Glossary

The ACCC is an independent body which provides general consumer protection and competition regulation across all industries. It administers the Trade Practices Act. The ACCC also regulates competition in the telecommunications industry through administration of the Telecommunications Access Regime (the ability to choose alternate providers of telecommunications services) and regulation of anti-competitive conduct.

Asterisk is a software implementation of a telephone private branch exchange (PBX) originally created in 1999 by Mark Spencer of Digium.

The Attendee Name Announce feature requires each participant to record their name before gaining access to a conference call. The name of each new attendee is announced as they join and leave the conference call.

Business to business

Bandwidth refers to how fast data flows through the path that it travels to your computer. It is usually measured in kilobits, megabits or gigabits per second.

Record any conference call by enabling Conference Recording. Recordings are converted to MP3 audio files for downloading and playback.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of turning the clock ahead as warmer weather approaches and back as it becomes colder again so that people will have one more hour of daylight in the afternoon and evening during the warmer season of the year.

Daylight Saving Time varies somewhat from country to country. Countries in equatorial and tropical climates do not observe Daylight Saving Time. The months when the clock is set ahead and back differ between northern and southern hemispheres.

A Dial-in Number is the telephone number participants use to attend a conference call.

An Email Invite is the electronic communication the host sends to request attendance on a conference call.

A Guest Speaker is an additional presenter on a conference call.

An organisation that offers access to the Internet to its customer.

The Organizer/Organiser is generally the person who schedules and hosts a conference call or web conference.

A Participant is a person who attends a conference call or webinar.

Skype is an IP telephony service provider that offers free calling between subscribers and low-cost calling to people who don't use the service. In addition to standard telephone calls, Skype enables file transfers, texting, video chat and videoconferencing.

A Toll Call is a long-distance telephone call that requires the caller to pay long-distance rates. Long-distance rates are determined by each caller's long-distance service provider and specific calling plan.

Monthly charge from a service provider for provision of that service. Call charges are additional to this charge. Also may be referred to as a Service Fee or Connection Fee. Distinct from a Connection Charge, which is the charge for connection of an individual call.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, radio communications, telecommunications and online content. Incorporates the former ABA (Australian Broadcasting Authority) and ACA (Australian Communications Authority).

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a form of DSL, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines.

A technology for the delivery of faster ADSL. Exchanges must be ADSL2+ enabled. Speeds available start at 24000/3000 kbps and reduce with distance from the exchange, hardware used, quality of the copper pair used, etc.

Prefix added to a phone number to denote the location of that number. In Australia, interstate calling often requires an STD area code. Follow this link for a list of all Australian area code an prefixes.

The smallest unit of information on a computer, a bit, is expressed by a 1 or a 0. A kilobit equals 1,000 bits. A megabit, 1 million bits.

The BlackBerry from RIM Corporation, is a handheld wireless device providing e-mail, telephone, text messaging and web browsing and other wireless data access. In Australia, BlackBerry operates mostly on the GPRS network. However, BlackBerry will begin operating at higher speeds as networks are upgraded.

Bluetooth® complements wireless LAN perfectly by providing a quick and easy way of connecting one Bluetooth®-enabled device to another without going through your network. For example, you could print a document at a satellite office from your laptop to any Bluetooth®-enabled printer within range (Bluetooth®, products work over shorter distances than wireless networks - approximately 10 metres). In addition, by creating a temporary network, (also known as a personal area network - PAN) you can exchange files at informal meetings - say, around a client`s conference table. Put simply, Bluetooth®, provides the opportunity for flexible, spontaneous working, especially if you don`t have the time to connect to a fixed or wireless network.

Bits per Second. A measurement of data transfer speed. Rates are the number of bits that are transmitted per second.

A byte consists of 8 bits, the smallest unit of information on a computer, expressed as either a 1 or a 0. The expression 01001101 is equal to one byte of information. A kilobyte is 1,000 bytes of information. A megabyte is 1 million bytes.

Use of a fibre optic cable (the same used for pay-TV connections) to deliver internet connections at up to 10 Mbps.

A non-broadband internet connection to an ISP. The connection is made by a modem dialling the ISP through the traditional PSTN network.

A call within Australia.

Premises for the switching equipment which allows for connection of calls. Switching occurs for local, STD, calls to mobiles and international calling.

The telephone exchange which a standard telephone service is physically connected to. This is usually the closest exchange, but not always.

Object based programming language. Intended to replace C++. (Mentioned in this glossary to note that Java and JavaScript are not the same thing.)

Telephone call to an external party.

Conference calls can also be used for entertainment or social purposes, such as the party line or a group call. People call in to a specified telephone number, and are connected to conversations with other callers. This serves as a way to talk to and perhaps, subsequently, meet new people. However, conference calls are most commonly used by businesses.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman TIO deals with complaints that consumers have not been able to resolve with their telephone or internet company

A set of numeric digits entered after dialing the conference call dial-in number and being connected to the conference bridge. The access code directs the caller to the appropriate conference.

The telephone number you will call to reach our bridge equipment, which allows you to begin your conference call.

An online contact and group management system

A web site owner that promotes a merchant’s products and/or services, earns a commission for referring clicks, leads, or sales.

Terms that govern the relationship between a merchant and an affiliate.

A revenue sharing arrangement between online merchants and distributors (affiliates) in which the affiliate earns a commission for producing a sale, lead or click for the merchant’s site

Guide to help you plan and lead your meeting effectively.

A signal that is received in the same form in which it is transmitted, while the amplitude and frequency may vary.

A web collaboration feature that allows the host and participants to share software applications during a web conference.

A high-speed line or series of connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network.

Refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second.

Advertising in the form of a graphic image.

A call centre 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.

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 requesting a permanent block from their service provider.

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.

Host or leader of the meeting

When a user clicks on a link and arrives at a Web site.

Also known as a bounty or referral fee, the income an affiliate is paid for generating a sale, lead or click-through to a merchant’s web site.

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.

A cookie is a piece of information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser software is expected to save and to send back to the Server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server. You may set your browser to either accept or not accept cookies. Cookies can contain user preferences, login or registration information, and/or "shopping cart" information. When a cookie supported browser sends a request to a Server, the Server uses the information to return customised information.

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.

Conference participants join meetings by dialing a number provided.

Greymouse dials participants at their location to connect them to the conference. This can be accessed through the online conference control feature.

The use of a InDial number with a PABX, which allows an outside caller to dial a phone number that will ring directly to a specific party instead of calling a main phone number.

The representation of information using discrete elements called binary code. In everyday use (especially in voice communications) digital signals are used to represent analog information. Digital signals are useful because they can represent analog signals, can be easily handled by computer systems and networks (themselves, digital systems), can be compressed, and do not degrade with reproduction.

The accidental disconnection of a phone call. Applies to both Fixed Line services (including VoIP) and Mobile Services. VoIP users also call partially missing words a `drop-out`.

The process of eliminating the acoustic echo in a Teleconferencing room

Short tones which "announce" when a new caller has joined the conference.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a federal Government initiative and is a 10% tax on most goods and services supplied. Every business that supplies goods and services collects GST for the Australian Tax Office. This means that the price of their goods and services include a GST amount.

The ability to converse on a mobile phone without using one`s hands to hold the handset.

Connection of a call to an international destination number without the aid of an operator. IDD is still in common use because it is used to quote international calling rates. IDD can be done from fixed lines or from mobiles.

An advertising metric that indicates how many times an advertising link is displayed.

The cost of calls, messages and other uses which the minimum monthly cost allows. May apply to mobiles or to landline phone services. Most often, the included calls match the minimum monthly spend. Included calls may be measured in minutes or in dollar value.

Calls that originate in one country and terminate in another. The call may be either operator assisted or direct dialled (eg. IDD calls).

Presentation of a phone bill on a call-by-call basis. Itemised calls show call information such as: number called from, date of call, time of call, number called, duration of the call, and the cost of the call.

Script language which can be embedded into the HTML of a web page to add functionality. Unlike a programming language, a script is simplified and does not need to be compiled, the source code is embedded into the HTML of a webpage. Developed by Sun Microsystems, JavaScript is open source and may be used without purchasing a licence.

These are the traditional copper telephone connections, from an exchange (CO) to a premises. Today landlines also describe fibre optic telephony lines. Generally speaking, a landline is a non-wireless telephone line.

When participants can hear a presentation, pre-recorded message or meeting, but cannot speak or participate in the conference.

Calls made between standard telephone services within the same charging zone or to adjacent standard charging zones, and charged at a flat rate.

Also called Conference Security. An option available with Greymouse which allows the Chairperson to block any more incoming lines, including Teleconference.com operators.

Long distance calls are also called STD calls, NDD (National Direct Dialled) Calls or Trunk Calls. (Technically, international calls are also long distance calls, but this is not a common use of the term.) These are domestic calls which extend beyond local billing zones.

A Moderator is a person(s) who presides over a conference call or web meeting and manages the flow and conference system.

MP3 stands for MPEG Audio Layer 3, which refers to an audio technology that compresses CD-quality sound while retaining most of the original sound characteristics. Listeners can playback MP3 files on a PC, using media player software, or on a digital music player (like an iPod).

A compressed digital audio file that allows for fast and easy transfer over the Internet. Multimedia computers are equipped with audio file players supporting MP3 playback (e.g. Windows Media Player, iTunes, MusicMatch, WinAmp, etc.).

Mute allows a host to block the broadcast of audio during a conference call. Participants can self-mute a by pressing (*) then (1) on their telephone keypads.

As compared to Broadband, which uses a broad bandwidth for signal transmission, Narrowband uses a much narrower bandwidth and is therefore unable to carry information at broadband rates.

Term used for both landline calls and mobile calls. Landline: See STD. Mobiles: Any call to a domestic fixed line which is not a service number or premium number.

Rate plan feature from Service Providers. Off Peak rates are discounted rates designed to encourage the use of a service provider`s communications services at a time which is convenient to them - their off-peak traffic times. Off Peak times are generally night times and weekends. See also Economy Rates.

On-demand Teleconference Calls do not require advanced scheduling. You can host a conference call 24 hours a day, seven days a week without prior notice.

A conference call where all lines are open so that all callers can be heard and can interact with each other freely. This feature is most commonly used with a small group of participants.

A phone system which allows not only onsite/offsite connections (eg. incoming and outgoing calls) but also onsite/onsite connections (eg. calls to extensions, call transfers, etc.). A PABX (sometimes called a PBX) is the actual phone system box. The handsets are the extensions. Common features of a PABX are: extension dialling, call transfer, call holding, conference calling, DID (Direct In Dialling), CND (Calling Number Display) overwriting, CID (Caller ID) pass-through, and LCR (Least Cost Routing).

A Participant is a person who attends a host’s web conference or conference call other than the Host or Moderator

PayPal is a payment method that enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online.
To find ou more visit PayPal website: http://www.paypal.com.

See PABX

A small mobile hand-held device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedule calendars and address book information handy

PDF (Portable Document Format) Adobe technology for formatting documents so that they can be viewed and printed using the Adobe Acrobat reader.

Typically this is a prepaid charge card, which allows calls to be made from most Landline services. Also called a Calling Card. Distinct from a TeleCard, which is not prepaid and will be billed back to the selected fixed service account.

Personal Identification Code which can be used, in some instances, to automatically identify the conference participant. PIN codes are entered in addition to the conference room number.

A Podcast is a recording of a non-music audio broadcast (e.g. news, sports, presentations, discussions, etc.) in MP3 format. Listeners can playback podcasts on a PC or digital music player.

Podcasting is recording something in a multimedia file or audio program designed for distribution over the Internet and playback on a digital media player.

Traditional switched telephone system using copper lines.

Protocol for connection to a TCP/IP network. The internet is a TCP/IP network.

Presentation Mode allows participants to listen to a conference call or view a web conference without any interaction. This feature is generally used when a host is presenting material to a large group. For collaborative sessions with more attendee interaction, the host should use Conversation Mode

Guest speaker on a conference, but not the Chairperson.

Generally, QoS in VoIP refers to the quality of a call connection, when compared to a traditional service. Qos is also a feature of modems and routers which enables IP traffic to be prioritised. Voice IP traffic is prioritised above all else, to reduce delays in the voice signals. A QoS router will greatly increase the quality of VoIP calls through an internal network. See VoIP also.

STD call (also called NDD - National Direct Dialled), which is not an intercapital call. Regional call rates and intercapital call rates have been phased out of common use, in favour of a single rate for any STD call.

A company who uses our system to provide conference services to their clients and is paid for the service directly by their clients.

Pre-arranged Event Service listing specific instructions for the conference. This queues the conference service letting it know you have a call booked. Also called Booking

Reservationless means no scheduling, reservation or advanced notice is required.

A reservationless conference call is one that does not require advanced scheduling. You can host a conference call 24 hours a day, seven days a week without prior notice.

Telephone user who is not a business customer.

Programs that pay affiliates for each sale a shopper from their sites makes at the merchant’s site over the life of the customer.

Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) The main difference between ADSL and SDSL is that SDSL has the same upstream data transfer rate as downstream (symmetrical), whereas ADSL always has smaller upstream bandwidth (asymmetrical).

A company which provides telecommunications connection and service to a customer. The telecommunications service provider may be the actual carrier or a reseller of those services.

The contract between a service provider and customer. The `service` being supplied is connection and access to a telecommunications network. The service plan should describe all rates, charges and fees.

Defined by billing method, Plan Types is a common usage term. Plans may be Prepaid or Post-paid.

Monthly charge from a provider for provision of service. Call charges are additional to this charge. See also Access Fee.

Fee applicable when a party to a contract terminates that contract. Generally this is the outstanding minimum amount agreed to in the contract. Usually this means the minimum monthly commitment multiplied by the remaining months, but sometimes an additional fee is nominated in the contract also. Also called a cancellation fee or a contract cancellation fee.

Unsolicited, bulk e-mails (or SMS messages). Also called Junk Emails.

Amalgamating the terms: TELephone and COmpany, a Telco is a telecommunications service provider or wholesaler. To operate in Australia, a telecommunications company must be registered with the TIO as a telecommunications provider.

A facility that enables three or more parties to be connected together in a conference call, so that they may all speak and listen simultaneously. This is often used as a convenient substitute for a physical meeting, as the participants can be located in different towns, or even in different countries.

Teleseminars are used to provide information, training, or promote or sell products to group of people interested in a particular topic. They are similar to traditional seminars, in content and purpose, but they are given over a teleconference or bridge line rather than at a specific location.

Teleseminars provide an opportunity for a host to provide information to a large number of people at one time. It allows a trainer to train many participants at once, one on many rather than one on one. It also eliminates the need for travel, expensive preparation and presentation material costs. These factors make teleseminars a very cost effective delivery method.

A link not accompanied by a graphical image.

Typcially 1800 or 800 services, they are defined as toll-free because the caller is not charged dependent on the duration of the call. 13 and 1300 numbers do attract a Flagfall charge, but no toll.

Charges beyond any Flagfall, connection fee or minimum call charges. These are usually per minute charges, billed in 1 second increments. The Toll is the charge applied according to the duration of the call. See also Toll-Free.

DTMF is the conversion of keystrokes on the handset into discrete tones; one tone for each number dialled. This allows the carrier`s switching centre to connect the call to the chosen number. DTMF can also be used to interact with telephone systems such as telephone banking. Tone dialling has superseded Pulse dialling because it is more efficient and user friendly.

Amount of data or voice signals travelling through a communications channel at one time.

A text copy of your Conference Recording, prepared by a qualified third-party service. Transcription is only available when Conference Recording is selected for a teleconference.

Transfer of a communications signal from one point to another.

Typical term for STD calling. The term trunk is used here to denote that the call has gone over a long distance line (between exchanges) before being terminated.

Telecommunications where three or more parties are connected by a video telecommunications link. (Video & Audio).

Provision of voice communications over a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection. Sometimes referred to as `Direct Connection` to a service provider`s network. Typically this connection can also supply a high-speed internet connection simultaneously.

A recorded message service where callers may be diverted. The caller is charged as though they are connected to the number called. For mobile services, the called party may also be charged. For landlines, voice mail may be provided by the service provider as a virtual service, through a PABX voicemail facility, or through an answering machine. For mobiles, voicemail is applied by the service provider or the carrier.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) also named IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network.

Is the transmission of telephone calls over a data connection. Often perceived as voice-over-internet, several types of `managed` VoIP exist. Internet Calling is therefore a mere subset of VoIP. VoIP over internet often has severe limiting quality issues, due mainly to packet delays and packet losses. The quality issues can be decreased by use of an appropriate internet connection, use of a Qos Router, use of a quality VoIP service provider and use of appropriate hardware.

A workshop or lecture delivered over the Web. Rather than just a one-way video presentation, a webinar implies a two-way interaction between the audience and the presenters.

Transmission medium which is not land-based. Refers to the parts of the EMR spectrum which can be effectively used for telecommunications transmission. RF, IR, FM, AM, UV and microwave are all used for telecommunications.