What Is a Serving Terminal (NAP)?
A serving terminal (NAP) is the outdoor fiber enclosure that connects distribution cable to subscriber drop cables in FTTH networks. Definition, parts, and placement.
A serving terminal, also called a network access point (NAP), is an outdoor fiber enclosure mounted on a pole, pedestal, or wall that connects distribution fiber cable to individual subscriber drop cables. It typically provides 4 to 12 ports where technicians splice or plug in each home's or business's drop line.
Where a Serving Terminal Sits in the Network
A serving terminal is one link in the outside plant chain that carries fiber from the central office to the customer. The path runs from the OLT through feeder fiber to a fiber distribution hub (FDH) or cabinet, where distribution cable branches out toward neighborhoods. That distribution cable terminates at a serving terminal, and from there individual drop cables run the final short distance to each home or business ONT. The serving terminal is the last shared point in the network before the connection becomes dedicated to a single subscriber.
What's Inside a Serving Terminal
A serving terminal is a sealed, outdoor-rated enclosure sized to hold a handful of connections, usually 4, 8, or 12 ports. Inside, distribution fiber connects to drop fiber either through a splice tray with fusion splices or through factory-terminated hardened connectors that let a technician plug and unplug drops without a splice kit. Some serving terminals also integrate a small optical splitter for last-stage splitting, though most FTTH designs put the splitter upstream at the FDH and keep the serving terminal as a pure connection point. The enclosure is gasketed and pressure-rated to keep moisture out over decades of pole or pedestal exposure.
Serving Terminal vs FDH vs Splitter Cabinet
These terms get mixed up on job sites, so it helps to keep the hierarchy straight. A splitter cabinet or FDH is a larger enclosure upstream that splits one feeder fiber into many distribution legs, often serving hundreds of homes across a wider footprint. A serving terminal, also called a NAP, sits much further downstream and closer to the customer, typically serving a single pole span or a small cluster of addresses. Field techs sometimes call any small pole-mount box a NAP box, but the defining feature is the same across naming conventions: it is the enclosure where distribution fiber hands off to drop fiber.
Serving Terminal (NAP), answered
What Is a Serving Terminal (NAP)?
A serving terminal, also called a network access point (NAP), is an outdoor fiber enclosure mounted on a pole, pedestal, or wall that connects distribution fiber cable to individual subscriber drop cables. It typically provides 4 to 12 ports where technicians splice or plug in each home's or business's drop line.
Is a serving terminal the same thing as a splitter?
Not always. Some serving terminals house a small optical splitter, but in most designs the splitting happens upstream at a fiber distribution hub (FDH) or cabinet, and the serving terminal simply splices or connects already-split distribution fiber to individual drop cables.
How many homes does one serving terminal (NAP) serve?
It depends on port count. Common serving terminals have 4, 8, or 12 ports, so one unit typically feeds that many nearby homes or businesses, each getting its own dedicated drop cable back to the terminal.
Where do crews install serving terminals?
On aerial builds, serving terminals mount to strand or directly to a utility pole near the homes they serve. On underground builds, they sit in a pedestal, handhole, or below-grade enclosure at the edge of the right-of-way.