# Middle mile > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Middle_mile > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Middle_mile.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_mile > Source revision: 1317396978 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Internet connection between "core" and local networks}} In the [broadband Internet](/source/broadband_Internet) industry, the "'''middle mile'''" is the segment of a [telecommunications network](/source/telecommunications_network) linking a network operator's [core network](/source/core_network) to the local network plant, typically situated in the [incumbent telco](/source/Incumbent_local_exchange_carrier)'s [central office](/source/telephone_exchange) (British English: [telephone exchange](/source/telephone_exchange)) that provides access to the [local loop](/source/local_loop), or in the case of [cable television](/source/cable_television) operators, the local [cable modem termination system](/source/cable_modem_termination_system). This includes both the [backhaul network](/source/backhaul_network) to the nearest aggregation point, and any other parts of the network needed to connect the aggregation point to the nearest [point of presence](/source/point_of_presence) on the operator's core network. The term ''middle mile'' arose to distinguish this part of the network from the ''[last mile](/source/Last_mile_(telecommunications))'', which means the local links which provide service to the retail customer or [end user](/source/end_user), such as the local telephone lines from the telephone exchange or the coaxial cables from which connect to the customer's equipment.{{Cite web|url=https://www2.ntia.doc.gov/files/networkcosts_factsheet_may_2017.pdf|title=Network Costs Fact Sheet|last=|first=|date=|website=NTIA|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}} Middle-mile provision is a major issue in reducing the price of [broadband Internet](/source/broadband_Internet) provision by non-incumbent operators. Internet bandwidth is relatively inexpensive to purchase in bulk at the major [Internet peering point](/source/Internet_peering_point)s, and access to end-customer ports in the incumbent operator's local distribution plant (typically where [local loop unbundling](/source/local_loop_unbundling) is mandated by [a telecom regulator](/source/List_of_telecommunications_regulatory_bodies)) are also relatively inexpensive relative to typical broadband subscription costs. However, '''middle-mile''' access, where bought from the incumbent operator, is often much more expensive than either, and typically forms the major expense of non-incumbent broadband ISPs. The alternative, building out their own fibre networks, is [capital-intensive](/source/capital-intensive), and thus unavailable to most new operators. For this reason, many proposals for government [broadband stimulus](/source/National_broadband_plans_from_around_the_world) initiatives are directed at building out the middle mile. Two examples are the [Network New Hampshire Now](/source/Network_New_Hampshire_Now) and [Maine Fiber Company](/source/Maine_Fiber_Company) in the Northeast US, both funded largely by the [National Broadband Plan (United States)](/source/National_Broadband_Plan_(United_States)) to connect all [community anchor institution](/source/community_anchor_institution)s. [Open access](/source/Open_access_(infrastructure)) initiatives such as [duct sharing](/source/common_utility_duct), [utility pole](/source/utility_pole) sharing, and [fiber unbundling](/source/fiber_unbundling) are also being tried by regulators as mechanisms to ease the middle mile problem by reducing costs to non-incumbents. This sometimes leads to controversies, such as the [NRECA](/source/NRECA) opposition to [pole attachment](/source/pole_attachment) tariff changes [http://www.nreca.coop/press/Statements/Pages/NRECAFCCpoleattachmentorder.aspx] motivated by the US plan. Middle-mile, in logistics, coincides with its etymological meaning in the telecommunication network space. The "middle mile" refers to the stage before the last leg i.e., the "[last mile](/source/Last_mile_(transportation))" of any supply chain, wherein goods are hauled from a supplier's warehouse, shipper's production facility to a retail store. == See also == * [Forced access regulation](/source/Forced_access_regulation) * [Last mile](/source/Last_mile_(telecommunications)) * [Local loop unbundling](/source/Local_loop_unbundling) * [Open access (infrastructure)](/source/Open_access_(infrastructure)) ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * [http://govpro.com/technology/content/broadband-stimulus-second-round-20100223/ Broadband stimulus fund applicants sharpen their proposals for the second round] * [http://www.xchangemag.com/articles/global-crossing-stimulus-include-middle-mile.html Global Crossing: Stimulus Must Include Middle Mile] * [https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/fighting-att-verizons-chokehold-on-middle-mile.ars Fighting AT&T, Verizon's chokehold on "middle mile"] * [http://broadbandbreakfast.com/2010/01/big-broadband-stimulus-grants-for-middle-mile-networks-in-n-c-and-michigan/ Big Broadband Stimulus Grants for Middle-Mile Networks in N.C. and Michigan] Category:Network architecture Category:Telecommunications infrastructure Category:Network access Category:Internet architecture {{telecomm-infrastructure-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Middle mile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_mile) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_mile?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.