TS 5380

TS 5380 is a terminology standard for the technical terms and definitions used in telegraphy and telephony within electrotechnics. Its subject is the use of a common and consistent technical language in communication engineering, so that systems, lines, devices, and transmission-related concepts are understood within the same framework.

Technical areas covered

The standard brings together broad subject areas such as general operation, main sections, noise and distortion, systems, networks, instruments, lines, and pulse techniques. On the telegraphy side, it includes general topics, systems, codes, transmission, instruments and equipment, as well as facsimile; on the telephony side, it includes general topics, subscriber stations and equipment, and exchange equipment. This structure shows that communication terminology is not limited to device names, but also covers operation, transmission characteristics, and network components together.

Why this vocabulary matters

In electrotechnics, terminology standards help prevent the same technical concept from being used with different names across organizations or languages. This is especially important in telegraphy and telephony, where terms such as noise, distortion, line, network, exchange, and subscriber equipment carry specific technical meaning in both operation and design. TS 5380 organizes these concepts into a clear and consistent reference vocabulary.

In general technical context, telegraphy and telephony are two foundational areas of information transfer over electrical signals. Telegraphy is more closely associated with coded transmission and message signaling, while telephony concerns the real-time transmission of speech; facsimile is a communication application for sending text- or image-like information over distance. The purpose of this standard is to collect the terms used in these fields within a shared technical framework and to clarify the conceptual distinctions between different system types.