Telecommunication Acronyms A – Z
| A | ABF Air blown fiber. ADM Add/drop multiplexer. ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line. ADSS All-dielectric self-supporting. AMA mplitude modulation. ANSI American National Standards Institute. AOC Active optical cable. AON All-optical network. APC Angled physical contact. APD Avalanche photodiode. | APL Allowable path loss. APON Asynchronous transfer mode PON. APS Automatic protection switching. APVD Advanced plasma and vapor deposition. ASE Amplified spontaneous emission. ASOF Application-specific optical fibers. ASQ American Society for Quality. ATE Automatic test equipment. ATM Asynchronous transfer mode. AWG Arrayed waveguide grating. |
| B | BER Bit error rate. BERT Bit error rate tester. BFOC Bayonet fiber-optic connector. BIFBend-insensitive fiber. | BI-MMF Bend-insensitive multimode fiber. B-ISDNBroadband ISDN. BLEC Building local exchange carrier. B-PON Broadband passive optical network. |
| C | CAP Competitive access provider. CATV Community antenna television. CCTV Closed circuit television. CDChromatic dispersion. CEC Canadian Electrical Code. CEV Controlled environmental vault. CFP C form factor pluggable. CIR Cable index of refraction. CLEC Competitive local exchange carrier. CNRCarrier-to-noise ratio. COCentral office. CODECCoder/decoder. | CORD Center for Occupational Research and Development. CPE Customer premises equipment. CSA Canadian Standards Organization. CSF Cutoff shifted fiber. CSM Central strength member. CSMA/CD Carrier sense multiple access / collision detection. CSO Composite second order. CSRZ Carrier suppressed return-to-zero. CTB Composite triple beat. CW Center wavelength, or continuous wave. CWDM Coarse wavelength division multiplexing. |
| D | dB Decibel. DBFA Dual-band fiber amplifier. dBm Decibels relative to one milliwatt. DCC Data communication channel. DCE Data communications equipment. DCF Dispersion-compensating fiber. DCM Dispersion compensation module. DFB Distributed feedback (laser). DGD Differential group delay. DGE Dynamic gain equalizer. DIB Dual-insulated buffer. DIP Dual in-line package. DMD Differential mode delay. DML Directly-modulated laser. | DOCSIS Data-Over-Cable-Service Interface Specification. DOP Degree of polarization. DOPL Differential optical path loss. DP-QPSK Dual polarization quadrature phase-shift keying. DPSK Differential phase-shift keying. DPSS Diode-pumped solid-state. DQPSK Differential quadrature phase shift keying. DS-x Digital signal (level). DSF Dispersion-shifted fiber. DSL Digital subscriber line. DSP Digital signal processing. DTE Data terminal equipment. DWDM Dense wavelength division multiplexing |
| E | ECMA European Computer Manufacturers Association. EDA Equipment distribution area. EDFA Erbium-doped fiber amplifier. EF Encircled flux. EFM Ethernet in the first mile. EIA Electronic Industries Alliance. ELED Edge-emitting diode. EMB Effective modal bandwidth. EMD Equilibrium modal distribution. | EMI Electromagnetic interference. EMP Electromagnetic pulse. EO Electrical–optical. EPON Ethernet PON. ERK Emergency restoration kit. ESCON Enterprise System Connection. ESL Estimated splice loss. ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute. EVC Equivalent voice channels. |
| F | FAT Fiber access terminal. FBG Fiber Bragg grating. FBT Fused biconical taper. FC Fiber connector. FCIA Fibre Channel Industry Association. FDB Fiber demarcation box. FDDI Fiber distributed data interface. FDF Fiber distribution frame. FDH Fiber distribution hub. FDM Frequency division multiplexing. FDU Fiber distribution unit. FEC Fiber entrance cabinet OR forward error correction. FET Field effect transistor. FIFM Fiber in the first mile. FILM Fiber in the last mile. FITL Fiber in the loop. FM Frequency modulation. FOCIS Fiber Optic Connector Intermateability Standard. | FOCS Fiber optic communication system. FOTP Fiber optic test procedure. FOTR Fiber optic transceiver. FOTS Fiber optic transmission system. FPFabry-Perot (laser). FRP Fiberglass rodent protection. FSAN Full Service Access Network. FSWDM Full spectrum wavelength division multiplexing. FTTA Fiber to the antenna. FTTB Fiber to the building or business. FTTC Fiber to the curb or cabinet. FTTD Fiber to the desk. FTTH Fiber to the home. FTTN Fiber to the node. FTTO Fiber to the office. FTTx Fiber to the premises. FWHM Full width, half maximum. FWM Four wave mixing. |
| G, H | GbEGigabit Ethernet. GBIC Gigabit interface converter. GD Group delay. GEM G-PON encapsulation method. GFF Gain flattening filter.HASB High air-speed blown. HC Horizontal cross-connect. HDA Horizontal distribution area. HDPE High-density polyethylene. HDSL High bit rate digital subscriber line. HDTV High definition television. | GHz Gigahertz. GI-MMF Graded-index multimode fiber. GI-POF Graded-index plastic optical fiber. G-PONGigabit PON. GRINGradient index.HFC Hybrid fiber coax. HFOC Hardened fiber-optic connector. HIPPI High performance parallel interface. HMFOC Hardened multifiber optical connector. HSTR High-speed Token Ring. HVAD Hybrid vapor axial deposition. |
| I | IC Integrated circuit OR intermediate cross- connect. ICCF Interexchange Carrier Compatibility Forum. ICEA Insulated Cable Engineers Association. IDF Intermediate distribution frame. IEC International Electrotechnical Commission. IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IFC Intra fiber cabling. ILD Injection laser diode. ILEC Incumbent local exchange carrier. ILTA Integrable tunable laser assemblies. InGaAsP Indium gallium arsenide phosphide. | IP Internet protocol. IPA Isopropyl alcohol. IPTV Internet protocol television. IR Index of refraction. ISDN Integrated services digital network ISO International Standards Organization. ISP Internet service provider. ITS Information transport system (for premises systems) OR intelligent transportation system (for highway systems). ITU International Telecommunications Union. IVD Inside vapor deposition. IXC Interexchange carrier. |
| K, L | kHz Kilohertz. km Kilometer.LAN Local area network. LATA Local access and transport area. LEC Local exchange carrier. LED Light-emitting diode. LIA Laser Institute of America | kpsi Thousand pounds per square inchLID Local injection and detection. LSA Least square approximation. LSZH Low smoke zero halogen. LTGF Loose tube gel filled. LWP Low water peak. |
| M | MAN Metropolitan area network. Mb Megabit. MC Main cross-connect. MCPC Mode conditioning patchcord. MCVD Modified chemical vapor deposition. MDA Main distribution area. MDF Main distribution frame. MDPE Medium-density polyethylene. MDU Multiple dwelling unit. MEM Micro-electro-mechanical. MFD Mode-field diameter. MFU Multiple family unit. MHz Megahertz. minEMBc Minimum calculated effective modal bandwidth. MiniBNC Miniature bayonet Neill-Concelman. MLM Multilongitudinal mode. MMF Multimode fiber | MMTA Multimedia Telecommunications Association. MPD Mode power distribution. MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group. MPLS Multiprotocol label switching. MPO Multifiber push-on connector. MRCL Maximum rated cable load. MSDS Material safety data sheet. MSO Multiple system operator. MSP Managed service provider. MST Multifiber service terminal. MSTP Multiservice transport platform. MTBF Mean time between failures. MTDC Multitenant data center. MTP Multiple transfer push-on. MT-RJ Mechanical transfer registered jack. MTU Multiple tenant unit. MUTOA Multiuser telecommunications outlet assembly |
| N | NA Numerical aperture. NAP Network access point NEC National Electrical Code. NECA National Electrical Contractors Association. NEMA National Electrical Manufacturers Association. NESC National Electrical Safety Code. NFPA National Fire Protection Association. NGI Next generation Internet. NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology. | NCC Network control center. NEBS Network equipment building system. nm Nanometer. NOC Network operations center. NRZ Nonreturn to zero. nsNanosecond. NTIS National Technical Information Service. NTSC National Television Standards Committee. NZDS Nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber. |
| O | OA Optical amplifier. OADM Optical add/drop multiplexer. OAM Operations, administration and maintenance. OAM&P Operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning. OAN Optical access networking. OC Optical carrier. OCDMA Optical code division multiple access. OD Outside diameter OR optical density. ODN Optical distribution network. ODU Optical demultiplexer unit. OEOptical-to-electrical. OEE Optical entrance enclosure. OEIC Optoelectronic integrated circuit. OEO Optical–electrical–optical. OFCP Optical fiber conductive plenum. OFCR Optical fiber conductive riser. OFDM Optical frequency division multiplexing. OFL Overfilled launch. OFLC Overfilled launch condition. OFNP Optical fiber nonconductive plenum. OFNR Optical fiber nonconductive riser. OFSTP Optical fiber system test procedures. OI Optical isolator. OLS Optical line system. OLT Optical line terminal. OLTS Optical loss test set. | OM Optical multimode. OMU Optical multiplexer unit. ONT Optical network terminal. ONU Optical network unit. OOK On-off keying. OOO Optical–optical–optical. OPGW Optical power ground wire. OPM Optical power meter. OPS Optical protection switch. ORL Optical return loss. OS Optical single-mode. OSA Optical spectrum analyzer OR optical subassembly OR Optical Society of America. OSC Optical supervisory channel. OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSI Open system interconnection. OSNR Optical signal-to-noise ratio. OSP Outside plant. OSS Operational support system. OTDM Optical time-division multiplexing. OTDR Optical time-domain reflectometer. OTN Optical transport network. OTU Optical translator unit. OVD Outside vapor deposition. OXC Optical cross connect. |
| P | P2MP Point to multipoint. P2P Point to point. PAS Profile alignment system. PBX Private branch exchange. PC Physical contact. PCM Pulse code modulation. PCVD Plasma activated chemical vapor deposition. PIN Positive-intrinsic-negative. PIN-FET Positive-intrinsic-negative field-effect transistor. PLC Planar lightwave circuit. PLOAM Physical layer operations, administration, and maintenance. PMD Polarization mode dispersion. PMDC Polarization mode dispersion compensation. PM-QPSK Polarization multiplexed quadrature phase shift keying. POF Plastic optical fiber. PON Passive optical network. | PDC Polarization dependence of the center wavelength. PDFA Praseodymium-doped fiber amplifier. PDL Polarized dispersion loss. PDLC Polarization dependent loss compensation. PDM Polarization division multiplexing. PE Polyethylene. PIC Photonic integrated circuit. POP Point of presence. POTP Passive optical transport platform. POTS Plain old telephone service. PPE Personal protective equipment. PSK Phase-shift keying. PSTN Public switched telephone network. PTZ Pan, tilt, zoom. PUPolyurethane. PVC Polyvinyl chloride OR permanent virtual circuit. PVDF Polyvinylidene fluoride. PXC Photonic cross connect. |
| Q, R | QAM Quadrature amplitude modulation. QDM Double-band amplitude modulation.RADSL Rate adaptive digital subscriber line. RBOC Regional Bell operating company. RBS Rated breaking strength. RCVR Receiver. RFRadio frequency. RFI Radio frequency interference. RFoG Radio frequency over glass. RFTS Remote fiber test system. RIN Relative intensity noise. | QoS Quality of service. QPSK Quadrature phase-shift keying.RML Restricted mode launch. ROADM Reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer. ROSA Receiver optical subassembly. ROW Rights of way. RTRemote terminal. RTM Reference test method. RTU Remote test unit. RU Rack unit. Rx Receive or receiver. |
| S | SA Serving area. SAN Storage area network. SBS Stimulated Brillouin scattering. SCTE Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. SDH Synchronous digital hierarchy. SDM Spatial division multiplexing. SDSL Single-pair symmetrical digital subscriber line. SDV Switched digital video. SERDES Serializer/deserializer. SFF Small form factor. SFP Small form factor pluggable. SHR Self-healing ring. SLED Surface-emitting LED. SLIC Subscriber line interface circuit. SLM Single-longitudinal mode (laser). SMA Subminiature type A connector. | SMDS Switched multimegabit data service. SMF Single-mode fiber. SNMP Simple (or signalling) network management protocol. SNR Signal-to-noise ratio. SOA Semiconductor optical amplifier. SONET Synchronous optical network. SOP State of polarization. SPC Super physical contact. SPIE Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers. SPM Self phase modulation. SSB Single side band. STM Synchronous transfer mode. STP Shielded twisted pair. STS Synchronous transport signaling. SVC Switched virtual circuit. SVOD Switched video on demand. |
| T | TAXI Transparent asynchronous transmitter receiver interface. TC Telecommunications closet. TCP/IP Transport control protocol/Internet protocol. TDM Time division multiplexing. TDMA Time division multiple access. TEC Thermoelectric cooler. THz Terahertz. | TIA Telecommunications Industry Association. TMC Traffic management center. TO Telecommunications outlet. TOSA Transmitter optical subassembly. TPON Telephony PON. Tx Transmit, OR transmitter. TTL Transistor-transistor logic. |
| U, V, Z | UHDTV Ultra high definition television. ULUnderwriter’s Laboratory. ULC Underfilled launch condition. UNI User network interface.VAD Vapor axial deposition. VCSEL Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. VFC Voice frequency channels. VOA Variable optical attenuator. VOD Video on demand.WA Work area. WAN Wide area network. WDM Wavelength division multiplexing. WHMIS Workplace Hazardous Material Information System. | UPC Ultra physical contact. UPS Uninterruptible power supply. UTP Unshielded twisted pair. UV Ultraviolet.VoIP Voice over Internet protocol. VPN Virtual private network. VPON Video passive optical network. VSB Vestigial sideband. VT Virtual tributary.WIC Wavelength independent coupler. WSS Wavelength selectable switch. WXC Wavelength cross connect. |
| X, Z | XFP 10 Gigabit small form factor pluggable. XMD 10 Gb/s miniature device. XPM Cross phase modulation | ZDA Zone distribution area. ZWP Zero water peak. |
