Is CAT 6 cable okay as a telephone line?

I've been able to plug my "traditional" master phone c/w answerphone directly into the router, and the three other slave phones still work with that.

BT rather helpfully gave me an internet voice phone to boot which works independently and which means whilst you're fielding one landline call another call can come in. This has the benefit that whilst Mrs G is engaged on one of her interminable social calls I can still make calls out.

in another couple of years there won’t be a copper phone network to connect them to

I was rather hoping that box on the customer's end of the fibre or whatever will have the ability to plug-in a traditional phone - effectively emulating the old exchange line.

   - Andy.

I think it’s probably about seven years since I last ran an actual straightforward telephone extension, in another couple of years there won’t be a copper phone network to connect them to, we may not have ours in a few weeks from now.

There are loads of things that will need to be replaced that are currently connected to telephone lines, like emergency call pendants in homes without internet.

It’s for a lift, I started the job in May when I went on a nice sunny Saturday to run a new circuit to supply a battery charger for the lift, an electric garage door, lights and a double socket for charging mobility scooters.

The lift is in an attached garage and goes up onto a balcony above to gain access to a flat, now a different lift is going to be installed to what was originally specified and this lift needs a dedicated circuit and a phone line.

So I have to go back to install these, but I have it in mind the copper phone network is going to be turned off in a couple of years time, also the cables have to be run externally, so using external grade CAT6 cable seems far more sensible than a bit of standard phone cable as it will be internet ready. The circuit I have already installed will still supply the electric garage door, lights and the double socket for charging the mobility scooters.

This time around I will probably be up an extension ladder in the rain getting soaking wet, rather than putting sun screen on as I did in May.

I'm not sure if the BT/Openreach/KCOM/whatever rules say, but physically it should be fine. Structured wiring was originally designed to support POTS as well as data and the usual RJ45 sockets are designed to accept US style phone plugs - and I doubt that the CAT3/4/5/6 improvements have made things worse for phone signals. Certainly my phone line at home wanders over a UTP CAT6 structured wiring system without any apparent problems (using appropriate RJ45-UK phone socket adaptors).

   - Andy..

You can, it will work just fine, but telephone wire is much cheaper and fits the IDC accessories correctly.