The local loop is the physical circuit that spans from the service provider's central office to the demarcation point at the customer's building. Traditionally built with twisted-pair copper wire for analog telephone service, this segment delivers voice and broadband signals to individual subscribers. It is often the most expensive and difficult part of a network to upgrade because it requires running individual cables to every single home or business.
We're getting high attenuation on the local loop, so dispatch a tech to check the copper between the pedestal and the demarc.
While fiber optics dominate the backbone, copper local loops remain common in older neighborhoods, limiting the maximum DSL speeds available.
Also heard as
- last mile
- subscriber loop
Related terms
Last mile
The final segment of a telecommunications network that physically reaches the customer premises.
Demarc extension
The physical cabling that connects a service provider's termination point to the customer's networking equipment.
Exchange
A physical building or the specific set of telephone numbers routed through it.
PSTN
The global infrastructure of circuit-switched telephone networks operated by national and regional carriers.