Reconnecting phone...

[#1]

Hi,
My daughter has just bought a house and there's a master socket near the front door.  However I suspect this is not connected at the Exchange as the previous owner (an elderly lady) had been in a home for a couple of years and the house had been empty.  I suppose the way to find out is to take a handset there and see if there's a dialling tone.
If I need to have the line reconnected how do I go about this?  I suppose what I really mean is what is the cheapest way !  My daughter wishes to join her sister and myself and get her broadband via PlusNet.  She has a mobile so doesn't really need a phone - just the line for broadband.
I don't wish to pay BT ~£150 or whatever they charge for re-connection nowadays if I can help it.  I did read of another supplier that would have the line reconnected for much less but obviously would wish to supply phone/broadband for a set period as part of the bargain.
Does PlusNet have a similar scheme?
Thanks.

[#2]

The first thing is that with the latest announcement splitting phone and broadband is expensive - broadband costs £2.50 per month more
The cost for  a new line is £49.99 http://www.plus.net/info2/legal/price_guide.html#talk but a stopped line is free.
The only way to check which it is yourself is to check for a dial tone

[#3]

You can also start the sign up journey and it will confirm the line status at the property, this is confirmed to you well before you get into any financial information / obligation to pay etc.

[#4]

what i have found in the past its normally disconnected in the street cab.depending on the age of the wiring for adsl its a minefield.when  reconnecting mine through openreach he changed the master socket but left the old front plate as this had the extensions fitted,this however should have been changed as it didn't have the bell wire filter fitted and had to do this myself at a later date buying a nte2000 frontplate,he took the faceplate that should have been fitted with him.he didn't say anything until reading up later.
experience also tells of this internally.
7. THE ADSL KILLERS!
http://www.filesaveas.com/jarviser/broadbandspeed.html
some people have old gpo 746 type phone's the bell wire is then needed as the phone will barely ring intermittently without it .

[#5]

Thanks all for your input...
I took a handset to my daughter's house yesterday to check and there is no dialling tone, so does that mean the line has been disconnected - or stopped - or maybe stopped merely means it's actually disconnected - what's the difference? 
I'm wary of anything involving BT (I know about them - I worked with them ages ago !!!).  My other daughter wanted her line ' reconnected'  to get PlusNet broadband and BT were going to charge quite a bit to do so.  I think they eventually did it free or for a much reduced sum but tied her to a minimum 12 month phone contract.
Appreciate your help.

[#6]

it does sound like the street cab,"wires get moved" i was told,however it means paying at a later date to reconnect the wires back to the network.with me he started at the socket and could tell where the break was (in the cab)however it could be at the exchange also.