scope:

This Standard covers mechanical, electrical and flammability requirements for indoor wire and cable intended primarily for use in telecommunication networks or as patch cordage. Depending upon the application and system requirements, this Standard provides choices for materials, transmission characteristics and flammability ratings.

The typical cable construction may be unshielded twisted pair, quad, or unpaired thermoplastic insulated copper conductors (with or without an overall shield) covered by a thermoplastic jacket.

Patch cordage is a length of cable intended to be combined with connectors on one or both ends to join telecommunication circuit/links at the cross-connect.

This Standard covers the minimum performance requirements for the following Categories of cable:

Category 1: Intended for basic voice communications.

Category 2: Intended for basic voice, text and low speed data transmission with transmission characteristics specified for frequencies up to 1 MHz.

For those characteristics where no differentiation is made, the performance requirements are applicable to all cables. Selection of the applicable category shall be at the discretion of the user and shall be designated in the product specification.

This Standard is arranged in Sections covering specific areas of cable requirements and may be referenced as complete Sections or as individual paragraphs.

Paragraphs of this Standard where the user may specify a particular option are listed below:

To assist the user in selection of options and to avoid possible misunderstandings between the manufacturer and user, it is suggested that a check-off sheet similar to that shown in Informative Annex A be utilized.