In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, the internet is no longer a luxury but a fundamental part of daily life. From remote work to digital learning, streaming entertainment to smart home technologies, the breadth of internet applications is vast and continually expanding. The terminology accompanying these digital innovations can often be as complex as the technology itself. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a professional seeking to enhance your digital literacy, or simply a curious individual navigating the world wide web, understanding these terms is essential.
Our comprehensive “Broadband & Internet Glossary of Terms” serves as your definitive guide to demystifying the jargon. We’ve gathered an extensive list of terms, definitions and meanings to help you understand what broadband and internet technologies are about. From basic concepts like ‘bandwidth’ and ‘DSL’ to ‘Latency’ and ‘Fibre Optics,’ this glossary aims to convert confusing technical language into clear, understandable information.
We will continue to expand this list of terms on an ongoing basis. We also soon allow you to request terms to be added to this list.
Enjoy!
o
- OAuth (Open Authorization)
- Octet
- OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)
- Off-Board Processor
- Off-Net
- Off-Premises Extension (OPX)
- OLT (Optical Line Terminal)
- Omnidirectional Antenna
- Omnidirectional Antenna Systems
- On-Demand Bandwidth
- On-Demand Routing
- Onboard NIC
- One-Time Password (OTP)
- One-Way Delay (OWD)
- Open API
- Open Base Station Architecture Initiative (OBSAI)
- Open Circuit
- Open Network Computing (ONC)
- Open Network Switch (ONS)
- Open Networking
- Open Platform Management
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
- Open Source
- Open Source Routing
- Open Systems Architecture
- Open vSwitch (OVS)
- Operating System (OS)
- Operating Systems Domain
- Operations Support System (OSS)
- Optical Cable
- Optical Carrier
- Optical Carrier Network
- Optical Circulator
- Optical Cross Connect (OXC)
- Optical Distribution Frame (ODF)
- Optical Distribution Network (ODN)
- Optical Fiber Cable
- Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
- Optical Hop
- Optical Interface
- Optical Line Protection
- Optical Modulation
- Optical Multiplex Section (OMS)
- Optical Network Terminal (ONT)
- Optical Network Unit (ONU)
- Optical Node
- Optical Path Protection
- Optical Power Budget
- Optical Private Network
- Optical Reflection
- Optical Signal Noise Ratio (OSNR)
- Optical Splitter
- Optical Switch
- Optical Time-Division Multiplexing (OTDM)
- Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)
- Optical Transport Network (OTN)
- Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM)
- OSI Model
- Outside Plant
- Over-the-Top (OTT)
- Overlay Encapsulation
- Overlay Network
- OWASP ZAP




