Teledatacom Diagram

DLC (Digital Loop Carrier) - A multiplexing/de-multiplexing system that typically has a high bandwidth fiber connection to a Central Office out one side, and provides copper interfaces to many residences out the other side. DLCís are deployed where there is fiber installed to a neighborhood, but copper to the homes. DLCís are less expensive to deploy than Fiber to the Home or Fiber to the Curb because thereís only one optoelectric conversion required.

SSP (Service Switching Point) - SSPs are switches that originate, terminate, or tandem calls. An SSP sends signaling messages to other SSPs to setup, manage, and release voice circuits required to complete a call. An SSP may also send a query message to a centralized database (an SCP) to determine how to route a call (e.g., a toll-free 1-800/888 call in North America). An SCP sends a response to the originating SSP containing the routing number(s) associated with the dialed number. An alternate routing number may be used by the SSP if the primary number is busy or the call is unanswered within a specified time. Actual call features vary from network to network and from service to service.

WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) - In fiber optic communications, a single laser beam can carry millions of independent signals. A common way to get a large number of signals onto a visible-light or infrared (infrared transmission) laser is to assign each signal a separate radio frequency. At the fiber optic transmitter, the laser is modulation at all signal frequencies simultaneously. At the receiver, the signals are separated by a device similar to a radio receiver. This process is frequency-division multiplexing (FDM).

STP (Signal Transfer Point) - Signal Transfer Points communicate with SSPs on the SS7 network to set up and tear down telephone calls. They also act as points to connect the SSP and the SCP for services like 800 number translations.

SCP (Service Control Point) - An SCP is a database residing in the SS7 network which is queried to determine how a call should be handled. For instance, an SCP is consulted to provide the translation of an 800 number to an actual phone number and to bill the owner of the 800 number for the call. SCPs are physically separated from other components of the Intelligent Network in order to make it easier to introduce new services.

Signaling Gateway - This gateway routes calls between an IP network and a circuit switched network. It is very similar to a Signal Transfer Point.

Softswitch - A softswitch is a central device in a telephone network which connects calls from one phone line to another, entirely by means of software running on a computer system.

Media Gateway - A media gateway is a network element that provides conversion between the audio signals carried on telephone circuits and data packets carried over the Internet or over other packet networks.

Megaco (MEdia GAteway COntrol) - Also referred to as H.248, it is a standard specifying the interface between a Media Gateway Controller and Media Gateways.

Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) - is the popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN). The Wi-Fi technology is rapidly gaining acceptance in many companies as an alternative to a wired LAN. It can also be installed for a home network.

DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) - DSLAM is a network device, usually at a telephone company central office, that receives signals from multiple customer Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections and puts the signals on a high-speed backbone line using multiplexing techniques. Depending on the product, DSLAM multiplexers connect DSL lines with some combination of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, or Internet Protocol networks. DSLAM enables a phone company to offer business or homes users the fastest phone line technology (DSL) with the fastest backbone network technology (ATM).

Residential Gateway - A VoIP gateway designed for home and SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) use. Residential gateways may include additional capabilities such as a firewall.

Cable Headend - A control center of a Cable TV system, where incoming signals are amplified, converted, processed, and combined into a common cable for transmission to customers. Cable headends also provide high-speed internet access and data service.

PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) - PSTN (public switched telephone network) is the world's collection of interconnected voice-oriented public telephone networks, both commercial and government-owned. It's also referred to as the Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).

GGSN (Gateway GPRS Service Node) - A system that acts as a data gateway between 2.5G and 3G mobile networks and an IP network such as the Internet.

Router - On the Internet, a router is a device or, in some cases, software in a computer, that determines the next network point to which a packet should be forwarded toward its destination. The router is connected to at least two networks and decides which way to send each information packet based on its current understanding of the state of the networks it is connected to.

Media Server - A device that processes multimedia applications such as call distribution, fax-on-demand, and automated e-mail response programs. Media Servers consolidate separate communication devices, often resulting in reduced start-up costs, simplified maintenance and administration, and increased application development flexibility.

Billing System A system that tracks customer usage of services, and calculates the impact on a customer's account, based on the price of the services. Billing systems have come to include non-core functionality such as customer management, integration with payment gateways, and statistical analysis.

Optical Networking - The technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic wire or fiber. Optical fiber carries much more information than conventional copper wire and is in general not subject to electromagnetic interference and the need to retransmit signals. Most telephone company long-distance lines are now of optical fiber.

IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch eXchange) - An enterprise-scale telephone switch that enables users of IP telephones (such as H.323 clients, SIP Clients, etc.) to make Voice over IP telephone calls to other IP phones or phones on the public switched telephone network. Most IP PBXs can also switch traditional voice traffic.

SIP Client - A Voice over IP-enabled phone or computer program that uses the Session Internet Protocol (SIP). SIP is a request-response protocol, dealing with requests from clients and responses from servers. Participants are identified by SIP URLs. Requests can be sent through any transport protocol, such as UDP, SCTP, or TCP. SIP determines the end system to be used for the session, the communication media and media parameters, and the called party's desire to engage in the communication.

Enterprise Network - A network for a large business enterprise.This kind of network may comprise a number of local area networks which have to interface with each other as well as a central database management system and many client workstations.

IP Network - A generic term used to refer to any Internet Protocol (IP)-based network such as the Internet or Ethernet Local Area Networks or private IP WIde Area Networks.

VLR (Visitor Location Register - The VLR is a database that contains temporary information about subscribers that is needed by the MSC in order to service visiting subscribers. The VLR is always integrated with the MSC. When a mobile station roams into a new MSC area, the VLR connected to that MSC will request data about the mobile station from the HLR. Later, if the mobile station makes a call, the VLR will have the information needed for call setup without having to interrogate the HLR each time.

BTS (Base Transceiver Station) - The Base Transceiver Station is the transmit and receive link for a mobile communication system. It's the device that actually communicates with the mobile phone. The BTS connects to a BSC over a T1/E1 line.

HLR (Home Location Register) - The Home Location Register (HLR) is the main database of permanent subscriber information for a mobile network. The HLR is an integral component of CDMA (code division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), and GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) networks. Maintained by the subscriber's home carrier (or the network operator where the user initiated the call), the HLR contains pertinent user information, including address, account status, and preferences.

MSC (Mobile Switching Center) - Also sometimes called a Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) or Mobile Switching Office (MSO). A telephone switch, similar to a central office switch, that bridges a mobile telephone network with another telephone network such as the PSTN.

BSC (Base Station Controller) - The BSC works with Base Transceiver Stations to act as a link between wireless devices such as cell phones and the wireline telephone network.

RNC (Radio Network Controller) - Similar to a Base Station Controller but the term RNS is used in conjunction with wireless data services. An RNC works with Base Transceiver Stations to act as a link between wireless devices such as an internet-enabled mobile phone and the Internet.

Node B - A wireless base station which provides the following functions: Air interface Transmission & Reception, Modulation & Demodulation, CDMA Physical Channel coding, Micro Diversity, Error Handing, Closed loop power control.

2.5/3G Wireless Network - Wireless standards that allow from 64 to 384 kbits/s in a mobile environment and up to 2 Mbits/s in an environment where the device is not moving. The greater computing complexity of the 2.5/3G standards allows for better usage of the available wireless spectrum, such as adaptive modulation in the 2.5G Enhanced Data Rate for Global System for Mobile Communication Evolution (Edge) standard, along with better error correction, such as turbocoding in the 3G standards.

Multi Service Provisioning Platform. An access system that can provision a variety of different services such as TDM, Gigabit Ethernet, Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM), or Packet over SONET (PoS), to the end user. Artesyn provides Controller Boards and Line Cards to serve this application.

IP Multimedia Subsystem. A standard specified by the 3GPP organization and embraced by others, which defines a generic architecture for offering VoIP, and multimedia services in both wireless and wireline networks. An example service provided by the IMS architecture includes voice, picture, text and video messaging. Artesyn offers controller boards and line card solutions to serve this application.

WIMax/WiBro Base Station. Worldwide Interoperability for MicroWave Access (WiMAX) / Wireless Broadband (WiBro). WiBro is a wireless access technology developed by the Korean telecom industry. WiBro basestations provide wireless access to data networks, offering aggregate throughput of 30 to 50 Mbits/second and cover a radius of 1 to 5 kilometers. WiMAX is a similar technology defined by the IEEE 802.16 working group. WiMAX basestations can cover a radius of up to 50 kilometers with line of sight access, but more realistically cover a 15 kilometer radius without line of sight. Artesyn can provide controller and backhaul line card solutions for this application.

Application Server. A server in a distributed network that provides other systems or end users execution resources for a defined set of applications.