Telecom Dictionary Navigation

Telecom Dictionary - T

T1 - This is the North American transmission channel bit rate of 1.544 Mbps, and the European T1 or E1 transmission rate is 2.048 Mbps.

T2 - A North American channel that transmits at a rate of 6.312 Mbps.

T3 - In North America, this is a channel which transmits at a rate of 44.736 Mbps.

Tag - Single or compound HTML coding elements.

TCP/IP - see Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

TDMA - see Time Division Multiple Access.

Telco - This is an abbreviation for telephone company.

Telecom - Short for telecommunications.

Telecommunications - This is the science of communicating information over distances by telephone, televisions, satellites, and radio.

Telemetry - This is information relayed to a control station regarding the health and well being of a device, such as a satellite in orbit.

Telephony - The use or operation of an apparatus or device for the transmission of sounds between distinct, separate points (can be with or without connecting wires).

Terminal - (1) A point at which a phone or modem is connected to network circuits, or (2) a station at which you can enter data into or receive data from a computer.

Terminate - (1) To end a service, or (2) To connect a wire conductor to a point.

Terrestrial Interference (TI) - This is interference in satellite reception that is caused by ground-based microwave transmissions.

Text - Characters that make up a message or other piece of information.

Thermal Noise - In electric circuits, this noise is created by the movement and thus collision of the electrons in the conductor.

TI - see Terrestrial Interference.

Tilde - This is the character "~".

Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) - A form of over-the-air, multiple access where many users share a finite frequency.

Time Out - This is the result if a computer or other network device (such as a telephone) waits more than a predetermined amount of time when requesting data from another source.  It is usually something like a disconnection.

Tip - This is the first wire in a pair of telephone wires (the Ring is the second wire).

TiVo - A service that allows customers to digitally record television with a DVR -- digital video recorder -- that is controlled by the TiVo operating system.  See our TiVo page in the navigation menu on the top, right-side of this page.

Toggle - A simple switch the oscillates back or forth for a single input pulse.  At its simplest, a switch with two positions.

Toll Call - A long distance call; i.e., one that calls outside its own local service area.

Tone - An audio signal with a constant frequency and duration.

Tone Dial - Touchtone phones dial with tones rather than pulses (as with rotary phones), which are sounded when the keypad is depressed.

Tower - An upright PC in a tall casing, which usually sits on the floor.  Towers usually provide a lot of room for future expansion.

Tracks - These are the circular magnetic paths, onto which data is written and from which data is read, that are on a magnetic disks, such as CDs.

Tracking - (1) Keeping tabs on satellites in orbit, or (2) when your video picture tears.

Traffic - The amount of activity (transmissions, etc.) over a network.  When webmasters say they want to drive traffic to their sites, they mean that they want more visitors.

Transaction - This is (1) a complete group of steps that are treated as a single activity that has the intent of bringing about a desired result, or (2) an entry in a database.

Transfer - To divert a call from one extension to another.

Transformer - A device that allows for easily changes in voltage levels of electrical current.

Transistor - This is (usually) a silicon semiconductor device that can be used as an amplifier, oscillator, switch, or control circuit in which the current is modulated by current or voltage applied to electrodes.

Translations - Changing information from one form to another.

Transmission - Sending information (carried by electrical signals) over a path to a destination.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) - A networking protocol that allows diverse networks to interconnect.

Transmitter - This is an electronic device that produces a television or radio electromagnetic wave signal that radiates into the atmosphere.

Transponder - This is a component (composed of a receiver, frequency converter, and transmitter) of a communications satellite that receives a signal from Earth, processes and amplifies it, and then re-transmits it to another location on Earth.

Trap Door - A secret way into a system that bypasses the security measures.

Trunk - A line for communication that runs between two switching systems (collections of nodes and routers).

Tunneling - Providing a temporary, but secure, path over the internet.

TVRO - This stands for Television Receive Only and is a term describing terminals (typically for home-use) that receive and process satellite television and audio signals.

Tweeking - This is the process of adjusting an electronic receiver circuit with the intent of optimizing its performance.

Tymnet - An older public X.25 packet-switched network.