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What you need to know

Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) provides businesses the benefits of Ethernet connectivity - reliability and higher synchronous bandwidth - at a lower cost and with reduced installation times. Depending on your customer's requirements and their distance from the serving exchange, EFM uses between two and eight copper pairs to deliver data to our Ethernet network. And because it’s an uncontended service, your customers won’t have to share bandwidth with anyone else.

Why choose CityFibre as your EFM supplier?

Easy to do business with

Whether it’s placing orders, discussing potential solutions or gaining updates on existing orders, it’s really easy to do business with us. Our online partner portal, synergi, provides access to real-time pricing and you’ll always have access to your Account Manager when you need it.

Fully managed provisioning

A single point of contact will be assigned to your order, who will manage it right the way through to activation. They will be the one who knows exactly where your order is in the provisioning process and will keep you updated so that you don’t even need to ask.

We put you first

We’ll always put you and your business first - No matter if it's our Customer Service team or your dedicated CityFibre Account Manager, we always put you and your business first. We are here to help you design a solution to ensure you win the business you need. Your CityFibre Account Manager is an extension of your own business and will help you to design solutions to ensure you win the business.

An extra eye...

Like all of our connectivity services, EFM networks are monitored on a 24/7 basis by our NOC team and if anything goes wrong, you’ve got the added security of having a 100% SLA with a 9-hour return to service guarantee.

EFM at a glance

Symmetrical speeds of up to 35Mbps

Installation within 35 working days

100% Service Level Agreement

9 business hour Return to Service guarantee

24/7 UK based monitoring, maintenance and technical service

Backup options available for resilience

Managed Cisco router as standard

FAQs

Is the connection speed fixed or variable?

This depends on your chosen carrier, for example BT Wholesale fix the connection speed whereas TalkTalk does not. We’ll determine how important connection speed is for your solution and will recommend the best carrier to suit your needs.

Can my customer upgrade the copper pairs mid-contract to achieve a higher speed?

Again this depends on which carrier you take your service from. If you’re likely to need flexibility during the term of a contract, let your Account Manager know as part of your initial discussions as they’ll take this into consideration when designing your solution.

Can my customer move premises part way through their contract?

Ideally you’d capture the likelihood of a premises move before placing your order as this will have an impact on the recommended carrier. If a move is required part way through a contract, a charge may be applicable depending on how long there is left on the contract and the location of the new site. It’s best to speak to your Account Manager to find out how the land lies for your specific case.

Does CityFibre restrict any ports on EFM equipment?

No, we don’t block any ports on our equipment.

What guarantees does CityFibre offer if the Cisco router fails?

If a router that we’ve provided fails, we’ll arrange for a replacement to be couriered to your customer’s business site on the next working day. Replacements will be made on a like-for-like basis.

What’s your provisioning process?

The provisioning process that we follow is standard across the communications industry and has a number of key stages to go through. For further information, you can download our 'Guide to Provisioning' ebook.

How long does it take to implement EFM?

This is the question most likely to be asked but the most difficult to answer. There are a number of factors that can impact the time it takes to implement an EFM line so while we indicate that it will be completed within 35 working days, in reality this will depend on the carrier, the outcome of the site survey and whether any works are needed that will require the input of outside agencies, such as local councils or landlords. The good news is that as we manage the provisioning process ourselves, your dedicated provisioning agent will be able to keep you and your customer updated on progress as the order makes its way through the process to activation.

Need more detail?

Click to download our EFM brochure

Ethernet First Mile