Ethernet takes on the first mile

In the first mile, Ethernet is emerging as the frontrunner for transporting broadband Internet protocol transmissions. The paper considers how Ethernet in the first mile (EFM) is poised to enhance the local subscriber network with IP-centric broadband services, letting local carriers build a converged broadband infrastructure. Ethernet promises to bring about the same revolution in access networking that it created in enterprise networking: fast, simple, inexpensive, reliable, interoperable and ubiquitous connectivity.