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Tom41's avatar
Tom41
Up to speed
3 days ago

Removing old phone wires myself

In the 1990s we had two cable telephone lines installed; one for voice calls and the other for the modem (dial-up internet). The second telephone line was disconnected many years ago, leaving redundant wires all over the exterior of the house. All we have now is a single master socket where the cable comes into the house, and I hear the old copper telephone lines are going to be switched off soon anyway.

My question is, can I cut and remove the wires and extension sockets myself without impacting service? Or would it be better to have an engineer come out to make sure they are removed properly? If all else fails we can just leave the wires there, although they do look unsightly.

3 Replies

  • Molly_T's avatar
    Molly_T
    Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
    3 days ago

    Hi Tom41 👋 Welcome back to the community forum! Thanks for posting. 

    Sadly without being able to see the cabling it's difficult to confirm if it's in use or not - do you have any extension sockets within your home that are currently in use?

    It's true to say that all landline services are being switched over to 21st Century Voice, or Voice over IP where they operate via the Hub. However, we do have the ability to set up extenders in your home using extension sockets if that's how your set up is needed. 

    You are of course free to do any works to your property and it's cabling as the owner. If you believe the cabling is redundant and not in use, you would be free to remove it. We don't generally offer appointments for the removal of any infrastructure. 

    If you'd like us to book in a technicians appointment to confirm the cabling is out of use, or if you damage any cabling in the process which requires repair - we can book this in for you! Just let us know if you require one. 

    Wishing you all the best. 🌞

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    3 days ago

    8 years after we cancelled our phone line there is still 48 volts power, a dial tone and a number allocated & it responds to testing via 17070

    You can remove any extension cables & sockets that is no problem.

    The master socket and the line to the exchange are usually considered the property of the telco i.e. VM or BT.  Bit of a grey area, if I was removing our still powered master socket I'd take care to avoid leaving a short that may be detected as a line fault. 

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    3 days ago

    Power is pushed down a phone wire, so isolate with WAGO connectors. Most phone wires are around 24 AWG, which should fit well in WAGO connectors.