The component that provides the conversion from optical signal to electrical signal at the subscriber's location in an optical fiber broadband system is called the optical network terminal. True or False?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (A)

In optical fiber broadband, the device at the customer’s location that converts the incoming light signal into electrical signals (and provides the interface to your home devices) is the optical network terminal. It sits at the subscriber premises and includes a photodetector to receive optical signals and a transceiver to convert them to electrical data for Ethernet or other user interfaces. The upstream signal is converted back to optical within the ONT or sent as electrical to your router, depending on the setup, while the service provider’s side uses an Optical Line Terminal to send signals down the same fiber. While some contexts use the term ONU, the standard term for the subscriber-end device is Optical Network Terminal. So, the statement is true.