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[+44 330 383 8000](tel:+443303838000 "+44 330 383 8000") ![](/images/getstarted-writetous-navbar-int_ZY7MOf.webp) ### Write to us Fill out our request form. Our experts will respond as soon as possible. [Write to us](/gb/request-information "Write to us") ### Fixed-line network [The development of the fixed-line network](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/the-fixed-line-network#section-3) # Fixed-line network Although there is no completely uniform definition of a fixed-line network, the term typically refers to all of the wired networks that are used for voice and data communications. A fixed-line can be seen as a connection to an end customer, by means of a cable, through which a user can make phone calls or connect to the Internet. Fixed-lines are clearly separate from the [mobile phone network](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/mobile-phone-network), by which end users are connected to the network via wireless transmission technologies. The fixed-line network can be divided into the core network and the access network. While the access network has an almost blanket coverage of copper paired wires that ensures many individual terminals are connected to the next node, core network lines predominantly have a high [bandwidth](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/bandwidth) for connecting switching computers to each other. Here copper cables and fibre optics are used as well as wireless radio technologies. Modern access networks are, in addition to copper wires, increasingly using fibre optic lines. ### The development of the fixed-line network The landline network was originally a purely circuit-switched telephone network, over which individual participants' lines were (originally manually, and later automatically) connected together to make calls. With increasing digitisation and the demand for data transmission, the fixed-line network has developed into a universal, integrated services network. Today it is possible, via landline broadband Internet access, for example via [DSL](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/sdsl-shdsl), to achieve bandwidths of many megabits per second. The protocol that is primarily used for the transfer of services is [IP (Internet Protocol)](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/ip-address). Modern networks are capable of transporting both data and the spoken word via IP. The advent of [Voice-over-IP (VoIP)](/gb/get-started/cloud-telephony/lexicon/knowledge-base-detail/voice-over-ip) technology has meant that both consumers and providers only need a single infrastructure over which all services can operate. Even the reception of television programmes can be implemented over the IP network. The merging of data and voice transmission via the fixed-line network opens up completely new possibilities. [A computer can become a fully-fledged phone](/gb/en/products/cloudya), connecting call participants with a simple mouse click. In addition, telephone systems can be fully operated as a cloud service through the data network, making it possible to have as many telephone connections as desired, without the need for the customer to purchase and maintain costly hardware in their premises. ### Related Articles ### TCP/IP The acronym TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and refers to a family of network protocols which are the basis for communication and data exchange over the internet as well as on private IP networks. The development of TCP/IP already began in the 1970s and traces back to the work of DARPA. Whilst the protocol family used to compete with alternative protocols such as AppleTalk by Apple, IPX/SPX by Novell or NetBEUI by Microsoft, TCP/IP has now established itself as a universal and worldwide popular protocol. It is platform-independent and available for devices with all operating systems imaginable. The reasons for the success of the protocol family are the victory of the Internet as well as its flexibility and versatility. 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