Which type of star topology used in a PON places PON splitters closer to customer premises?

In a distributed star topology, the placement of Passive Optical Network (PON) splitters is strategically designed to be closer to customer premises. This configuration allows for a more efficient distribution of fiber connections to end users. By situating the splitters near the customers, the optical signals experience reduced loss and improved performance, resulting in better service quality.

This approach also minimizes the length of the optical fiber runs between the splitter and the customer premises, contributing to lower latency and potentially higher bandwidth capabilities. Ultimately, the distributed star topology is beneficial for scalability and flexibility in expanding network services, as adding or modifying connections can be done with less disruption.

On the other hand, centralized star topologies tend to place all passive splitters in a single central location, which can create longer fiber runs and increase attenuation of signals to the customer. Hybrid star configurations may combine elements of both centralized and distributed designs but do not specifically emphasize the proximity of splitters to the customer premises like the distributed star does. Virtual star topologies are often more of a conceptual design rather than a physical layout and may not apply directly to PON implementations in the same way.