telephone exchange
Central switching station
A telephone exchange is a facility or system that connects phone calls between subscribers.
Historically, operators manually connected calls by plugging cables into switchboards; modern exchanges route calls automatically through electronic switching.
The term also refers to the first three digits of a local phone number, identifying which exchange serves that line: What exchange are you on?
Telephone routing panel
- central officeMain administrative facility
- PBXPrivate branch exchange
- operatorOne who works machinery
- dial toneSound indicating phone readiness
trunk line · subscriber · landline · party line · area code · rotary dial · crossbar · electromechanical
Installed wire systems
- rackFrame for holding items
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
- copper wireMetal strand conducting electricity
- fiber opticsLight-carrying cable technology
junction box · terminal block · conduit · splice · overhead lines · interconnect
switchboard
Telephone routing panel
- central officeMain administrative facility
- PBXPrivate branch exchange
- operatorOne who works machinery
dial tone · trunk line · subscriber · landline · party line · area code · rotary dial · crossbar · electromechanical · step-by-step
cabling
Installed wire systems
- rackFrame for holding items
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
- copper wireMetal strand conducting electricity
fiber optics · junction box · terminal block · conduit · splice · overhead lines · interconnect
- telecommunicationscell phone, cellphone, signals, cellular network, antennas
- telephonycall, dial tone, phone lines, dial, phone booth
- exchangestrading, swap, swapping, barter, bartering
- wired telecomlandline, phone line, phone cord, phone jack, fax
- phone companytelco, switchboard, operator, phone lines, landline
- switcheslight switch, power switch, dimmer switch, wall switch, rocker switch
exchange, television, telephone, exchanged, exchanges, interchange, telephones, televise, exchanging