fantail circuit - technical definition

Also known as a multi-drop circuit and, more formally, as a point-to-multipoint circuit. A dedicated circuit that connects a single device (i.e., point) to multiple devices, with the circuit fanning out like a tail from the headend. The drops, or tail circuits, connect to the main circuit through a simple bridge. Fantail circuits generally are phrased in the context of a wide area network (WAN), and generally are provided as a carrier service. See Figure F-1. See also bridge, drop, headend, point-to-multipoint circuit, and WAN.