what cable is this?

[Newby2]

Hi all
My house was built in the 1990s.
In front of my house there is a small tree (3 metres away). There is a black cable passing by the tree near the bottom (show in the photo). The rest of the cable is underground.
I wonder what kind of cable is it? telephone, broadband? I hope it is not electric power cable? Is it normal that it is exposed like that?

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[sparkwright]

Could it be low voltage garden lighting or solar garden lighting.

Or Christmas lights?

Not normal for telephone or broadband.

 

[Newby2]

Thanks for your reply. I don't have garden lighting or Christmas light. It was there when we moved in 15 years ago. If it's not a hazard (e.g. main power cable), maybe I can just leave it?

 

[oceansoul]

Looks like virgin shotgun cable. One side is coax for TV/broadband the other for phone. Quite often thrown across front gardens by virgin installers.

 

[Handymanjo]

Could be virgin media cable. I have seen them just slice the lawn area and push cable in. Check the pavement area for any cable ducting points in line with your cable.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Its the type of cable used for ELV (typically 12volt) garden lighting. Power would have come from a transformer originally.

You could just leave it, if its not in the way.

 

[Newby2]

thank you oceansoul and handymanjo. Yes, it must be virgin as we are covered by virgin. They have a monopoly in my area as we don't have openreach.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Looks like virgin shotgun cable. One side is coax for TV/broadband the other for phone. Quite often thrown across front gardens by virgin installers.View attachment 271866

It's been there for more than 15 years. I dont think that type of cable was used by broadband suppliers that long ago.
@Newby2 If its broadband, etc, the cable must enter the house, somewhere. You'll need to do some detective work to see if it is Virgibn cable, or something else.

 

[sparkwright]

Looks like virgin shotgun cable. One side is coax for TV/broadband the other for phone. Quite often thrown across front gardens by virgin installers.View attachment 271866

It does indeed.

Any sign of this type of cable at the house?

 

[winston1]

It's been there for more than 15 years. I dont think that type of cable was used by broadband suppliers that long ago.
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It most certainly was, not broadband then, but coax for TV and the other side for phone. I worked got their predecessors NTL 20 years ago and Siamese cable had been in use many years before then.

 

[Adam_151]

It could have even been delivering broadband 20 years ago, can remember ntl broadband at a choice of 128 or 512kbit through a motorola surfboard cable modem back in 2001, and yes it certainly was a simese cable that they pulled through bits of green flexi-con and buried a spade's depth across the garden

 

[Robin0577]

buried a spade's depth across the garden

You're very lucky if they bother to bury it at all these days, it's mostly just thrown in any old way!