Telecommunications pedestal

A telecommunications pedestal is a ground-level housing for a passive connection point for underground cables.

Placing such a point underground (e.g., in a utility vault) is expensive, so pedestals are preferred when they are an acceptable choice.

Pedestals are used for CATV (known as a cable box in such a situation), telephone, passive optical networks, and other telecommunications systems.

A pedestal is generally a sheet metal or plastic housing that encloses a passive termination block.

The pedestal is usually about 3 feet high and has a diameter of less than one foot, with a circular, rectangular, oval, or "rounded rectangle" cross-section.

Two pedestals (light gray boxes with orange cap) on an American roadside
Telephone enclosure owned by TDS Telecom, a 3 foot tall enclosure, either cylindrical or cuboidal, with a sticker warning underground cables reside around it and requiring you to call a number before you dig around it
A telephone pedestal