Disused Openreach copper line- when disconnected at TE end?

Just curious... when an Openreach copper line circuit is no longer in use (e.g. when FTTP has been installed), is there a standard timescale of how long until that circuit is disconnected at the telephone exchange (TE) end, if at all?

At the moment the copper circuit in question (not at my address I'll add) has a dial tone and placeholder telephone number (determined via 17070), but obviously (Openreach WLR) PSTN can no longer be ordered - the area has FTTC so if any service was now to use the line it'd be SOGEA.

I appreciate that technically speaking the copper line is Openreach property and should be left as is (or else request Openreach to remove it), but in practice they're not going to be fussed if it were neatly cut and tied up (the line is fed overhead from a pole on the street). In this case the drop wire eyebolt is becoming loose in the house brickwork.

However one thought occurred to me - presumably the copper line circuit (and placeholder phone number) is registered or associated with that specific address, so whilst it's unlikely I'm wondering if it might be possible for things to get in a muddle and for a neighbour served by the same FTTC cabinet to order a new SOGEA service and for the wrong address (i.e. the 'line cutter') to end up getting the bill?!

In which case perhaps it might be worth waiting until there's no dial tone (and placeholder number) on the circuit?

Am almost certainly overthinking things I know!

Edited by binary (Sun 27-Oct-24 17:55:09)

One of the winter storms brought down ours. I just chopped it as neatly as I could. Some months later we had another storm which brought down the fibre drop. Openreach came out to repair the fibre and asked what happened to the old copper drop as the remnants were dangling from the pole. Told them. They didn't bat an eyelid and removed what was left of it and that was that. It hadn't carried active service for some years.

Am almost certainly overthinking things I know!

Yep.

In reply to a post by binary:

get in a muddle and for a neighbour served by the same FTTC cabinet to order a new SOGEA service and for the wrong address (i.e. the 'line cutter') to end up getting the bill?!

In which case perhaps it might be worth waiting until there's no dial tone (and placeholder number) on the circuit?

You're confusing two things. The dial tone comes from the local exchange, the SOGEA service comes from the cabinet.

Even if dialtone vanishes (which it will in any case in January 2027, when all the voice exchanges are turned off), that makes no difference to the ability to order SOGEA service.

SOGEA will continue to be available until (a) the exchange area has a copper "stop sell" activated, typically when Openreach FTTP is available to >75% of properties, and (b) FTTP is available to the specific property in question.

In reply to a post by binary:

In this case the drop wire eyebolt is becoming loose in the house brickwork.

Then that's a potentially dangerous issue. Normally you'd report it via your service provider, although if there's no service on the copper line this might make it more difficult. If the householder has an Openreach FTTP service then they could still try via their SP, but if it's an Altnet FTTP then they'll have to contact Openreach directly via their customer contact form.

But if it's not dangerous, I'd just leave it alone. I do not expect Openreach ever to spend precious engineer time pulling down copper drop wires, unless there is a fundamental reason to do so at a particular point in time (e.g. a pole needs replacing).

In reply to a post by candlerb:

But if it's not dangerous, I'd just leave it alone. I do not expect Openreach ever to spend precious engineer time pulling down copper drop wires, unless there is a fundamental reason to do so at a particular point in time (e.g. a pole needs replacing).

My pole got hit and the copper line came down. Luckily the fibre drop didn't. OR came out and replaced the pole. I told one of the engineers not to bother putting the copper back up, but he said they had to!

In the end he came back to me and asked if it was alright with me if they didn't put it back but removed it. Obviously I said yes.

Bit bizarre.