How Ethernet First Mile Can Make Your Staff More Productive

Ethernet First Mile is growing in popularity, in part because it can help make staff more productive.

It's not available everywhere, so it's worth using our free online Ethernet First Mile price checker to find out the best option in your area.

EFM's enhanced resilience reduces costly downtime

Internet connections rarely go down, but when they do, the downtime can prove very costly to a business.

• You can't receive emails from your customers. You can't reply to customers' emails.
• You can't access online information services (such as credit checks, Companies House)
• You can't order online from your suppliers, check the status of existing orders via their web site, or see what product/service offerings are available to you.

Ethernet First Mile reduces the risk of your connection going down. It does this by utilising multiple 'copper pairs,' so that if one circuit is hit by a fault, you've still got at least one other one and you'll still have a working connection.

Not all Ethernet First Mile services are as resilient as those offered by us. Here at hSo we not only use multiple copper pairs, we can also use separate line cards for each circuit, and have those cards plugged into multiple independent pieces of equipment at your local exchange, to greatly reduced the risk that you'll lose your connection as a result of the failure of a single piece of hardware.

If your Ethernet First Mile connection goes down, typically it will be repaired within one working day – compared to FIVE working days for ADSL. And this is backed by Service Level Agreements (SLAs) / Service Level Guarantees (SLGs).

Ethernet First Mile offers consistently high speeds

Our Ethernet First Mile leased lines offer a dedicated connection. This means you don't have to share your bandwidth with other customers. Your business won't find its connection slowing down at busy times of the day, when other firms in the local area are trying to access the same backhaul bandwidth as you.

Ethernet in the First Mile can deliver the bandwidth you need

If you're frustrated by the slow connection speeds offered to you by ADSL, SDSL or your existing leased line, Ethernet First Mile could be the solution you need.

We offer Ethernet in the First Mile connection speeds of up to 35Mbit/s. Most other Ethernet First Mile providers only offer up to 20Mbit/s.

How do we do this? We use up to 8 copper pairs to deliver the service. Those 'up to 20Mbit/s' providers use up to 4 copper pairs. Using up to twice as many circuits makes it technically possible for us to deliver twice the speed. However, to ensure more customers can get the maximum advertised speed, we've chosen to deliver 'up to 35mbit/s' rather than 'up to 40mbit/s.'

The maximum speed you can get from 'EFM over copper' will depend on how far away you are from your local telephone exchange (and whether your local exchange is EFM-enabled).

To find out whether EFM is available at your local exchange, and what speeds are available to you, use our Ethernet First Mile & Leased Line price checker, then give us a call on 020 7847 4510 and we'll be able to provide you with additional information on the options that are available at your location.

Even if you can't get EFM over copper, for whatever reason, its highly likely we can deliver the bandwidth you seek by using fibre-optic circuits.

EFM offers more upstream bandwidth

With Ethernet First Mile, you get a symmetrical connection that delivers the same high speed both upstream and downstream. This is very different from an ADSL connection, where the upload speed is far slower than the downstream speed.

Your staff will enjoy faster Internet connections with Ethernet First Mile

Ethernet First Mile connections have a much lower latency than ADSL connections

If you're using your connection for real-time communication, e.g. VoIP, video conferencing, instant messaging or controlling your work PC from home, latency matters.

Latency is the delay between when data is sent and when it is received. The shorter the delay the better. EFM circuits have far lower latency than ADSL connections, ensuring a much better experience on real-time communication.

How much is an Ethernet First Mile connection likely to cost my business?

Check out our free online Ethernet First Mile price checker to find out how much an EFM or Fibre leased line is likely to cost in your area.