What kind of external phone cable should be used to carry VDSL2+ internet signal?

[Imamacuser]

I recently signed up for VDSL2+ internet, and the sales person and their supervisor said they'd replace my old outdoor flat-wire phone line with a new updated line. However, they never swapped out my exterior line, and I don't think the old line can support anywhere near the speeds that the sales person claimed I'd receive. The activation Tech arrived when I was at work, and I didn't receive a call like the sales person said I would, and on top of that, the tech hooked up the wrong line going into my house, so I cant measure the speed.

I'd imagine that the new style phone line would have twisted pair wires with an aluminum shield, but I'm not sure what it's called. Exterior CAT3?

I want to be specific in requesting a new exterior phone line, and list the exact cable type in triplicate so that there's no mistake.

 

[Paul F]

Which outdoor line are you meaning? The one from the telephone pole or something else?

All versions of DSL were designed to work with traditional telco wiring. It's not good wiring, but that's exactly what xDSL was invented to work with. It's nothing special like ethernet cable. Telco twisted pair has not changed in decades. Any type of telephone twisted pair will work. The cable from the pole to your house (drop cable) is traditionally two steel parallel wires. This was done because the wire is not only for the signal, but is also being used as the strength member to keep the wire from breaking. A copper twisted pair would break. There are drop cables made today that have a steel wire for strength and a copper pair for the signal. This is a very specialized cable made specifically for this purpose and is only used for the drop. Here are examples of drop wire - https://kuayuecable.en.made-in-china.com/product-group/VqSJfeLoZRkC/Drop-Wire-1.html

Here is more about drop wiring. https://cromwell-intl.com/technical/dsl/

 

[Imamacuser]

Yes, it's the suspended cable coming from the telephone pole over to the box on the side of my house.

The old flat wire cable has 1950 written every few feet, I'm not sure it that's the date it was made or a model number.

 

[paulears]

In the UK, that part of the system is not owned by the homeowner, or business owner - from the pole to the master socket is something nobody can touch apart from the network supplier - normally in the UK BT's Openreach - who supply the system for virtually all the telecoms operators. Old cable here is just as prevalent and as said, usually works perfectly up until it physically fails.

 

[Paul F]

The same applies here. Everything is the telco's up to the demarcation box.

I didn't really answer your original question. There is nothing for you to spec when talking to your provider other than to say you want twisted pair for the drop. But as Paul said, it's their property, their service. You can only ask. What they do is up to the provider's engineering practice.

It's not that big of a deal. Twisted pair is used to prevent crosstalk from the other pairs in the cable and that is the biggest issue for xDSL. The drop only has your signal on it, so crosstalk is not an issue. Yes, local disturbers, such as welders and other electrically noisy things can get on the line, but I wouldn't think it is that much of an issue.