Phone Call Recorder

pbx

See Private Branch Exchange. Private branch exchange (pbx). A telephone switch owned privately, usually by a large company. If it owns a PBX, a company does not need to lease a telephone line for each telephone set at a site. Originally an organization's manual switchboard (operated by a person plugging cables into sockets) was known as a PMBX (Private Manual Branch eXchange). These were gradually replaced by automated electromechanical and then electronic switching systems, called PABXs (Private Automatic Branch eXchange). As PMBXes are almost unheard of, the terms PABX and PBX have become synonymous. Using a PBX saves connecting all of a business's telephone sets separately to the public telephone network (PSTN or ISDN). Such a set-up would require every set to have its own line (usually with a monthly recurring line charge), and "internal" calls would have to be routed out of the building to a central switch, only to come back in again. In addition to telephone sets, fax machines, modems and many other communication devices can be connected to a PBX as well (although the PBX may degrade line quality for modems). For this reason, all such devices are generally referred to as extensions. The PBX equipment is typically installed at a business's premises, and connects calls between the telephones installed there. In addition, a limited number of outside lines (called trunk lines) are usually available for making and receiving calls external to the site (i.e. to the public telephone network). Companies with multiple sites can connect their PBXs together with trunk lines. PBX-like services can also be provided by equipment located off site at a central provider, delivering services over the public telephone network. This is known as a hosted PBX. For example, most local phone companies offer a Centrex service in which each extension has a trunk line connected to the telephone company's Central Office. Other companies offer similar services. PBXs are distinguished from smaller "key systems" by the fact that external lines are not normally indicated or selectable at an individual extension. From a user's point of view calls on a key system are made by selecting a specific outgoing line and dialing the external number; calls on a PBX are made by dialing 9 (or 0 in some systems) followed by the external number; an outgoing trunk line is automatically selected upon which to complete the call. Functionally, the PBX performs three main duties: Establishing connections (circuits) between the telephone sets of two users. (e.g. mapping a dialed number to a physical phone, ensuring the phone isn't already busy); Maintaining such connections as long as the users require them. (i.e. channeling voice signals between the users); Providing information for accounting purposes (e.g. metering calls); In addition to these basic functions, PBXs offer many other capabilities, with different manufacturers providing different features in an effort to differentiate their products. Here is a short list of common capabilities (note that each manufacturer may have a different name for each capability): Call transfer; Direct Inward Dialing; Customised Abbreviated dialing (Speed Dialing); Voice mail; Follow-me; Call forwarding on absence; Call forwarding on busy; Music on hold; Automatic ring back; Night service; Call distribution (ACD, fixed sequences, ...); Call waiting; Call pick-up; Call park; Call conferencing; Custom greetings; Shared message boxes (where a department can have a shared voicemail box); Automated directory services (where callers can be routed to a given employee by keying or speaking the letters of the employee's name); Call accounting.

hosted pbx

A hosted PBX system delivers PBX functionality as a service, available over the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or the internet. Hosted PBXes are typically provided by the telephone company, using equipment located in the premises of the telephone company's exchange. This means the customer organisation doesn't need to buy or install PBX equipment (generally the service is provided by a lease agreement) and the telephone company can (in some configurations) use the same switching equipment to service multiple PBX hosting accounts. The first hosted PBX was introduced to the market in late 1997 by Virtual PBX. Instead of buying PBX equipment, users contract for PBX services from a hosted PBX service provider, a particular type of Application Service Provider (ASP). The first hosted PBX service was very feature-rich compared to most premise-based systems of the time. In fact, some PBX functions, such as follow-me calling, appeared in a hosted service before they became available in hardware PBX equipment. Since that introduction, updates and new offerings from several companies have moved feature sets in both directions. Today, it is possible to get hosted PBX service that includes far more features than were available from the first systems of this class, or to contract with companies that provide less functionality for more simple needs. In addition to the features available from premises-based PBX systems, hosted-PBX: Allows a single number to be presented for the entire company, despite its being geographically distributed. A company could even chose to have no premises, with workers connected from home using their domestic telephones but receiving the same features as any PBX user. Allows multimodal access, where employees access the network via a variety of telecomunications systems, including POTS, ISDN, cellular phones, and VOIP. This allows one extension to ring in multiple locations (either concurrently or sequentially). Supports integration with custom toll plans (that allow intra company calls, even from private premises, to be dialed at a cheaper rate) and integrated billing and accounting (where calls made on a private line but on the company's behalf are billed centrally to the company). Eliminates the need for companies to manage or pay for on-site hardware maintenance.

List of telephony terms:

3gpp - a-law - abbreviated dialing - adsl - ani - answering machine - apn - automatic ring back - b-channel - baud - bell 202 modem - bit rate - bonding - bri - busy signal - cable modem - call-progress tones - call accounting - call capture - call forwarding - call originator - call park - call pick-up - call transfer - call waiting - call waiting deluxe - called party - caller id - caller id spoofing - calling party - carrier wave - cbr - ccitt - cdma - cdma2000 - cellular repeater - celp - channel - clec - clock rate - codec - collect call - conference - conference call - crc - csd - d-channel - data compression - device driver - dial-up - dial - dial tone - direct-inward-dialing - direct distance dialing - distinctive ring - dnis - dsl - dsp - dtmf - dtr - duplex - echo cancellation - edge - extension - fax - fcc - fdma - fidonet - follow-me - g.711 - g.723.1 - g.723 - g.726 - g.lite - gprs - gps - gsm - h.323 - harmonic - headphones - hscsd - hspda - iad - idsn - internet call waiting - isp - ivr - jack plug - local loop - long distance - microcontroller - mobile phone - modem - modulation - mu-law - music-on-hold - night service - off-hook - on-hook - pabx - pager - payphone - pbx - pcm - pots - prank call - precise tone plan - pstn - pulse dialling - push to talk - ring modulation - ring tone - ringback - ringing signal - rj11 - roaming - serial communications - serial port - signal noise - sim - simplex - sit - sms - softmodem - switchboard operator - tapi - tdma - telecommunications - telemarketing - telephone - telephone call - telephone card - telephone company - telephone exchange - telephone line - telephone number - telephone numbering plan - telephone operator - telephone switchboard - telephony - tts - twisted pair - umts - v.32 - v.32bis - v.34 - v.42bis - vbr - vertical service code - voicemail - voip - vox - wap - wav - wi-fi - wimax - wire