E-Commerce glossary

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) internet service commonly used in homes. The “A” in ADSL refers to the unequal distribution network bandwidth between downloads and uploads, with comparatively more bandwidth for downloads than for uploads.

Also called mobile apps, it is a term used to describe applications (apps) that run on desktop computers or tablets, by making it easier to use internet services.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), the most commonly installed technical varieties of DSL. DSL service is delivered simultaneously with regular telephone on the same telephone line as it uses a higher frequency band that is separated by filtering.

Electronic commerce. Transactions over the internet or over other computer networks, for example using electronic data interchange (EDI). The goods and services are ordered over these networks, but the payment and the delivery of the goods and services may be conducted online or offline.

A set of standards for structuring information that is to be electronically exchanged between businesses or organisations. The standards describe formats that emulate documents, for example, purchase orders or invoices, define messages and their contents, but not the method of exchanging the messages themselves. An example of EDI is EDIFACT (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration Commerce and Transport standards) which is maintained by the United Nations and used worldwide.

A private network, with restricted access, which uses Internet Protocol (IP), for sharing information with customers, suppliers, and other business partners. It can take the form of a secure extension to an intranet or secure access to a part of a website. It is usually used for placing orders or accessing information.

This refers to the speed that data can be transmitted.

Technology that provides access to information through telecommunications. It is similar to information technology (IT) but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This includes the internet, wireless networks, mobile phones, and other communication media.

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard internet protocol suite (TCP or IP). The internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the interlinked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (www), the infrastructure to support electronic mail, extranet over the internet, EDI over the internet, and internet-enabled mobile phones.

The contracted broadband speed is the advertised maximum speed for each connection. The speed advertised for each connection may not be the speed attained by the end user, as attained speed of connection is affected by issues such as distance from the local exchange and line quality.

This refers to the speed that data can be transmitted.

A connection to the internet using wireless technology, satellite, or mobile phone or similar technologies for example, data cards, 3G, GSM etc.

Symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) is a form of digital subscriber line (DSL) service that provides equal bandwidth for both uploads and downloads. SDSL was one of the earliest forms of DSL to not require multiple telephone lines.

Very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) was developed to support exceptionally high-bandwidth applications such as high definition television (HDTV) and relies on fibre optic cabling.

A webform, web form or HTML form on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for processing. Forms can resemble paper or database forms because users complete the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields.

A collection of web pages arranged together to provide information or advice. It can consist of text, graphics, sound, video, or a combination of these.

XML is a flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets and elsewhere.