What Is Local Loop Unbundling – LLU?

Local Loop Unbundling or LLU is the process by which we can bypass some of the technology in the exchange for your local telephone systems. The copper wire phone connection is still used to get information from your business to the exchange, but with LLU in place, it’s possible to get around the download speed limits imposed by the actual exchange.

In most places in the UK, the top speed any home or business broadband user can get through a British Telecom exchange is 8Mps. The equipment in the average BT telephone exchange simply won’t allow anything greater than that. With LLU, it’s possible to use equipment installed and maintained in the exchange by a third party, who pays BT a fee to house that gear inside the exchange.

Of course, that introduces an extra cost for the personal or business broadband consumer, but that money is offset by the charges that no longer need to be paid because BT services aren’t being used any more.

The top speed of your business broadband is influenced by the data transfer and connection methods you choose to use, but there are also external factors on it. Some of those, like the amount of phone and internet traffic flowing along the telephone system to the exchange, are less easy to control. If high traffic is slowing down the local BT exchange at peak times, LLU might be a good solution for you.

LLU xDSL can be either ADSL or SDSL, whichever suits your business broadband needs best.