How the *** are those even allowed to be built like that? Since they all have the same form factor, crimps, "pits" (?????) etc. someone must have thought that those were acceptable materials to build communication infrastructure with? What? How? Why? I thought this was a bad copper node in an older part of the network: https://www.madicom.nl/wp-content/uploads/950_670-7.jpg (old pre-VDSL cabinet) but it looks like a fresh high-grade install compared to those 2012 examples. Maybe we're just lucky with higher population density and not much happening between the street cabinet and the premises.

DOCSIS version of the same type of cabinet with a better view: https://www.madicom.nl/wp-content/uploads/950_670-3.jpg They are essentially grey metal boxes on a concrete block with feed-throughs for tubes where the lines pass through, and then there's a backboard where you usually find DIN-rails or just screw-in devices and your labelled cables either go to a termination block or straight into the distribution block. The termination block has the benefit of not needing 'wire extensions' since once they are in they will never have to come out unless corrosion happens (but the gravel mixed with some absorbing stuff should prevent most of that).

Maybe I should go for some digital archaeology of public communication infrastructure gore because thinking about it some more it has to be at least as bad around here in some places.