Passive Optical Network

A passive optical network (PON) is a system commonly used by telecommunications network providers that brings fiber optic cabling and signals all or most of the way to the end user. Depending on where the PON terminates, the system can be described as fiber to the curb, fiber to the building or fiber to the home.

In a PON network, a device called an optical line terminal (OLT) is placed at the head end of the network. A single fiber optic cable runs from the OLT to a nonpowered (passive) optical beam splitter, which multiplies the signal and relays it to many optical network terminals (ONTs).