TalkTalk Business, formerly Opal, has extended its data connectivity portfolio with the launch of Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) following a six-month market trial in the channel.
Over 120 orders had been confirmed at the time of launch with a further 50 orders in the pipeline after a trial that involved 13 channel partners.
 
TalkTalk Business is taking orders for its EFM offering on over 1,800 enabled exchanges. EFM offers customers who require a higher bandwidth than is achievable on traditional ADSL products but a more competitive price point compared to other fibre-based Ethernet services.
The bonded copper connection ensures resilience and boosts commercial productivity for a variety of end users.
According to TalkTalk Business, customers have access to a full range of synchronous Ethernet services delivered over bandwidths from 2Mb-20Mb symmetrical, with 100% success rate on achieving minimum predicted speeds, in addition to the existing portfolio of fibre based products for the 10Mb through to 1Gb range.
Lance Spencer, Director of Connectivity at TalkTalk Business, said: “TalkTalk Business’ EFM is resilient and an efficient use of our existing Next Generation Network infrastructure. It enables us to maximise the use of more than 1,800 enabled exchanges in the UK market.
“For partners looking to add a competitive Ethernet solution to their data portfolio, we will be holding two partner events in Soho to discuss the key benefits of EFM over alternative connectivity options and to provide an opportunity for networking and discussion with resellers and dealers. We will also be happy to field any queries at Convergence Summit North, where we will be presenting a seminar on Understanding Next Generation Access.”
TalkTalk Business’ EFM uses either two or four pairs of copper wires combined to create a single synchronous Ethernet connection. Should there be a fault on any of the pairs, EFM does not drop the service like traditional single pair delivery. The architecture for last mile delivery allows the service to remain live at a reduced speed until the problem is fixed, ensuring the impact on the end applications are minimised. If an outage does occur, businesses are covered by a service level agreement which guarantees that resolution will be achieved within a six-hour window.
Although the speed of an EFM circuit depends on the distance from the end customer’s office to the local serving exchange, TalkTalk Business’ network covers over 1,800 UK enabled exchanges, enabling low cost access for businesses up to 4km from the exchange.
To use EFM, either two or four dedicated data-only copper pairs and associated wall sockets, are installed. A qualified engineer will install TalkTalk Business’ own network terminating equipment, providing the site with an RJ45 Ethernet interface, allowing standard customer premises equipment to be connected.