My feeling, from things I have read online, is that EO lines tend to leave the exchange in cable that is nearer to E-side in style, rather than D-side. That is, that it is still grouped quite strongly as it leaves the building. Perhaps more cables, each smaller than full E-side cables, but not individually.
[Note 1: The E-side cable I talk about can be made of separate cable lengths that are jointed. However, this is a one-time jointing operation, and the sheathing surrounding the set of joints is restored permanently to prevent water ingress. Perhaps, for old cables, in soldered lead sheaths.]
[Note 2: As I understand it, pressurised E-side cables tend to terminate in the ground (ie jointbox pits in the pathway), where they are jointed to short cables up into the PCP. There they are jointed, as needed, to a short linking pair that takes the connection back to a separate cable down underground to the D-side cables. The short linking pairs are the joints that are made/unmade when doing fault repairs, or routing through FTTC cabinets]
The main structural difference in the EO case is that the main EO-cable terminates underground, where it is jointed to more local D-side cables directly.
But I must add caution here - that is my interpretation of the way I understand it from the way I have seen things written written. It certainly doesn't come from absolute confirmation.
You might like
another thread on the E-side and (in one of my favourite set of pictures) an american story
under a flooded Verizon exchange