CTI Computer Telephony Integration

This section of our technical library presents information and documentation relating to Computer Telephony and Computer Telephony Integration software and products. Computer Telephony Integration CTI software is a rich set of phone software library routines that enable application programs to control your phone system. This comprehensive CTI software lets you increase employee productivity, enhance customer service and reduce costs by combining the capabilities of our PACER phone system with the custom functionality of your Windows, Unix or Web applications. Data collected by your phone ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) or IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems can be passed to your existing PC, Unix or Web applications through our phone software. The PACER predictive dialer can automatically call your customers and pass only connected calls to your agents. With our computer telephony software, your telephone and computer work together to provide cost-saving benefits.

BRI (Basic Rate Interface): The basic ISDN configuration, which consists of two B-channels that can carry voice or data at rate of 64 Kbps, and one D-channel, which carries call-control information. Another type of ISDN configuration is called Primary-Rate Interface (PRI), which consists of 23 B-channels (30 in Europe) and one D-channel.

Broadcast, Multicast, & Unicast: Broadcast - To simultaneously send the same message to multiple recipients. Multicast -To transmit a single message to a select group of recipients. Unicast -To transmit a single message to a single recipient.

CAT 3/5: Categories of cabling levels. 3 = 16MHz, 5 = 200MHz with max. of 100 meters

CDR (Call Detail Recording): A record generated by customer traffic latter used to bill the customer for service.

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing): A new IP addressing scheme that replaces the older system based on classes A, B, and C. With CIDR, a single IP address can be used to designate many unique IP addresses. A CIDR IP address looks like a normal IP address except that it ends with a slash followed by a number, called the IP prefix. For example: 172.200.0.0/16 The IP prefix specifies how many addresses are covered by the CIDR address, with lower numbers covering more addresses. An IP prefix of /12, for example, can be used to address 4,096 former Class C addresses. CIDR addresses reduce the size of routing tables and make more IP addresses available within organizations.

CIR (Committed Information Rate): A specified amount of guaranteed bandwidth (measured in bits per second) on a Frame Relay service. Typically, when purchasing a Frame Relay service, a company can specify the CIR level they wish. The Frame Relay network vendor guarantees that frames not exceeding this level will be delivered. It's possible that additional traffic may also be delivered, but it's not guaranteed. Some Frame Relay vendors offer inexpensive services with a CIR equal to zero. This essentially means that the network will deliver as many frames as it can, but it doesn't guarantee any bandwidth level.

CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier): e.g. Choice One, Paetec.

CO (Central Office): Phone Company.

CODEC (Compression/Decompression): Analog to digital to analog in PBX.

CPE (Customer Premise Equipment): Just means telephone equipment, key systems, PBX’s answering machines, etc.

CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access w/Collision Detection): CSMA listens while transmitting to detect collisions. CSMA/CD is a leading control technique for getting onto and off a LAN. All devices attached to the network listen for transmissions in progress (i.e. carrier sense) before starting to transmit (multiple access). If 2 or more start simultaneously they crash… each backs off (collision detection) for a different amount of time, before starting again.)

CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit/Data Service Unit): For T1 line.

CTI (Computer Telephony Integration): A term for connecting a computer to a telephone switch and have the computer issue the telephone switch commands to move calls around.