A system and method for providing telecommunications special services to customers of a communications service provider includes receiving first communications signals from customer premise equipment. The first communications signals may be processed using a special services card to generate second communications signal. The second communications signal may be communicated to a line termination unit operating externally from a BBDLC. The second communications signal may be processed by the line termination unit to generate a third communications signal. The third communications signal may be communicated to a transport card operating in the BBDLC. By externally processing special services signals from the BBDLC, bandwidth of the BBDLC may be utilized more efficiently.