Incomplete Full Fibre Installation

[#1]

Hello everyone,

This morning (Friday 17th April @ 9am) we had an Openreach engineer here to install the new full fibre connection in the house, but there was a problem so we couldn't continue... Currently we have two phone lines on a single copper cable that comes from the pole outside the house and runs to the corner of our garage. The black cable from the black box in the attached picture is my fathers line which has cordless phones connected in every room of the house, my line is the white cable in the picture that goes into the roof and into my bedroom to the socket on the wall.

The engineer said that if he completes the install and then activates it, then we would loose all phones in the house? Does he mean it will effect the one phone on my line or does it effect all the phones on my fathers line?? Due to my parents being elderly and they need a phone connection at all times so he didn't complete the install.

Where do we go from here to get a full fibre install completed?

Daniel.

[#2]

Are these two separate phone numbers? 

[#3]

Yes, two separate phone numbers...

Daniel. 

[#4]

OK. I'm not a telecoms engineer, but I suspect that as both numbers run off the same cable as far as the black (splitter?) box the engineer is possibly correct in saying it could cause total disruption.

There is a forum member who may have more idea, but he's not around every day.

@198kHz ?

[#5]

@theleprechaun 

I assume as it's two numbers then you have separate accounts with PN. As such I would not expect the activation on your line to affect your fathers unless the engineer needs to cut the copper cable somewhere.

You almost certainly need to phone PN Support to find out for certain.

As an aside, I assume you're aware that the PSTN is being withdrawn by Jan 2027 at the latest and therefore your father will need to do something with his account. Use the following the see if your Exchange is a Fibre Priority Exchange (Y/N) - if it's not then potentially he could move to a SOGEA connection and use VOIP for his phone requires. Any care alarms complicates matters.

Brian

Edit : Forgot the Checker link https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

[#6]

My father doesn't have Broadband yet, only I have an account with PN and a router in my bedroom.

Daniel

[#7]

@theleprechaun As I said above, because both lines run via the same cable as far as the splitter box, this needs technical advice - which you won't get from PN first-line support.

[#8]

@theleprechaun 

Who currently provides both landline phone services?

[#9]

We are both with BT.

Daniel.

[#10]

@theleprechaun How far, if at all, did the installer get with the job, and are you overhead or underground fed?

[#11]

We got as far as planning a route for the fibre cable to enter the house, and that was when he said about activating it.

Daniel

[#12]

Overhead sorry.

Daniel

[#13]

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@theleprechaun wrote:

We got as far as planning a route for the fibre cable to enter the house, and that was when he said about activating it.

Daniel

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What was the route?

[#14]

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@theleprechaun wrote:

Yes, two separate phone numbers...

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Two seperate landline mumbers on one landline is a new one on me! It sounds like an old Party Line arrangement, but wouldn't they share one number? I wonder if it is some kind of Pair gain arrangement? Or is the ultimate phone line an ISDN circuit?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_gain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISDN

[#15]

@theleprechaun 

As I understand things, the activation of a Full Fibre circuit automatically ceases the copper landline serving the property. So you'll lose your BT phone service.

Now, for most people with only one landline that's fine. However as you have a second line (using a second pair of copper fibres within the single cable) this may be ceased as well. The engineer could be right on this. As it's not a PN phone service you, or your dad, need to phone BT and ask. Someone at PN may have the answer but as it's not their service they may not care.

However my original point about your father's phone line being withdrawn in the relatively near future still stands. You will not get a second Full Fibre service installed at the house though you might get a SOGEA connection but it's complicated. Any care alarms involved?

Brian