Ethernet First Mile (EFM) or Bonded ADSL Broadband

Endrick IT, leased line providers, Glasgow Scotland UK help business owners make the correct choice when deciding on the internet connectivity product that meets their needs

Installation Lead Time

Ethernet First Mile (EFM) and Bonded ADSL (Bonded Broadband) both use existing copper wire technology, this allows for quicker installation compared with copper or fibre leased lines.  If copper wire currently exists from the local POP to the point of install, then businesses could have either one of these technologies installed within three to five weeks on average.  However, bonding existing ADSL services can be provisioned and installed within hours.

Internet Connection Speeds

Bonded ADSL offers speeds of up to 100Mbps downstream and up to 10Mbps upstream, less approximately 2% average overheads. This speed however, is completely determined by each individual ADSL line applied to the bonded circuit. EFM on the other hand offers fixed speeds from 1Mbps to 20Mbps. Therefore, if businesses purchase a 10Mbps EFM circuit, they will receive a guaranteed bandwidth of 10Mbps symmetric upstream/downstream at all times.

Manageability

EFM requires very little to nothing in the way of management. Bonded ADSL requires more dedicated management; the aggregated line speeds require rebalancing throughout the day in order to establish optimum speeds. This also results in loss of speed during the rebalancing process.

Availability

EFM may not be available in all areas of Scotland and the UK whereas Bonded ADSL only requires active ADSL or ADSL+ services to bond to.

Resilience & Reliability

Bonded ADSL can utilise up to 8 lines, or even more depending on the ISP supplying the service. Businesses can also subscribe to different ISPs per individual ADSL line, allowing for greater resilience in the event on or more of the services should fail. EFM on the other hand can only be judged on its impeccable reliability record.

Cost

EFM monthly fees can be considerably lower than some ADSL bonding services especially when business owners add the total cost involved i.e. phone lines, ADSL service, bonding fees and management costs.
 
 
Summary

Typically Bonded ADSL can be more expensive than Ethernet in the First Mile, but may be the only option available to businesses in their area. If an immediate bandwidth increase is required to stabilise workforce’s internet speed requirements, then bonding broadband will probably be the answer.  Bonded ADSL will require daily performance management, so be prepared for some “extra skills” requirements.  EFM delivers true bandwidth speeds and remains constant at all times.

Contact Information

Ewen Edward-Smith

MD

Endrick IT

(44) 0844 800 9188

Contact via E-mail