Private Branch Exchange (PBX)

A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a control station for telephone systems. It consists mainly of several branches of telephone systems and it switches connections to and from them, thereby linking phone lines. The main purpose of a PBX is to save the cost of requiring a line for each user to the telephone company's central office. A standard PBX includes; telephone trunk (multiple phones) lines that terminate at the PBX, a computer with memory that manages the switching of the calls within the PBX and in and out of it, a network of lines within the PBX, a console or switchboard for a human operator (somewhat optional).