telephony

telephony — noun

1. the technology and systems that allow people to speak to each other over long di

1.nounB2
Definition

the technology and systems that allow people to speak to each other over long distances using phones or other electronic devices, especially through computer networks such as the Internet

Example

The rise of Internet-based telephony has made international calls much cheaper for people around the world.

collocation: Internet-based telephony

Many companies now use telephony software to connect their offices across different countries.

Common collocations
  • Internet telephony
  • mobile telephony
  • VoIP telephony
  • telephony system
  • telephony service
  • telephony network
  • telephony software
  • telephony provider
Synonyms
  • telecommunications

    a broader term that includes data, video, and text communication, not just voice

  • phone service

    more everyday and less technical than telephony; what a provider offers to customers

  • voice communication

    focuses on the act of speaking rather than the technology and systems involved

Grammar Patterns

telephony + noun (system, service, network)

Usage Note

An uncountable noun used mainly in technical or business contexts. In everyday conversation, people more commonly say 'phone systems' or 'phone technology.' Frequently appears as a modifier before nouns such as system, service, or network.

Common Mistakes

I bought a new telephony for my office.
I bought a new telephone for my office.
telephony refers to the technology or system, not a physical device.
There are several telephonies available.
There are several telephony systems available.
telephony is uncountable and cannot be used in plural form.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Telephony refers specifically to the technology and systems used for voice communication over phone networks, whether traditional or Internet-based. Telecommunications is a much broader term covering all forms of electronic communication — voice, data, video, and text — across any distance. Phone service is the everyday, non-technical term for the voice-calling service a provider offers to customers. Voice communication is a more general phrase describing the act of speaking to someone, regardless of the technology used. For example: 'The telephony industry has changed dramatically with VoIP' (technical, system-level); 'The telecommunications sector includes internet providers and mobile carriers' (broader industry); 'Our phone service went down after the storm' (everyday usage); 'Radio was once the only form of long-distance voice communication' (general, not technology-specific).

telecommunicationsphone servicevoice communication

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Internet telephony
  • mobile telephony
  • VoIP telephony
  • voice-over-IP telephony

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Telephony was coined in the late 19th century, around the time of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. It combines the Greek prefix tele-, meaning 'far off' or 'at a distance', with the Greek root phone, meaning 'sound' or 'voice'. The word was formed to name the emerging technology of transmitting human speech over long distances using electrical signals.