What is dry copper?
[top] Dry copper refers to twisted pairs that are not connected to a telephone switch, battery or anything else between customer locations. They are merely cross-connected in between. The term “dry” actually originated over 100 years ago, when batteries were first used to power telephones. A dry pair had no power applied to it from the CO and a “wet” one did. Some folks have been able to implement xDSL via dry copper connection between two sites. By simply placing xDSL modems at each end of the dry copper connection, a xDSL may be possible with little intervention from the perspective of the CO. However, this is a risky method of deploying xDSL, especially asymmetrical versions. The problems occur when there is interference between the dry copper xDSL lines and other lines nearby, such as T1 and POTS. Typically dry copper has been used for low speed alarm circuits. By implementing xDSL service over dry copper, you run the risk of future problems. You may disrupt service at the CO and h
