Convergence of communications

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Convergence of communications, in varying and unfortunately not yet standard phrasings, is the goal of having all types of human-to-computer and computer-to-computer communications converge onto (i.e., all run over) a common infrastructure using Internet Protocol version 4 or Internet Protocol version 6.

It is neither necessary, nor desirable from a security standpoint, that they all run over the public Internet. All of these services can be restricted to other than the Internet, such as intranets or extranets.

This definition of convergence does not attempt to standardize the applications themselves. Instead, it includes the technologies that enable application-specific communications to be transmitted over standard interfaces to information delivery systems using Internet Protocol, Session Initiation Protocol, and similar protocols and interfaces.^[1]

Converged services may use custom software (e.g., private branch exchange) on a purpose-built router, or a general-purpose computer.

Data [r]: "Pieces of information", especially numbers or quantities ^[e]
- Domain Name System [r]: The Internet service which translates to and from IP addresses and domain names. ^[e]
- Search engine [r]: An application which accepts a query in a specialized (e.g. MEDLINE) or general language (e.g., Google) and responds with bibliographic references (e.g., medical journals, the public Web). ^[e]
- Email [r]: A method of composing, sending, storing, and receiving messages over electronic communication systems. ^[e]
- File transfer [r]: In computer networking, a means for copying an ordered set of records comprising a file, from at least one computer, to at least one computer ^[e]
- Peer to peer file sharing [r]: Reconstructing a file from content on shared streams from various user end hosts, typically done through bilateral user interaction rather than locating content through directory services or brokers ^[e]
- Content delivery and distributed file sharing networks [r]: Technologies, generally used on the public Internet, to improving the efficiency and convenience of distributing content of interest to multiple users ^[e]
- Transaction processing [r]: Add brief definition or description
- World Wide Web [r]: A global collection of information presented in the form of documents hosted on networked computers and available to the public. ^[e]
- Online Document Services [r]: Add brief definition or description
- Text messaging [r]: Add brief definition or description
- Collaborative public markup [r]: An application that lets any authorized user read, comment on, edit, or extend hypertext on servers, such as MediaWiki servers ^[e] (e.g., a Wiki)
- Online book libraries [r]: Add brief definition or description (e.g., Questia, Muse, O'Reilly, etc.)

Digital Rights Management [r]: Legal and technical techniques used by media publishers in an attempt to control distribution and usage of distributed video, audio, ebooks, and similar electronic media. ^[e] essential to some of the new services

Universal emergency telephone number system [r]: A single, short telephone number, such as 911 or 112, which will connect the caller to a dispatcher capable of determining the need for ambulance, police, fire or other emergency services, and arranging for the service(s) to get to the location where the problem exists ^[e]^[2]

Telemedicine [r]: The use of electronic communications to enable providers to diagnose, provide information, and deliver health services when they are not available for on-site service delivery ^[e]