Jargon Buster

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL Max BT's term for their commercial rate-adaptive DSL products
ADSL2 ADSL up to 12Mb
ADSL2+ ADSL up to 24Mb
Aggregation Node A Point of Presence (POP) aggregating supply of local Next Generation Access (NGA) subscribers, or service provision from multiple suppliers, or both.
AIP Access Infrastructure Provider
ALA Active Line Access
ANCP Access Node Control Protocol
ATA Analogue Telephony Adapter
B2B Business to Business
BIS Department for Business, Innovations & Skills (Govt. dept.)
BRAS Broadband Remote Access Server
Brownfield Abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use
BSG Broadband Stakeholder Group
CBN Community Broadband Network
CGA Current Generation Access
CHP Central Handover Point
CO Central Office
ConDoc Consultation Document
COTS Commercial, Operational and Technical Standards Project for Independent Local Access Networks (The COTS Project)
CP Communication Provider (same as Service Provider)
CPE Customer Premise Equipment
CVLAN Customer Virtual Local Area Network
DEA Dedicated Ethernet Access
DLE Digital Local Exchange
DSLAM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer
EAD Flex Ethernet Access Direct - Flex
E-ALA Ethernet Active Line Access
EMP Equivalence Management Platform
FDP Fibre Distribution Point
FIRS Fibre Integrated Reception System
FTTC Fibre To The Cabinet
FTTH Fibre To The Home
FTTP Fibre To The Premises
FTTx Fibre To The x
GEA Generic Ethernet Access
GPON Gigabit Passive Optical Network
Greenfield Piece of undeveloped land (the 'opposite' of Brownfield land)
Head End A central control device required by some networks
ILAN Independent Local Access Networks
INCA Independent Networks Cooperative Association
IRS Integrated Reception System
LLU Local Loop Unbundling
LTE Long Term Evolution
MALR Max Achievable Line Rate
MDU Multi-Dwelling Unit
MPF Metallic Path Facility
NGA Next Generation Access
NICC UK Standards body, looking at Ethernet-ALA standards for NGA
NTE Network Terminating Equipment
NTE5 The NTE5 is the type of master socket that is commonly installed. It allows easy testing of the BT network by removal of the front lower faceplate to reveal the test socket. IDC terminals on the rear connect to the incoming BT line, IDC terminals on the front faceplate allow the end user to easily connect internal telephone extension wiring. 
OLT Optical Line Termination
ONT Optical Network Terminal
Open Access Term given to describe a network or access that allows multiple providers/CPs to offer service
OSCP On Site Connection Point
P2P Point To Point
PATS Publicly Available Telephone Service
PCP Primary Connection Point - BT term to describe the cabinets at the side of the road
PIA Physical Infrastructure Access
PON Passive Optical Network
Portal A gateway or site that functions as a point of access - in this case, for ordering
POTS Plain Old Telephone Service
PPP Point to Point Protocol
QoS Quality Of Service
R1300 BT - part of EMP
RDA Regional Development Agency
SLU Sub-Loop Unbundling
SMP Significant Market Power
SMPF Shared Metallic Path Facility
SP Service Provider
Splitter Allows a single fibre optic cable to serve multiple premises - used in PON networks - no power is required
SSFP Service Specific Face Plate
Superfast broadband Term given to broadband speeds of over 24Mb (ADSL2+ speeds) 
SVLAN Service Virtual Local Area Network
TSB Technology Strategy Board
TWG Triallist Working Group
USO Universal Service Obligation
VDSL Very High Bitrate DSL (also known as VHDSL)
VDSL2 Second-generation VDSL2 systems (ITU-T G.993.2 Approved in February 2006) utilize bandwidth of up to 30 MHz to provide data rates exceeding 100 Mbit/s simultaneously in both the upstream and downstream directions. The maximum available bit rate is achieved at a range of about 300 meters; performance degrades as the loop attenuation increases.
VLAN Virtual Local Area Network
VoNGA Voice Over NGA
VULA Virtual Unbundled Local Access
WBC Wholesale Broadband Connect
WBMC Wholesale Broadband Managed Connect
WiMax Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
WLR Wholesale Line Rental

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