This page contains a glossary of VoIP terms and products referenced elsewhere in the Integrics website. The definitions here are aimed at a non-technical audience, and do not go into great detail. For more information on any of these, please contact Integrics.

• Asterisk PBX

  A free softPBX for Linux and Unix. Routes telephone calls over VoIP and traditional telephony systems, and is a platform for IVRs. It forms an important component of our Enswitch product.

• BRI

  Basic Rate ISDN. A common method of connecting small VoIP and PBX installations to the PSTN. A BRI line carries 2 calls at once. See also PRI. In the UK, also known as ISDN2e.

• ISDN

  Integrated Services Digital Network. The most common way to connect PBX systems to the PSTN and to each other. Comes in two flavours, PRI and BRI. Is also a popular way to connect VoIP networks to the PSTN if VoIP providers are not available, or for those who prefer existing telephone companies.

• ITSP

  Internet Telephony Service Provider. A company selling telephone services over the internet.

• IVR

  Interactive Voice Response. A machine that plays messages to callers, and allows them to navigate menus or applications by pressing keys in their telephones, or by speaking. Often called a VRU (Voice Response Unit).

• PBX

  Private Branch Exchange. A machine to route telephone calls within a company. Typically, it would have anywhere from 2 to 10,000 telephones connected to it, and connections to the PSTN for calls in and out.

• PRI

  Primary Rate ISDN. A common method of connecting medium and large VoIP and PBX installations to the PSTN or each other. A PRI line carries 23 calls at once in North America, and 30 calls at once elsewhere. See also BRI. In the UK, also known as ISDN30.

• PSTN

  Public Switched Telephone Network. The public telephone system, with service provided by telephone companies.

• SER

  SIP Express Router. A free SIP proxy, registrar, and redirect server. It forms an important component of our Enswitch product.

• SIP

  Session Initiation Protocol. The most common VoIP protocol, used by most VoIP products today.

• SoftPBX

  A PBX that is implemented in software, and typically runs on a PC. Many softPBXs can be clustered across multiple machines for reliability and performance.

• VoiceXML

  A standard for IVR systems, where the IVR code is specified as a series of text documents. Each document looks like an HTML document for the web, and can contain menus, voice prompts, logic, etc. VoiceXML pages are served from a web server, and can be static or dynamically generated, allowing powerful applications. An IVR platform called a VoiceXML browser then converts the VoiceXML document to voice, just as a web browser coverts HTML to graphics.

• VoIP

  Voice over Internet Protocol. The carriage of telephone calls over data networks such as corporate networks or the internet.