Glossary

ACMA

Australian Communications and Media Authority is a Federal Government agency that administers telecommunications carrier licences, media companies and data cabling specifications.

ADSL

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a data communications technology that enables broadband data transmission over traditional copper telephone lines over distances of up to 4km from a telephone exchange.

ASP

Application Service Provider is an entity that provides services such as video streaming, security, gaming or smart metering over a telecommunications network. Sometimes referred to a Carriage Service Provider (CSP) or a Retail Service Provider (RSP).

Cable Modem

A device, located at within a premises, that is attached to an HFC network to provide broadband Internet services.

CATV

Cable TV is a Pay TV (e.g. Foxtel) broadcast over underground or overhead coaxial/fibre cables (HFC) that Telstra and Optus has owned and maintained in Australia since the 1990’s.

CCTV

Closed Circuit TV is a video camera and recording technology used for security monitoring and surveillance.

CSG

Customer Service Guarantee is defined under the Federal Telecommunications Act to ensure connection times, fault rectification times and compensation payments relating to a Standard Telephone Service (STS).

CSP

Carriage Service Provider is an entity that provides Internet, telephone or video services but doesn’t hold a telecommunications carrier license. This is defined under the Telecommunications Act.

DoC

Department of Communications is a Federal Government Department that assists the Minister of Communications to define, maintain and update the Telecommunications Act and associated policies.

DOCIS

Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-bandwidth data transfer to an existing cable TV (CATV) system.

FAN

Fibre Access Node is an NBN Co defined term describing the place where a FTTP access network is terminated. OptiComm commonly calls this the Headend or Headworks.

FTA-TV

Free to Air Television is the Freeview TV service (Channels 2, 7, 9, 10, SBS, NITV etc.) that is broadcast over the airways to premises.

FTTB

Fibre to the Building or Basement or Business is a network technology to provide high speed networks to the basement or Main Distribution Frame (MDF) of a building to service a high speed broadband technology, such as VDSL, over existing copper telephone lines.

FTTN

Fibre to the Node is a network technology to provide high speed networks to a node or cabinet located in the street verge to service a high speed broadband technology, such as VDSL, over existing copper telephone lines.

FTTH

Fibre to the Home is a network technology that provides fibre optic cabling to the outside or inside of a residential premises. The most common technology used for FTTP is called Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) as defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

FTTP

Fibre to the Premises is a network technology that provides fibre optic cabling to the outside or inside of a premises. The most common technology used for FTTP is called Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) as defined by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

HFC

Hybrid Fibre Coax is a communications network used for Cable TV (CATV) services (e.g. Foxtel) over underground or overhead coaxial/fibre cables that Telstra and Optus has owned and maintained in Australia since the 1990’s. HFC networks can be used to deliver high speed broadband using cable modems that comply with the DOCIS standards.

IDF

Intermediate Distribution Frame is a rack of connection points that connect vertical and horizontal in-building copper communications cabling typically located in a services riser of a building or MDU.

IPTV

Internet Protocol Television is a digital packet based technology using the Internet Protocol (IP) to stream video services such as FetchTV, Netflix, STAN, Presto, Go and You Tube over an Ethernet broadband network or Internet.

ISDN

Integrated Services for Digital Network is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data, and other network services over the traditional copper telephone network. This has now been overtaken by ADSL and VDSL technologies.

ISP

Internet Service Provider is a Licensed Telecommunications Carrier or Carriage Service Provider that provides customers with an Internet service.

LAN

Local Area Network is the network within a premises that end users connect their devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets, printers, scanners, smartphones using Ethernet cables or Wi-Fi. This is usually controlled by a router that has been specified or supplied by your Retail Service Provider (RSP).

LIA

Lead-In Assembly is a robust, outdoor, pre-connectorised, fibre optic cable that connects a Network Adaptor Point (NAP) located within the telecommunications carriers underground pit in the street with the Premises Connection Device (PCD) located on the outside of the premises, typically near the electricity meter box.

MDU

Multi-Dwelling Unit is a building with multiple apartments, living units or premises.

MDF

Main Distribution Frame is a rack of connection points that connect in-building communications cabling with a telecommunications carrier network, typically located in the basement or ground floor of a building or MDU.

NTD

Network Termination Device is a device or connection point that defines the demarcation point between a carrier network and the building or premises cabling. An NTD in a FTTP network this is typically an Optical Network Terminal (ONT). An NTD in a traditional copper telephone network this is a connector located in a small enclosure on the external wall of a single premises or on the “A-side” of the Main Distribution Frame (MDF) of an apartment building or MDU.

ONT

Optical Network Terminal is a network termination device (NTD) for a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) GPON network that converts light signals to and from the telecommunications carriers’ fibre optic cable network to electrical signals suitable for the premises copper cable network. The Data connection is an RJ45 connector for an Ethernet cable, the telephone connection is a RJ12 connector for telephone cables and the TV port is an F-Type connector for RG6 cable. The copper ports are the user side of the network while the ONT remains within the carrier network.

OTT

Over the Top services are applications such as Voice of IP (telephone), video streaming, security service etc. that operate over the top of an Internet service. These services require an active Internet service to operate, e.g. Netflix, STAN, Skype and Viber are OTT services. Some Retail Service Providers can provide a telephone service via the UNI-V port of an ONT that does not require an Internet service and therefore is not classified as OTT service.

PCD

Premises Connection Device is a small enclosure on the side of a premises that connects the fibre optic lead-in assembly (LIA) or cable with the in-building fibre cable.

POI

Point of Interconnect is located within a data centre in each capital city where the OptiComm wholesale network is connected to the various Retail Service Providers’ networks. OptiComm is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the network from the premises to the POI. Some network components in the OptiComm network are supplied by third party backhaul providers such as Telstra and Optus.

POTS

Plain Old Telephone Service or sometimes referred to as a Standard Telephone Service (STS). In the traditional copper network this is the telephone service however it only refers to a telephone service connected to a UNI-V port of an ONT in an FTTP network, i.e. it is not an Over-the-Top (OTT) VoIP service.

PA

Priority Assist is an initiative defined under the Telecommunications Act to service customers that are dependent on a telephone service for support and assistance. The Surgeon General of Australia has defined the criteria for individuals to obtaining a Priority Assist service from OptiComm and other carriers.

PSTN

Public Switched Telephone Network is the traditional copper telephone network.

RSP

Retail Service Provider is either a Licensed Telecommunications Carrier or Carriage Service Provider that offers residents and businesses with Internet, telephone, Pay TV and other services.

SDU

Single Dwelling Unit is a stand-alone premises or house typically located in a broadacre development site. It can be attached as in a duplex, or stand alone.

SOHO

Small Office, Home Office is a premises that is used to operate a small business that may be either within a residential premises or a promises that is only used for business purposes.

STS

Standard Telephone Service is the traditional telephone service on the Telstra copper network or a telephone service delivered via the UNI-V port of an ONT on an OptiComm FTTP network.

TCA1

Telecommunications Cabling Advice No. 1 form is an ACMA document that should be completed by the registered data cabling technician when any new data cabling is installed in a premises.

UNI

User to Network Interface is a port where end users can connect to a network. In an OptiComm FTTP network this will be one of the copper Ethernet (UNI-D), telephone (UNI-V) or TV ports (UNI-TV) on the ONT.

UNI-D

User to Network Interface – Data is a port where end users can connect to a data port on the network. In an OptiComm FTTP network this will be typically Ethernet Port 1 of the ONT via an RJ45 plug on a Cat5e or Cat6 cable.

UNI-TV

User to Network Interface – TV is a port where end users can connect to the OptiComm Master Antenna Television (MATV) network via the RF TV port of the ONT using an F-Connector on an RG6 coax cable. This port delivers RF TV signals similar to a TV antenna and/or a Foxtel cable TV network.

UNI-V

User to Network Interface – Voice is a port where end users can connect to the Standard Telephone Service (STS) network. In an OptiComm FTTP network this will be via the telephone Port 1 on the ONT using an RJ11 telephone connector.

VDSL

Very high speed Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is a data communications technology that enables very fast broadband data transmission over less than 1km of copper telephone lines.

VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol is a “packet” based telephone communications protocol that can be either provide an Over-the-Top (OTT) telephone service using the Internet or a Standard Telephone Service (STS) via the UNI-V port of the ONT. This protocol is replacing the traditional copper telephone network or PSTN.

WAN

Wide Area Network is the telecommunications carriers’ network that can deliver the Internet, phone and other services to a premises.