Each Telephone Line Needs an Account
Before a new telephone line can be installed and activated, an order should be placed with the local telephone company. The local phone company, or telco as it is known in telecommunications circles, must receive the order, provision the new line in their network equipment, devote facilities in their central office, and ensure cable pairs -- the two copper wires that physically carry a voice conversation -- are in place. In some instances, this process may take as long as a couple of weeks; if all of the facilities are already in place, though, the line may be prepared in as little as a few hours.
Run Telephone Wires Inside
When the local telco installs a new telephone line, the installation technicians only carry the service as far as the Network Interface Device (known to telecommunications enthusiasts as the NID) on the outside of a home or office. Connecting service from the NID to the inside -- and, ultimately, to the telephone itself -- is the responsibility of the telephone subscriber. Running telephone wires is a relatively easy task, as the wire itself is widely available from electronics and discount retail stores. A separate wire should be run from the NID to each individual telephone on the line, though telephone sets close to each other may be fed through a splitter (a small plastic adapter available from most retail stores that allows two telephones to share a single jack) to minimize wiring work. Running the wire from the outside NID to the inside of a home does require drilling through walls and flooring to pass the wire through the most efficient path, so individuals uncomfortable working with power tools or who are not familiar with drilling through walls should consult a qualified technician to professionally install telephone wiring. The local telco may also offer an optional installation service for a nominal fee.
Connect Telephone Wire to a Jack
When the telephone wire has been successfully run from the NID to the inside of the home, it may be connected to a jack to serve a desktop telephone. Like wire and splitters, jacks are readily available from most electronics and discount chain stores, and are generally priced under $10 each. The inside of the jack features four wires, color coded as red, green, yellow, and black; these wires are secured in place by screw terminals. The telephone wire also contains four wires of corresponding colors, all of which are bundled together by installation. To connect the telephone wires to the jack, strip away the insulation, loosen the screw terminals and connect a bare portion of the corresponding colored wire to the screw. Tighten the screw to hold the wires in place. For some installations requiring only one telephone line with no future expansion plans, the yellow and black wires may be left unconnected. With all two or four wires secured in place, mount the jack to the wall using either screws or double-sided tape.
Plug Telephone Into the New Jack
When the jack is connected and ready to accept a telephone, place a working telephone on a desk, table or nightstand near the telephone jack. The telephone should come with a short span of telephone wire with plastic modular plugs on each end; if the wire was not included with the phone, replacement wires are readily and inexpensively available from most electronics and discount stores. Plug one of the modular plastic plugs into the port labeled "Line" or "Wall" on the telephone, then plug the other end into the wall jack. Press gently but firmly on the plugs until they snap into place. With the telephone set connected to the jack, and service activated by the local telco, the new telephone line should be ready for use.
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