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ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): a digital technology that allows the use of a copper line to send a large quantity of data in one direction and a lesser quantity in the other.

Analogue: the direct representation of a waveform, as opposed to digital, which is a binary coded representation.

ATM Service: data services using Asynchronous Transfer Mode technology such as BT’s DataStream family of products

Barriers to entry: an additional cost which must be borne by entrants but not by firms already in the industry; or other factors, which enable an incumbent to maintain prices above the competitive level without inducing entry.

Broadband: a service or connection allowing a considerable amount of information to be conveyed.

BT: British Telecommunications plc.

Cable modem: a cable modem is a device that enables a consumer to access the Internet via a cable line

Communications provider: a person who provides an Electronic Communications Network or provides an Electronic Communications Service.

Dial-up Internet access: Internet access that uses a dial-up connection over an analogue or ISDN telephone line.

Digital: the binary coded representation of a waveform, as opposed to analogue, which is the direct representation of a waveform.

Digital Local Exchange (DLE) and Local exchange: the telephone exchange to which customers are directly connected, often via a remote concentrator unit.

Direct Access: the situation where a customer is directly connected to a telecommunications operator’s network by a fixed link.

DMSU (Digital Main Switching Unit): a tandem exchange primarily used for connecting calls between DLEs.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line): a family of technologies generically referred to as DSL, or xDSL, capable of transforming ordinary phone lines (also known as "twisted copper pairs") into high-speed digital lines, capable of supporting advanced services such as fast Internet access and video-on-demand. ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), HDSL (High bit rate Digital Subscriber Line) and VDSL (Very high data rate Digital Subscriber Line) are all variants of xDSL.

DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Loop Access Multiplexer): apparatus sited in the same exchange building as is used to terminate DSL enabled copper loops, which comprises a bank of DSL modems and a multiplexer which combines many customer lines into one data path.

Exchange line: the telephone line that connects the customers’ network terminating point to the local serving exchange.

FRIACO (Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination): the provision of Flat Rate Internet Access Call Origination via a wholesale unmetered Internet access product from BT.

HDSL (High bit rate Digital Subscriber Line): one of the earliest forms of DSL services to be widely used. It is symmetrical, offering the same data rates upstream and downstream. The maximum data rate is however lower than that for ADSL.

Hull Area: the area defined as the 'Licensed Area' in the licence granted on 30 November 1987 by the Secretary of State under section 7 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 to Kingston upon Hull City Council and Kingston Communications (Hull) plc.

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN): a network evolved from the digital PSTN which provides digital exchange lines to customers and 64kbps end to end digital connectivity between them. Two or more 64kbps connections can be combined to provide a higher speed connection, e.g. 128kbps.

Interconnection: the linking (whether directly or indirectly by physical or logical means, or by a combination of physical or logical means) of one Public Electronic Communications Network to another for the purpose of enabling the persons using one of them to be able:

(a) to communicate with users of the other one; or

(b) to make use of services provided by means of the other one (whether by the provider of that Network or by another person);

Internet connectivity: the ability to access any destination on the Internet from a point of interconnection with an Internet backbone.

IP (Internet Protocol): the packet data protocol used for routing and carriage of messages across the Internet and similar networks.

IP network: a network that uses IP; for example the Internet is a public IP network.

Internet Service Provider (ISP): a company that provides individuals and other companies access to the Internet and other related services.

Kbps (Kilo (thousand) bits per second): a measure of the speed of transfer of digital information.

Kingston: Kingston Communications (Hull) PLC – telephone company which operates in the Hull area.

Leased lines (also known as private circuits): a permanently connected communications link between two premises dedicated to the customers’ exclusive use.

Local loop: the access network connection between the customer’s premises and the local serving exchange, usually comprised of two copper wires twisted together.

Local loop unbundling (LLU): a process by which an incumbent’s exchange lines (local loops) are physically disconnected from it’s network and connected to other operators’ networks. This enables operators other than the incumbent to use the local loop to provide services directly to customers.

Long Run Incremental Costs (LRIC): The costs caused by the provision of a defined increment of output, taking a long run perspective, assuming that some output is already produced. The ‘long run’ means the time horizon over which all costs (including capital investment) are variable.

Metered service: a service that is charged according to usage, usually on a pence per minute basis.

Modem: abbreviation of modulate-demodulate, a device that converts a digital signal into analogue for transmission purposes. It also receives analogue transmissions and converts them back to digital.

Narrowband: a service or connection allowing only a limited amount of information to be conveyed, such as for telephony. This compares with broadband which allows a considerable amount of information to be conveyed.

NRAs (National Regulatory Authorities): the body or bodies, legally distinct and functionally independent of the telecommunications organisations, charged by a Member State with the elaboration of, and supervision of compliance with, telecoms authorisations.

PPCs (Partial Private Circuits): a generic term used to describe a category of private circuits that terminate at a point of connection between two operators’ networks. It is therefore the provision of transparent transmission capacity between a customer’s premises and a point of connection between the two operators’ networks. It may also be termed a part leased line. It includes terminating segments.

PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network

Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): the ratio of accounting profit to capital employed. The measure of capital employed can be either Historic Cost Accounting (HCA) or Current Cost Accounting (CCA).

Schedule 2 Public Operator: those operators who have rights and obligations to interconnect with each other under Article 4(1) of the Interconnection Directive 97/33EC for the purpose of providing publicly available telecommunication services.

Shared port: a connection, typically on a Network Access Server or telephone exchange, which is shared between a number of wholesale customers (ISPs).

Select Services: a set of supplementary services (including call waiting, call barring, ringback etc.) provided by BT as set out in the BT retail price list.

Service provider: a provider of electronic communications services to third parties whether over its own network or otherwise.

SME: Small and Medium Enterprise.

SMP: The Significant Market Power test is set out in European Directives. It is used by the National Regulatory Authorities (NRA) such as Oftel to identify those operators who must meet additional obligations under the relevant Directive.

Standard service: an interconnection service which BT is required to provide under the current regime.

Substitutability: whether an increase in the price of one product would lead consumers to switch to other competing products or services (demand-side substitutability) or lead producers to switch rapidly into the supply of the good in question (supply-side substitutability).

Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) – a method of digital transmission where the data is packed in containers which are synchronised in time enabling relatively simple multiplexing and de-multiplexing at the transmitting and receiving ends.

Terminating segment: is the capacity between a customer’s premises, and a point of connection between BT’s network and a communication provider’s network, which may be located at Tier 1 of BT’s SDH network (where an alternative BT network is used then the terminating segment extends up to the nearest node located at the same site as an SDH node).

Unmetered service: a service that is provided on a flat-rate basis, where charges do not vary according to usage, in contrast to metered services

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