Denne passive infrastruktur aktiveres ved hjælp af telekommunikationsapparatur (det andet eller det »passive lag«) af et distributionsselskab (wholesale operator), som driver og vedligeholder nettet og tilbyder engrostjenester til leverandørerne (retail operators).
This passive infrastructure is activated by means of telecommunications equipment (the second or ‘active layer’) by a wholesale operator managing and maintaining the network and providing wholesale services to retail operators.