'C' Glossary Terms

Cable
A more colloquial or industry term used to describe fibre optic cabling.

Cable Broadband
One of the faster deliveries of Internet available (up to 10 Mbps) using a fibre optic cable that is the same used for Cable (pay) TV.

Cable Modem
This is the modem used to deliver cable broadband.

CAL - Communications Alliance Ltd.
With the merger of ACIF and SPAN, the Communications Alliance started in 2006 to provide a unified voice for the Australian communications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. In pursuing its goals, Communications Alliance offers a forum for the industry to make constructive contributions to policy development and debate, particularly in areas of competition, innovation and industry development.

Calendar
A feature of mobile phone handsets, the calendar enables users to input appointments and events, and for many handsets, create alarms to serve as reminders for the event.

Call back
Calls made from international locations are routed via remote locations to bypass local service providers. This method allows for cheaper international calls.

Call Barring
Set by the network, the call barring feature is used for to block certain numbers for outgoing calls. This can be useful for businesses for employee mobiles or for parents wishing to limit the numbers available for their child to call.

Call Centre
This is the service and sales centre of a telecommunications service provider. This can either be located in a local destination or overseas. A call centre will deal with inbound and outbound calls from consumers and often agents with regard to new customers, sales enquiries, general information, accounts and billings, technical faults, and re-contracting.

Call Congestion
The slowing down of a network when it has reached its call or data capacity through a fixed line, mobile or wireless connection.

Call Connect
Offered by the larger telecommunications provider, this feature allows for the user to be directly connected to a phone number through directory assistance for an additional fee (upwards of AUD1).

Call Divert
Offered on both fixed line and mobile services, call divert, or call forward, is the ability to redirect phone calls to a certain number to another designated number on a number of variables including (Busy, No answer, or All calls). An additional fee is often charged for this service.
See also Call Forwarding

Call Drop Out
This is when a phone calls from fixed line, VoIP, or Mobiles are disconnected in the middle of a phone call (sometimes due to poor signal).

Call forwarding
Calls are automatically diverted to a nominated number, requested through the network provider.

Call Waiting
During an existing phone conversation on a fixed or mobile handet, Call Waiting is a feature that allows the user to be notified when another call on the same line is incoming. Notification is normally in the form of soft beeps. When alerted, the user may switch to the second call and place the first call on hold by pressing dedicated buttons on the handset.

Caller ID
Shortened to CID, a caller's telephone number is displayed either on the mobile handset or on a fixed handset with the CID display feature. Ultimately managed by the network provider, users can block their caller ID for individual calls by dialling 1831 before the number - permanent blocking can be set by the network using the relevant parts of the Caller Line Identification (CLI) information.
Related: CLI - Calling Line Identification, CND, CNI

Canned (Messaging)
Often referred to as template messages, these templates are saved in a dedicated folder on a mobile handset and their purpose is the save time when messaging by containing commonly used text in messages, such as 'Running late. See you soon'.

Car Charger
Powered through the cigarette lighter socket in a car, these devices charge a mobile phone whilst a car is turned on.
See mobile handsets, for their expanded definition.

Caller profile
A feature of a mobile handset, the caller profile allows the user to set individual call characteristics to certain users (ring tones, pictures etc).

Calling card rate
The rate charged per minute by a bought calling card - often higher than standard rates.

Camera phone
A feature of mobile phones whereby a small megapixel camera is built into the phone to take picture that can be stored and sent via Bluetooth or mms. As technology progresses the quality of the images is increasing, some camera phones now have an inbuilt flash.

Carriage Service Provider
A carriage service provider may be a reseller for either carriers, service providers or Internet service providers and offer a re-badged service to consumers.
See also, Carrier

Carrier
A carrier is the owner and maintainer of a telecommunications network (Telstra, Optus). All other service providers who sell telecommunications services are referred to as Carriage Service Provider - meaning that they use the Carriers network to facilitate their services.
See also, Carriage Service Provider

Casual Customer
This is a customer who has not signed a long-term contract with a service provider. A casual customer can switch service providers when they want. Casual customers are often given higher rates than contracted customers. Pre-paid mobile credit is an example of a product used by a casual customer.

CAT-5 Cable - Category 5 Cable
A category 5 cable (CAT-5 or CAT-5e cable) is the blue cable that is used to connect data and multiple voice service. It is a pair of twisted copper wires and is designed for high signal integrity.

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access
CDMA (also known as CDMAone 2G) is the multiple access channel system that allows multiple mobile signals to share the same frequency and be spread over greater coverage areas. This has great economical and regional coverage benefits.
Related: WCDMA - 3G, NextG Network.

CDMA 2000
Develop from CDMAone for the 2G network, CDMA 2000 operates for 3G wireless communications and supports speeds ranging from 144Kbps to 2Mbps.

Cell
The radio transceiver located in a fixed area that receives signals to and from mobile phones. This spawned the term 'Cell' phone - the term for mobile phones in the US and Canada.
Related: Base Station

Cell info display
This is the mobile phone handset display feature which shows the nearest 'cell' tower to your location.

Cellular Transmission
US and Canadian terminology for mobile phone transmission.

Cellular Phone
Born from the radio transceiver stations that collect and transmit mobile phone signals, Cellular Phone or Cell Phone is the term for Mobile Phones in the US or Canada.
See also, Cell

Centrex - Central Office Exchange Service
An offsite or virtual PBX/PABX system that processes standard PABX/PBX functions externally. Calls may be transferred, put on hold, sent to messagebank, etc.
Related: PABX

Churn
This is the term that is used when a customer switches between telecommunications service providers.

CLI - Calling Line Identification
The identification information of the caller including, the calling party's number, called party's number, time of call, routing information, duration and other minor information between service providers. Part of this information is generally used to provide the caller identification to the called party or Calling Number Display. Sometimes this feature appears on the bill as CLIP - Calling Line Identification Presentation.
Related: CID, CND

CMTS - Cellular Mobile Telephone Systems
CMTS is the system in which the coverage area is divided up into a numerous small areas, called cells, each of which has its own base station.

CND - Calling Number Display
See CID - Caller ID

CNI - Calling Number Identification
See CND, above.

CO - Central Office
A physical location that houses switching equipment, servers, storage systems, emergency power systems, and related devices that are used to run telephone systems for the local exchange. The Central Office abbreviate CO is also used by PABX manufacturers to denote external lines (as opposed to internal lines: extensions).

Coaxial Cable
Used to connect to Cable TV or Cable Internet, the Coaxial Cable is a data transmission cable is a plastic coated cable that has a single copper conductor in the centre, surrounded by a plastic layer for insulation, with a braided metal conductor outer shield over the insulation.

Community call
Charged at a concessional rate rather than the rate for the call over the same distance, a community call is an STD call over a short distance within a capital city. Specifically, community call rates apply to calls within the Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, or Sydney charging districts and where the call is not a Local call; between an Urban Fringe Charging Zone and its closest Inner Metropolitan Charging Zone; between a Standard Zone and the Standard Zone containing its designated Community Service Town, if any, where the call is not a Local call or Preferential call.

Conference Call
Commonly available for fixed line services (and increasingly mobile phones), a conference call is the ability to have three or more parties (often as many as 20) join in the same conversation. Some service providers offer conference call centres, whereby a caller will receive a dedicated number and PIN code to access the call. Conference calls can also be hosted via PABX features.

Connection Fee
At the beginning of a contract with a new service provider, this one-time fee is charged to connect a new user to the network. This shouldn't be confused with a Flagfall, which is the connection cost of an individual call.
Related: Flagfall

Contract
This is a verbal or written agreement between a Service Provider and a customer (individual or business). In the contract the terms and conditions for the supply and use of a product or service are outlined, as is the contract duration and pricing.

Contract Cancellation Fee
Also known as Contract Exit Fee Contract, Contract Termination Fee, or Termination Cost. For full definition see Early Termination Charges (ETC).
Related: ETC

Contract Term
The period of time that the agreement between telecommunications provider and the customer exists as defined in the contract. Provisions for automatic renewal of the contract term exist in some contracts.
See also, Contract.

Convergence
This refers to the combination of technologies (video, voice, data) into a single product offering, often as a result of digitalisation. This is beneficial to both customer and provider as the convergent technologies offer operational cost savings, which are passed onto the consumer.

Copper Wire Network
Slowly being replaced by other methods of telecommunications transmissions (wireless, satellite, and IP networks), the copper wire network still accounts for the majority of network in Australia. Copper wire networks, over which telecommunications signals are carried, operate via copper lines that are connected to premises from local exchanges and then switched through other exchanges, for ultimate delivery to another premises.
Related: POTS, PSTN

Country Code
This is a two-digit prefix that denotes the area location of an international country in telephony. Direct access to international dialling services from within Australia is called International Direct Dialling (IDD) and dictates that the user must dial 0011 + country code + area code + local phone number.
Related: IDD

Coverage
This refers to the geographical area that the network's reach extends to, and in which a mobile phone can be used. Some telecommunications providers calculate this as a percentage of the population who could use mobiles outside their own homes, rather than actual geographic coverage.
Related Coverage Area.

Coverage Area
See Coverage.
Related: Base Station

Coverage Maps
Each provider supplies maps of the coverage area covered by each of the Mobile Network Carriers. Telstra. Optus. Vodafone. Hutchison 3.
Related:
Telstra Coverage Maps
Optus Coverage Maps
Vodafone Coverage Maps
Hutchison 3 Coverage Maps

CPE - Customer Premises Equipment
Telecommunications items classified as on-site hardware that reside at a customer's premises including, PABX, PBX, telephone handsets, modems, routers, etc.

CPN - Calling Party Number
See CLI, above.

Cramming
Best understood as those chargeable items that appear on a customer bill that are added automatically. These additions are often unwanted and unasked for.

CRF - Communications Research Forum
Now an extinct government body, the CRF was organised by the also extinct CRU, and served to create a discussion forum of researchers, key industry players and policy makers from multi-disciplinary industries to consider communications policy and research in Australia.

CRU - Communications Research Unit
An extinct government body of the DCITA that along with facilitating the Communications Research Forum, collected industry performance data, analysed industry performance, provided economic research, briefing and consultancy research services to external clients.

CSG - Customer Service Guarantee
A best practice standard of performance administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that provides prescribed financial compensation, to end users who are affected by delays in service connections and fault repairs.
Related: ACMA

CSP - Carriage Service Provider
See Carriage Service Provider

CTN - Consumers' Telecommunications Network
Established in 1989 as an independent not-for-profit association the Consumers' Telecommunications Network (CTN) is a national coalition of consumer and community organisations as well as individuals that represent community interests in the national policy arena on telecommunications issues. CTN is an important voice promoting better access, quality of service and affordability of telecommunications services for residential consumers.

CUSP - Competing Universal Service Provider
A provider who complies with the Universal Service Obligation set out by the ACMA.
See also USO.

Cutover
Also referred to as porting or portability, cutover refers to the occasion when a service, or element of infrastructure, is moved from one service provider to another.
See also Port (mobile phones), ULL (fixed services). Related: Mobile Number Portability, ULL