What network elements does the 'last mile' comprise?

Question

From the Wikipedia entry, I take the 'last mile' of networks to means the point at which network capacity is split from the 'trunk' and provided to individual users. So in my mind this could mean:

1. The link between a wireless receiving device and a wireless emitter (i.e a wifi or mobile connection)
2. The feed from utility poles to a user's home network
3. Are there other examples?

More specifically, are there any components of a network considered to be 'last mile' that handle connectivity for more than a single user?

Also, aside from home-devices such as routers, what network infrastructure elements could be included within a network's 'last mile'?

Answer 1

In general, the so-called "last mile" is a shorthand for the segment at which the network goes from being "very shared" to "hardly shared". It's of course specially an issue where the clients are sparse geographically.

For example, at some kind of distribution point, perhaps a telephone exchange, to each building: the network goes from "thin and shared" such as a fibre, to "bushy and unshared", perhaps copper to each building.

Inside the building under the client control is not generally discussed as part of the issue of the last mile.