access line: A telecommunications circuit provided by a service provider at the demarcation point.
access provider: The operator of any facility that is used to convey telecommunications signals to and from a customer premises.
active cross-connect: A facility enabling the termination of cable elements and their interconnection or cross-connection by electronic means.
adapter: A device that enables any or all of the following:
different sizes or types of plugs to mate with one another or to fit into a telecommunications outlet,
the rearrangement of leads,
large cables with numerous wires to fan out into smaller groups of wires, and
interconnection between cables.
administration: The method for labeling, identification, documentation and usage needed to implement moves, additions and changes of the telecommunications infrastructure.
attenuation: The decrease in magnitude of transmission signal strength between points, expressed in dB as the ratio of output to input signal level.
auxiliary disconnect outlet: A device usually located within the tenant or living unit used to terminate the ADO or backbone cable.
auxiliary disconnect outlet cable: In residential applications, the cable from the auxiliary telecommunications disconnect outlet/connector or the distribution device in a customer's premises to the backbone facility or the point of demarcation.
backbone: 1) A facility (e.g., pathway, cable or conductors) between any of the following spaces: telecommunications rooms, telecommunications enclosures, common telecommunications rooms, floor serving terminals, entrance facilities, equipment rooms, and common equipment rooms. 2) in a data center, a facility (e.g. pathway, cable or conductors) between any of the following spaces: entrance rooms or spaces, main distribution areas, horizontal distribution areas, telecommunications rooms.
backbone cable: See backbone.
bonding: The permanent joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path that will ensure electrical continuity and the capacity to conduct safely any current likely to be imposed.
building automation system: Equipment and telecommunications infrastructure that supports monitoring, control, operation and management of building services.
building backbone: Cabling for interconnecting telecommunications spaces from the telecommunications entrance facility to a horizontal cross-connect within a building.
C - D
cable: An assembly of one or more insulated conductors or optical fibers, within an enveloping sheath.
cable run: A length of installed media, which may include other components along its path.
cable sheath: A covering over the optical fiber or conductor assembly that may include one or more metallic members, strength members, or jackets.
cabling: A combination of all cables, jumpers, cords, and connecting hardware.
campus: The buildings and grounds having legal contiguous interconnection.
campus backbone: Cabling for interconnecting telecommunications spaces between buildings.
channel: The end-to-end transmission path between two points at which application-specific equipment is connected.
commercial building: A building or portion thereof that is intended for office use.
common equipment room (telecommunications): An enclosed space used for equipment and backbone interconnections for more than one tenant in a building or campus.
common telecommunications room: An enclosed space used for backbone interconnections for more than one tenant in a building, which may also house equipment.
conduit: (1) A raceway of circular cross-section. (2) A structure containing one or more ducts. Editorial note - For the purposes of these Standards the term conduit includes electrical metallic tubing (EMT) or electrical non-metallic tubing (ENT)
connecting hardware: A device providing mechanical cable terminations.
consolidation point: A location for interconnection between horizontal cables extending from building pathways and horizontal cables extending into furniture pathways.
cross-connect: A facility enabling the termination of cable elements and their interconnection or cross-connection.
cross-connection: A connection scheme between cabling runs, subsystems, and equipment using patch cords or jumpers that attach to connecting hardware on each end.
demarcation point: A point where the operational control or ownership changes.
data: Electronically encoded information.
distribution device: A facility located within the dwelling unit for interconnection or cross connection.
E - F
electromagnetic compatibility: The ability of electronic systems to operate in their intended electromagnetic environment without suffering performance degradation and without causing performance degradation in other equipment.
end user: The owner or user of the premises cabling system.
entrance facility (telecommunications): An entrance to a building for both public and private network service cables (including wireless) including the entrance point of the building and continuing to the entrance room or space.
entrance point (telecommunications): The point of emergence for telecommunications cabling through an exterior wall, a floor, or from a conduit.
entrance room or space (telecommunications): A space in which the joining of inter or intra building telecommunications backbone facilities takes place.
Editorial note: An entrance room may also serve as an equipment room.
equipment cable; cord: A cable or cable assembly used to connect telecommunications equipment to horizontal or backbone cabling.
equipment room (telecommunications): An environmentally controlled centralized space for telecommunications equipment that usually houses a main or intermediate cross-connect.
fiber optic: See optical fiber.
firestop: A fire-rated material, device, or assembly of parts installed in a penetration of a fire-rated barrier.
firestopping: The process of installing listed, fire-rated materials into penetrations in fire-rated barriers to reestablish the fire-resistance rating of the barrier.
fixed devices: Any low-voltage device permanently affixed to a surface for purposes of security, fire detection or other control, data, or entertainment applications.
G - I
ground: A conducting connection, whether intentional or accidental, between an electrical circuit (e.g., telecommunications) or equipment and the earth, or to some conducting body that serves in place of earth.
grounding: The act of creating a ground.
grounding conductor: A conductor used to connect the grounding electrode to the building's main grounding busbar.
hard-line trunk: A rigid coaxial cable, typically used for backbone cabling.
infrastructure (telecommunications): A collection of those telecommunications components, excluding equipment, that together provide the basic support for the distribution of all information within a building or campus.
interconnection: A connection scheme that employs connecting hardware for the direct connection of a cable to another cable without a patch cord or jumper.
J - N
jumper: 1) An assembly of twisted-pairs without connectors, used to join telecommunications circuits/links at the cross-connect. 2) A length of optical fiber cable with a connector plug on each end.
link: A transmission path between two points, not including terminal equipment, work area cables, and equipment cables.
listed: Equipment included in a list published by an organization, acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction, that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment, and whose listing states either that the equipment or material meets appropriate standards or has been tested and found suitable for use in a specified manner.
media (telecommunications): Wire, cable, or conductors used for telecommunications.
minimum point of entry: Either the closest practicable point to where the carrier facilities cross the property line or the closest practicable point to where the cabling enters a multi-unit building or buildings.
modular jack: A female telecommunications connector that may be keyed or unkeyed and may have 6 or 8 contact positions, but not all the positions need be equipped with jack contacts.
modular plug: A male telecommunications connector for cable or cords that may be keyed or unkeyed and may have 6 or 8 contact positions, but not all the positions need be equipped with contacts.
multimedia: (1) An application that communicates to more than one of the human sensory receptors.
(2) Applications that communicate information by more than one means.
network interface device: The point of connection between networks.
O - R
optical fiber: Any filament made of dielectric materials that guides light.
optical fiber cable: An assembly consisting of one or more optical fibers.
outlet box (telecommunications): A housing used to hold telecommunications outlet/connectors.
outlet cable: A cable placed in a residential unit extending directly between the telecommunications outlet/connector and the distribution device.
outlet/connector (telecommunications): A connecting device in the work area on which horizontal cable or outlet cable terminates.
passive cross-connect: A facility enabling the termination of cable elements and their interconnection or cross-connection by means of jumpers or patch cords.
patch cord: A length of cable with a plug on one or both ends.
pathway: A facility for the placement of telecommunications cable.
permanent link: A test configuration for a link excluding test cords and patch cords.
plenum: A compartment or chamber to which one or more air ducts are connected and that forms part of the air distribution system.
pull strength: See pull tension.
pull tension: The pulling force that can be applied to a cable.
raceway: Any enclosed channel designed for holding wires or cables.
record: A collection of detailed information related to a specific element of the telecommunications infrastructure.
report: A presentation of a collection of information from the various records.
residential gateway: A device that enables communication among networks in the residence and between residential networks and service providers’ networks.
S - Z
service entrance: See entrance facility (telecommunications).
service provider: The operator of any service that furnishes telecommunications content (transmissions) delivered over access provider facilities.
sheath: See cable sheath.
singlemode optical fiber: An optical fiber that carries only one path of light.
sleeve: An opening, usually circular, through the wall, ceiling, or floor to allow the passage of cables.
slot: An opening through a wall, floor, or ceiling, usually rectangular, to allow the passage of cables.
space (telecommunications): An area used for housing the installation and termination of telecommunications equipment and cable, e.g., common equipment rooms, equipment rooms, common telecommunications rooms, telecommunications rooms, work areas, and maintenance holes/handholes.
splice: A joining of conductors, meant to be permanent.
star topology: A topology in which telecommunications cables are distributed from a central point.
telecommunications: Any transmission, emission, and reception of signs, signals, writings, images, and sounds, that is, information of any nature by cable, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems.
telecommunications entrance facility: See entrance facility (telecommunications).
telecommunications entrance point: See entrance point (telecommunications).
telecommunications entrance room or space: See entrance room or space
(telecommunications).
telecommunications equipment room: See equipment room (telecommunications).
telecommunications infrastructure: See infrastructure (telecommunications).
telecommunications media: See media (telecommunications).
telecommunications room: An enclosed architectural space for housing telecommunications equipment, cable terminations, and cross-connect cabling.
telecommunications service entrance: See entrance facility (telecommunications).
telecommunications space: See space (telecommunications).
terminal: (1) a point at which information may enter or leave a communications network. (2) The input-output associated equipment. (3) A device by means of which wires may be connected to each other.
termination: This term is outmoded. See connecting hardware.
termination hardware: This term is outmoded. See connecting hardware.
topology: The physical or logical arrangement of a telecommunications system.
wire: An individually insulated solid or stranded metallic conductor.
