drop cable

A drop cable is a connecting cable. It can be a connection cable with which a station is connected to the network, an end customer is connected to the switching distributor via DSL, a computer is connected to the printer or an outlet is connected to the antenna system.

A drop cable can be a copper cable, but also a fiber optic cable. It can be a USB cable, a Lobe cable or a microphone cable. As for copper cables, the rapid development of TP cables has produced drop cables with data rates of several gigabits per second. These could provide the connection to the switching distribution frame instead of FTTH. Drop cables have a limited length, which is specified in the relevant standards.

In cable TV, the term drop cable is also used for the connecting cable.