fonfixer

Thats a pretty good breakdown of how the cables run. The picture with the open "ped" is correct for the most part in older neighborhoods. Newer neighborhoods/developments typically get fiber-to-curb which has a buried fiber optic cable to each ped and the only copper is from the ped to the end user. If it is in an older neighborhood in urban areas the smallest cable is 25 pair either buried or aerial. That 25 pair will branch off a 50 or 100 pair, which branches off something bigger, usually up to 600 pair cable, which comes from a "cross-box" or "x-box". The cross box can be feed straight from the C.O., Central Office, or Frame (they're all one in the same, just depends on who you're talking to), or it can be feed from a SLC (commonly pronounced SLICK). The SLC can be a cabinet like the one pictured or it can be a small building of several different designs, they all do pretty much the same thing which you kinda put in to basic terms. The SLC that I deal with all work off copper T1's, which also go back to the C.O. A MUX on the other hand is fiber feed but still has copper leaving carring dial tone or T1's. All that I have just described should in no way be taken for the gospel. This is all the same buried or aerial, the only thing that changes is the elevation of the cable. If y'all are talking about this stuff then I figure I might as well tell you the correct terms.

not sure but i believe sync refers to signal present on your phone line, i'll check