Private telephone networks are communication systems that are owned, leased or operated by the companies that use these systems. They primarily allow the interconnection of multiple telephones within the private network with each other and provide for the sharing of telephone lines from a public telephone network. This excerpted chapter from Telecom Made Simple is an overview of independent telephone systems including private branch exchange (PBX) and computer telephone integration. Included are descriptions of telephone stations, local wiring, switching systems, numbering plans, market growth, digital packet voice telephony, Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Key Telephone Systems (KTS), Wireless Private Branch Exchange (WPBX), direct marketing broadcast services, and call centers. Descriptions of future enhancements such as LAN Telephony and Multimedia Communication are also discussed.
