Old Coppr Line

[PaulSpooner99]

When will the old copper line be removed from my property?

[Mandisa-TT]

@fr8ys 

You’re absolutely right.

[fr8ys]

Individually @Weevie it will be small but given the bulk they will collect there may be salvage value to Open Reach, but it's digressing from the question raised by the customer.

[Mandisa-TT]

However, regardless of the exact material mix used in the cable, all external network wiring remains Openreach property, and only their engineers can remove or alter it. Customers should avoid touching any cabling that runs to or from the external Openreach junction box, even if the copper content is minimal.

[Mandisa-TT]

Hi @Weevie 

You make a fair point — in many parts of the Openreach network, especially older installations, some cables may contain copper‑clad aluminium (CCA) rather than solid copper. The amount of actual copper present can vary depending on the age of the line and the type of cable Openreach used in that particular area.

[Weevie]

The amount of copper in your connection to the roadside box is probably very small - and could be negligible - if the cable is aluminium plated with copper !

[Mandisa-TT]

Hi @PaulSpooner99 ,
@fr8ys Thanks for your detailed explanation — that’s correct.

When a customer moves over to Full Fibre, the copper line isn’t removed automatically. This is fully managed by Openreach, and at the moment they prioritise fibre rollout rather than copper removal. It’s quite common for the old wiring to remain in place for some time after an upgrade.

If you need the copper line removed due to renovation work, building access, or safety reasons, you can contact Openreach directly to request this. They’re the only team authorized to remove external network cabling.

As mentioned, anything up to and including the external Openreach junction box is their property, so customers shouldn’t remove or alter that section. Any wiring after the master socket is considered internal, and responsibility for that part lies with the property owner.

[Mandisa-TT]

Thank you @fr8ys for your support.

[fr8ys]

If you've transitioned to fibre, Openreach seem in no hurry to remove old copper wire from peoples properties. 

I'm sure they will get around to it at some stage given the value of copper cable but their priority is to convert customers to Full Fibre to met government targets.

If you have a need to have this removed to do maintenance or building work, you can approach OpenReach direct to request it's removal.

Link here

Generally speaking all working up to your internal phone point is owned by OpenReach, and after the box yours. You are therefore free to remove cables after the box.

Personally (not TalkTalk advice),  I doubt OpenReach would complain if you removed the internal wiring up to the box and the box itself, but that's a decision for you to make, but don't touch the external wiring, especially if connected to a pole, as this could well cause you issues.