature of the ISDN is that it integrates speech and data on the same line.

ISP: Internet Service Provider - a company which primarily offers their customers access to the Internet using dial-up or broadband access.

KCI: Keeping Customer Informed - Openreach term for updates that a CP will receive in response to any orders that they place which have been accepted by Openreach following order validation.

LAN: Local Area Network - a computer network covering a small geographic area, like a home or office offering much higher data-transfer rates than a Wide Area Network (WAN).

LLU: Local Loop Unbundling - the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecoms operators to use connections from the telecoms exchange's central office to the customer's premises.

MBORC: Matters Beyond Our Reasonable Control - an emergency state that can be declared by BT.

MLC: Manage Line Characteristics - A Dialogue Service giving information about a line.

MNVO: Mobile Network Virtual Operator - a mobile service operator without a licensed network that leases wireless capacity from other carriers.

NC: Network Channel - industry standard code that defines the type of service provided on a circuit.

NCS: Nuisance Call Service - The part of BT that provides advice on dealing with nuisance calls.

NGN: Non Geographic Number - telephone numbers which gives no indication as to the geographical location of the line being called such as numbers starting with 07, 08 or 09.

NGN: Next Generation Networking - a broad term to describe some key architectural evolutions in telecommunication and access networks that will be deployed over the next decade. The general idea behind NGN is that one network transports all information and services (voice and data) by encapsulating these into packets.

NSP: Non-Served Premises - Refers to locations which wouldn't normally be connected to the Openreach network and which are unlikely to have a postal address

NTS: Number Translation Service - the service of routing a telephone call with a non-geographic number starting with 07, 08 or 09 to a hidden geographic or mobile number.

OCB: Outbound Call Barring - Allows a CP to prevent End Users making outbound calls over the Openreach network, except to emergency service numbers.

PABX: Private Automatic Branch Exchange (see PBX).

PBX: Private Branch Exchange - a telephone exchange that serves a particular business or office, as opposed to one that a common carrier or telephone company operates for many businesses or for the general public.

PE: Product Establishment - The process that CPs must go through before they are able to order the WLR3 product.

PPU: Pay Per Use - a telephone service feature that incurs a fee each time it is used.

PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network - the network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks, in much the same way that the Internet is the network of the world's public IP based packet-switched networks.

QoS: Quality of Service - Scheme introduced by Ofcom which mandates CPs over a certain size to report performance statistics in a number of areas, the purpose of which is to allow consumers to compare telecoms providers.

RID: Reseller Identification - every reseller needs to register a unique number with Ofcom.

SIM: Subscriber Identity Module - part of a removable smart card. The SIM card allows users to change phones by removing the SIM card from one mobile phone and inserting it into another.

SIP: Session Initiation Protocol - used to provide VoIP channels to subscribers.

SaaS: Software as a Service - is the model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a service via the internet.

SPG: Service Provider Gateway - a provisioning gateway in a telecoms' network used as part of Wholesale Line Rental.

TEM: Telecom Expense Management - the management of large telecoms estates covering cost reduction, usage patterns, abuse issues and invoice reconciliation.

ToS: Temporary Out Of Service - When a CP applies Temporary Out of Service (TOS) on an End User's line a 'soft' dial tone is used and they can only call 999. All other incoming, outgoing (including via CPS) and emergency calls will be barred irrespective of the method of dialling.

TRC: Time Related Charges - Charges raised to cover time spent by Openreach engineers repairing faults, where this work is not covered under the terms of the Openreach service and for providing or rearranging services or equipment where standard Openreach charges are not available.

URL: Universal Resource Locator - unique location specifying where the identified resource is available and the protocol for retrieving it

VAR: Value Added Reseller

VoIP: Voice over IP - a protocol optimised for the transmission of voice calls via the Internet, also referred to as IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband, broadband telephony and broadband phone. Utilises Quality of Service (QOS) to transmit voice packets at higher priority to avoid disjointed voice calls.

VPN: Virtual Private Network - a network in which some of the links between devices are carried by public connections, such as the Internet or PSTN.

WLR: Wholesale Line Rental - wholesale line rental services currently offered in the UK by BT Openreach. A service whereby other suppliers can sell BT products and services.

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