In FTTH, most of the alphabet-soup acronyms have to do with devices that convert electrical signals that travel in wires, to pulses of light, and back again.

          OLT stands for Optical Line Terminal. OLT’s put the initial pulse of light on the fiber to begin with. Resident and property owners rarely see them.

          ONT’s are Optical Network Terminals. They are alternately called ONU’s for Optical Network Units. These devices at the consumer end turn the light pulses back into electrical signals. They’re typically inside cigar-box sized enclosures on the outside of houses or apartments, but can be smaller than a deck of cards and mounted indoors as well.

          POP is the Point of Presence, where the signal from multiple customers joins the extended network.

          HFC is Hybrid Fiber Coax, the cable company’s coax, with fiber bringing the signal close to the building or even into the basement or central area on your property. A DOCSIS node, fed by fiber, distributes the signal to houses over coax. One node feeds between 100 and 500 homes.

          Pedestals and larger Fiber Distribution Hubs enclose the beam splitters that divide signals that go to individual dwelling units.