Fiber & telecom terms — defined for engineers.

An access architecture where optical fiber runs all the way from the operator's central office or remote terminal directly into the subscriber's premises.

An access architecture where optical fiber terminates at a curb-side cabinet, with copper or coax delivering service over the final run to each premises.

An access architecture where optical fiber terminates at a multi-tenant building's basement or telecom room, with internal cabling distributing to each unit.

A point-to-multipoint fiber access architecture in which one OLT port serves multiple ONTs over a shared fiber with passive optical splitters.

The passive fiber, splitters, connectors, and splices between an OLT and the ONTs it serves, defining the loss budget and reach of a PON.

An access architecture combining fiber from the headend to a neighborhood node with coaxial cable for the final segment to subscribers, used by cable MSOs.

A point-to-point fiber access architecture in which each subscriber receives a dedicated fiber strand from an active Ethernet switch, with no splitters in the path.

Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network — an ITU-T-standardized PON technology delivering shared 2.488 Gbps downstream and 1.244 Gbps upstream over a passive split fiber.

10-Gigabit Symmetric Passive Optical Network — an ITU-T standardized PON delivering 10 Gbps symmetric over a passive split fiber.

A point in an outside plant network where service drops to one or more customer premises terminate, typically a small enclosure or distribution box.

A location in a fiber network where two or more optical fibers are permanently joined, typically housed in a sealed splice closure.

OLT (Optical Line Terminal) is the operator-side equipment at the central office; ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is the subscriber-side equipment at the customer premises.

All telecommunications equipment installed outside of buildings — fiber, conduit, poles, splice closures, drops — between the central office and the customer premises.

The maximum permissible end-to-end optical attenuation between an OLT and ONT in a PON, set by the optical class of the deployed technology.

The reduction in optical signal power as light propagates through a fiber, measured in decibels per kilometer and varying with wavelength.

Records that capture the actual, physically installed condition of a fiber network — including any field changes from the original design.

The legal authority to install and maintain telecommunications infrastructure across land owned or controlled by another party — typically public roadways or utility corridors.