Path taken by data to DSLAM
1. Residential/commercial source: DSL modem plugged into the customer’s computer.
2. Local loop: the telephone company wires from a customer to the telephone company’s central office, often called the “last mile”.
3. DSLAM: a device for DSL service. Sending on the customer or downstream side, it intermixes voice traffic and VDSL traffic onto the customer’s DSL line. Receiving on that side, it accepts and separates outgoing phone and data signals from the customer. It directs the data signals upstream towards the appropriate carrier’s network, and the phone signals towards the voice switch.
4. Main Distribution Frame (MDF): a wiring rack that connects outside subscriber lines with internal lines. It is used to connect public or private lines coming into the building to internal networks. At the telco, the MDF is generally in proximity to the cable vault and not far from the telephone switch.