I've just moved into a flat, it seems to have a single overhead phoneline going to the building, the building is split into 6 self contained flats. I checked the address with the bt website and it says they can activate the line remotely but I'm guessing there are multiple phonelines here. There is a bt socket in my living room, it doesn't look like one of those master sockets with removable face.

While in town I ordered a sky bundle, with free phone installation, and BB, is there any chance the line I have is good for BB or will there need to be a master socket installed?

All phone lines will have a master socket installed. It is simply the one that the incoming line terminates on.

The master socket does not need to be the modern NTE5 type which has the removable front panel it could be one of the older style LJU types. Though any lines installed in the last few years ought to have NTE5 sockets fitted.

But it should not make any difference what type of socket is fitted. Unless there are extension sockets wired off the back of the master and they cause you problems however. The point of the NTE5 is that you can easily isolate extensions from the phone line for testing. Something that you cannot do so easily with the old style sockets.

If an engineer visits then you could ask him to swap the socket for an NTE5 type. Depending on how big a jobsworth he is of course. But most Openreach engineers I've met have been pretty reasonable and open to bribery with free coffee and hob nobs

It sounds like it should be ok then, the sky is being set up this Saturday but I guess the phone, BB will be done separately, would they still need to send an openreach engineer out or can it still be activated remotely? It seems like bt only have records of there being a ADSL compatible line at number "44", not "flat 5, inside house 44"

This might actually be the only phonline in the building but for all I know, every flat could have one.

It all depends on what needs to be done. If there is a continuous connection from the socket in your flat all the way back to the exchange and their line tests don't show a fault then they might well do everything remotely, or at least within the exchange.

But there is no guarantee there is any connection between your socket and the cable coming into the building or that the pair previously allocated hasn't been nicked for some other property depending on how long ago the line was ceased.

BT records can be a bit of a nightmare. We had one at work that we were trying to track down but the address BT had for it was some really weird version of the correct address. Fortunately we employ someone to look after Telecoms for the company and he has loads of useful contacts in BT who managed to track down the info for us.

So who knows what details they have for you!

10,000 posts chrisjr!

OP, have you tried plugging a phone in and seeing if there's a dial tone and, if there is, dialling 17070?

Got the tv installed and working last Saturday and the router has been received, I've not had a chance to borrow a phone to check the line for dial tone but in the settings menu on the sky box, it says there's no phone line connected. There is a landline number listed when I log into the sky site though.