A telecommunications pedestal is a ground-level housing for a passive connection point for underground cables. Technicians require access to connection points. Placing such a point underground (e.g., in a

utility vault A utility vault is an underground room providing access to subterranean public utility equipment, such as valves for water or natural gas pipes, or switchgear for electrical or telecommunications equipment. A vault is often accessible directly fro ...

) is expensive, so pedestals are preferred when they are an acceptable choice. Pedestals are used for

CATV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...

(known as a cable box in such a situation),

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into el ...

passive optical network A passive optical network (PON) is a fiber-optic telecommunications technology for delivering broadband network access to end-customers. Its architecture implements a point-to-multipoint topology in which a single optical fiber serves multiple en ...

s, and other

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

systems. A pedestal is generally a sheet metal or plastic housing that encloses a passive termination block. The pedestal is usually about 3 feet high and has a diameter of less than one foot, with a circular, rectangular, oval, or "rounded rectangle" cross-section. The pedestal either has an access panel or removable housing. One, two, three or (occasionally) more underground distribution cables rise from the ground into the bottom of the pedestal and the individual circuits from the cables are terminated on the termination block. In addition to distribution cables, the pedestal may terminate one or more individual underground subscriber cables. The cables are cross-connected as needed at the termination block. Telephone_Pedestal

External links

* {{telecommunications-stub Telecommunications equipment