Local loop unbundling (LLU)

What is "Local Loop Unbundling?"

Local Loop Unbundling (or LLU) is a way that telecom operators can access the copper pairs that connect from a telephone exchange to a customer's premises. LLU allows operators to deliver services directly to the end-user without being restricted by the incumbent telephone company's portfolio.

In order to deliver LLU services the operator must have rack space inside the telephone exchange. Only Ofcom licensed operators, such as MLL Telecom, have approval to do this.

LLU can be used to deliver a range of Ethernet services. The most common are ADSL broadband services for residential users and SHDSL (often known as Ethernet First Mile) for business and public sector users.

What is Ethernet First Mile (EFM)?

EFM (Ethernet First Mile) or SDSL (Synchronous Digital Subscriber Loop) provides a symmetric Ethernet service. So unlike residential ADSL, which typically has fast download but slow upload speeds, the same bandwidth can be delivered in both directions.

Another key difference to residential broadband is that EFM services can be delivered without any contention. Consumer broadband usually shares the amount of access bandwidth provided across many users, working on the basis that most users won't be using the service at the same time. When they do, performance drops due to contention. Operators such as MLL Telecom can provide EFM services with no contention at all.

What applications is EFM best suited for?

EFM is ideally suited to communities of users that are concentrated in one area, such as a county or town. This allows several sites to be connected from each telephone exchange, delivering significant cost savings over fibre-based services. Examples of organisations that are taking advantage of EFM services include Local Authorities, Schools, healthcare networks and CCTV connections.

EFM can also be a cost effective option to provide resilient connections to fibre services.

MLL Telecom's EFM solutions

Bandwidths depend on the number of copper pairs used, the distance from the exchange and the quality of the copper. MLL Telecom typically provides services between 10Mb/s and 40Mb/s using EFM technology. Higher speed access services, up to 1Gb/s, are delivered over fibre or microwave radio.

EFM (or LLU) is an important access technology but it needs to be considered as part of a complete network design. MLL Telecom also provides high-speed fibre cores up to 10Gb/s and MPLS and Ethernet switching to add VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and QoS (Quality of Service) to the network.

Security options include the provision of a locked cabinet within the telephone exchange and purpose-built dedicated LLU solutions for local government to ensure they are PSN-compliant.

All of MLL Telecom's EFM and LLU services are delivered with proactive management from our 24/7 Network Operations Centre.