Landline is still active after moving to fibre - but with a differnet number

[SRB]

I returned to BT from Plusnet, as their TV service was being wound down and the offer for fibre to the house, with no landland was a good one.

The fibre install was two weeks ago, with my landline going off on the morning OpenReach arrived... however, the land line in the house came "back to life" with a number that isn't my old one, or the suppiled "digital voice" number that came with the fibre. It's a local phone number, but according to BT the landline was stopped two weeks ago. The number on the line isn't listed as a BT number, so they can't explain it. It is nothing to do with Plusnet who have confirmed my account closed and the service ceased on the day the fibre install went ahead. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this experience or is there any reason why OpenReach would have connected the line to another number?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@SRB 

Its simply a "stopped" line which is not allocated to anyone. The copper pair will eventually be re-allocated and disconnected.

Nothing to be concerned about.

[SRB]

Cheers Keith, thanks for the swift reply, it's all the odder because the old copper cable was removed, but a new cable has since been run back to the point the old one was cut, just above the front door.

[Keith_Beddoe]

---

@SRB wrote:
Cheers Keith, thanks for the swift reply, it's all the odder because the old copper cable was removed, but a new cable has since been run back to the point the old one was cut, just above the front door.

---

Are you in a house or a block of flats, as the line may be for someone else. Also, it may be left in place just in case you move house, and the new owners want a copper based service.

It does not make sense for Openreach to recover copper local ends, as it only the exchange equipment PSTN that is being shut down, the copper local end can still be used for VDSL or another service in the future.

[SRB]

No, it's just a normal residential terraced house, they did say they were taking the cable off on installation day and even asked was it ok to cut it at the point above the door, I had said "yes" as the line had gone dead that morning as planned. It was a bit surprising to find a new cable had been installed the next day, joined to the old one above the door. Perhaps they have to leave the option for a land line to be reinstated. It's not an issue, just was surprised to find the line alive and nobody at BT knew why. 

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

Openreach probably know the reason, its probably just a network uplift, so as to keep the local copper section in good working order. Having dial tone on it, stops it being taken as a spare.