Telkom line installation (missing phone line/box in my flat?!?!)

RaptorSA

RaptorSA

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Hey guys, I've been puzzling over this for a while now and I'm not sure where to find the answer so any input would really be appreciated ad infinitum!

About 3 months ago I decided (FINALLY!) to install a 4MB ADSL line in my flat. However, since I've been living there I could never quite figure out where the actual Telkom line in my flat was. There's no grey box/panel anywhere, no phone line dangling from a hole, nothing. I've spoken to some of the residents in the complex and apparently they do have Telkom lines (some old lady told me to look for the 'little grey box' on the wall..haha...yeah I know dammit, but there is not such thing :D). Anyway, so I figured that maybe the Telkom guys would sort that out when they came to install the ADSL line upgrade (kudos to Telkom for responding in less than a week :)). However, they told me that since they couldn't find the phone line they're not able to do anything. So my question is, how do I resolve this? Is the internal phone line installation something that should be handled by Telkom or someone else? Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but I have no idea where to start and I'd rather clear this up before spending hours on the phone trying to explain to some Telkom dimwit what's going on.

Thanks in advance... ;)

P.S. My guess is I need to phone Telkom and arrange for a phone line installation, as well as ADSL upgrade. Correct?
 
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Hey Raptor. It sounds like the line was not extended to where you're room or whatever is. My recommendation would be to apply for a new line. Before you start thinking awe crap this is gonna be expensive do a search on the forums for the ADSL order guide. The tricks and tips to bypass the installation cost still apply if you keep your cool on the phone and dont let them talk you into a corner. If all works out as intended you should have a new a line pretty soon (anything up to 2 weeks :\) which can then just be activated for ADSL.
 
That grey box thingy and the cables in your flats walls should have been done by the people that built the flat. Sometimes they skimp on little things like that to save on costs. They did that in the previous two houses that I lived in.

All you can do is ask the current owner to install it. Telkom wont do it.
 
How old are these flats?

There should be a central DB for all the flats, maybe see if you can find it and if your line is jumpered or not. Next would be to trace the wire to your flat if one actually exists.

Go and have a look where that old aunties line comes out in her flat. Next check your ceiling to if there are any loose cables there.
 
Thanks for the comments guys. Hmmm... Yeah I'm not sure of there cables are actually installed. The flats are about 3 years old now.

@TheRidDlerX: Yeah, thanks man. I think I'll just apply again on the Telkom site, but make sure to specify this time that I want a phone line installed too. (I'm afraid of pissing Telkom off ever since their service was so speedy the last time...hehe)

@ponder: I can't seem to see find any central DB, but I haven't really looked around the complex hard enough so I'll try that, also, I don't see any lines leaving the flat but if there are any they're probably underground or something. (The flats have those "ducts" on the side where all the piping and stuff goes, I'll try to have a look in one of them). Also, I live on the ground floor so there's no ceiling to have a peek in. I'm not sure where the old auntie lives, we met at a general meeting, but I'll try to find her if I don't get anywhere.

@Veon: Ever since four months ago I AM the owner...:eek: :D

The only place that might still save my ass are two of those "light switch" sized panels near my kitchen, not sure if they're only for power cable access or whatever since they're pretty close to the main power switches. I'm hoping there's a phone line in there that haven't been installed properly. I'll open them up this afternoon and take a look.

uugh I can't take this waiting game any longer, I now have a Media Center, Xbox and PS3 patiently waiting for a broadband line to suckle on and with these new prices from the ISP's rolling in, I think the time has come... Be damned you demon of internetlessness, be damned!!! :twisted:
 
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RaptorSA said:
The only place that might still save my ass are two of those "light switch" sized panels near my kitchen, not sure if they're only for power cable access or whatever since they're pretty close to the main power switches. I'm hoping there's a phone line in there that haven't been installed properly. I'll open them up this afternoon and take a look.
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That's normally how they are installed. Glueing wires against the wall are way too old school and damages the property. You should have some of those boxes (similar size to a light switch) in the walls with nothing on them. The cable should be inside there, running in a pipe up to the floors above you. Do NOT cut any wires in it, it's not just your phone line running in there. Telkom will 'patch' a pair of cables from there, run a cable out the box, and attach your little 'grey box' to it.
 
savage said:
That's normally how they are installed. Glueing wires against the wall are way too old school and damages the property. You should have some of those boxes (similar size to a light switch) in the walls with nothing on them. The cable should be inside there, running in a pipe up to the floors above you. Do NOT cut any wires in it, it's not just your phone line running in there. Telkom will 'patch' a pair of cables from there, run a cable out the box, and attach your little 'grey box' to it.
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Dude, that would be AWESOME. It's exactly what I was hoping someone would say. OK cool, I'll open those little boxes this afternoon and have a look. If there is a line in there, does this mean I have to apply for a phone line too when signing up for ADSL service, or do I just need to explain to the installation guys that this is here the cable is?

P.S. The only reason I'm skeptical is because those two light switch sized boxes are on the other side of the kitchen with the entrance to my flat in between, seems like a strange place to run a phone line. :-/
 
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Nah, you'll need a phone line as well. Reason why it's still like that, IMHO, is that there has never been a telkom line installed in the flat before.
 
savage said:
Nah, you'll need a phone line as well. Reason why it's still like that, IMHO, is that there has never been a telkom line installed in the flat before.
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Thanks a lot dude, I'll check it out this afternoon and hopefully fill in my Telkom forms tomorrow... :)
 
RaptorSA said:
The only place that might still save my ass are two of those "light switch" sized panels near my kitchen, not sure if they're only for power cable access or whatever since they're pretty close to the main power switches. I'm hoping there's a phone line in there that haven't been installed properly. I'll open them up this afternoon and take a look.
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Why did you not mention that earlier? Open the covers up and look inside, the most likely place you will find the wires. Some people replace those covers with another one containg a RJ-11 jack or other people simply just join the wires inside and run a cable underneath the cover along the wall with glue to a new location where they want a jack.
 
I just hope its not like in my flat. I have all those little boxes that look like light switches (with the rj-11) - one in every room. all linked to one box outside - which is close to a green box across the street and connected with another pipe underneath the street.
So A "normal" telkom dude came to connect the phone line and discovered all the pipes and light switch like thinngies are empty and he said another dude will come and connect the wires ( A speacial teccie must install that for you).
That very much dampered my spirit and dreams of the internet but once is sorted is suppose it would be nice to have the internet again.
 
leapoardone said:
I just hope its not like in my flat. I have all those little boxes that look like light switches (with the rj-11) - one in every room. all linked to one box outside - which is close to a green box across the street and connected with another pipe underneath the street.
So A "normal" telkom dude came to connect the phone line and discovered all the pipes and light switch like thinngies are empty and he said another dude will come and connect the wires ( A speacial teccie must install that for you).
That very much dampered my spirit and dreams of the internet but once is sorted is suppose it would be nice to have the internet again.
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AAARGH!! I opened up those little boxes yesterday and they were empty... :cry:
 
Help me please

I have heard that the nearest line is about 5 kilometers away.. I want to know if telkom will sort this out and install a line beacause I want to get adsl internet the end of the month..

Please Help
 
Lol something like that, I live in a small comlex near a Airport in JHB, its recently build and the owner is not going to install these lines, so I organize it it myself
 
MickeyD said:
I think you are in for a hard time.

Good luck, you'll need it.
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:D

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