Serving area interface

The serving area interface or service area interface (SAI) is an outdoor enclosure or metal box that allow access to telecoms wiring.

Alternate Names

Access Point (AP)
Cabinet (Cab)
B-box
Cross box
Cross-connect box
Pedestal (Ped)
Primary Connection Point (PCP) (UK)^[1]
Secondary Connection Point (SCP) (UK)^[2]
Telecom Cabinet

Function

The SAI provides the termination of individual twisted pairs of a telephony local loop for onward connection back to the nearest telephone exchange (US: "central office" (CO)) or remote switch, or first to transmission equipment such as a Subscriber Loop Carrier multiplexer and then to the exchange Main Distribution Frame (PDF).

In UK, the components from PCP onwards to customer are known as "D-side" (Distribution Side), and from PCP back to MDF the "E-side" (Exchange Side). In the US, the connection back to the MDF are known as F2 (Secondary Distribution Cable) and/or F1 (Main Feeder Cable) pairs.

SAI are used in suburban and low density urban areas, serving some of the same purposes that manholes do in high density urban areas. Besides a cross connect point, they sometimes contain a DSLAM or more rarely a remote concentrator or both.

References

^ "Multimedia Telecommunications" (BT Telecommunications Series), B. Whyte (Ed.), Springer 1997
^ "Multimedia Telecommunications" (BT Telecommunications Series), B. Whyte (Ed.), Springer 1997

Alternate Names

Function

References

See also