What standard is used for structured cabling systems?

In this article, I will be talking about structured cabling standards. I will introduce the standard bodies developing these standards and then look at the main international standards related to the industry.

First, let us have a look at what a standard means and why we should follow standards whenever possible. According to ISO: “A standard is a formula that describes the best way of doing something.” Similarly, IEEE defines a standard as an “agreed-upon norm used by people, industry, and government that outlines the best way to complete a task.” Standards are an important aspect for every industry that allow it to grow and expand nationally and internationally.

The four most known global organizations that develop international standards related to information technology and communication are ISO, IEC, ITU, and IEEE. The first three are headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland while the IEEE headquarter is in New York City, USA. When appropriate, these organizations cooperate to ensure that international standards fit together seamlessly and complement each other. 

ISO is the International Organization for Standardization. It is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 165 national standard bodies.

IEC, The International Electrotechnical Commission, is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies.

ITU, the International Telecommunication Union, is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs). It allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops the technical standards, and strives to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.

IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

ISO and IEC created the joint technical committee, JTC 1, in 1988 which develops and facilitates standards within the field of information technology till today. Under JTC1, there are many subcommittees (SC) that develop standards in a specific field of information technology. ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25 was formed in 1989. It develops and facilitates standards within the field of interconnection of information technology equipment. The ISO/IEC standards discussed here were developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25.

One of the major standards that define the structured cabling system is the ISO/IEC 11801 that is available in 6 parts as seen in list 1 below. This standard had a major revision released in November 2017, unifying requirements for commercial, home, and industrial networks. This revision replaced previous standards that were identified as ISO/IEC 24702, ISO/IEC 15018, ISO/IEC 24764, with parts 3, 4, and 5 of the ISO/IEC 11801. ISO/IEC 11801 part 1 and 2 were already under the same number and part 6 was a newly added part in the 2017 revision.

Table 1

ISO/IEC 14763 is another series of standards covering the implementation and operation of customer premises cabling. Currently there are three published parts covering planning and installation, testing of optical fibre cabling, and measurement or end-to-end links.

Part 1 of ISO/IEC 14763 was replaced by part 2 in 2012 and now the latest revision of part 2 published in 2019 (ISO/IEC 14763-2:2019) specifies requirements for the planning, installation and operation of telecommunications cabling and cabling infrastructures including cabling, pathways, spaces, and telecommunications bonds.

The following aspects are addressed in ISO/IEC 14763 part 2:

1.     Specification of the installation

2.     Quality assurance

3.     Installation planning

4.     Installation practice

5.     Documentation

6.     Administration

7.     Testing

8.     Inspection

9.     Operation

10.  Maintenance

11.  Repair.

Table 2

ISO/IEC 14763-5:2020 Part 5 is still a draft with the committee and is forecasted to be published in 2023. According to IEC, “ISO/IEC 14763-5:2020 specifies requirements and recommendations to maximize the sustainability of cabling systems including both customer premises infrastructure and the accommodation of information technology equipment by addressing:

a) The cabling design,

b) The selection, packaging and transportation of components and related materials,

c) The operation and maintenance of the installation,

d) The treatment of waste materials,

e) The skillsets necessary for designers, installers and users.”

Another standard that is worth mentioning with the previous collection is the IEC 61935-1:2019. This IEC standard sets the specification for the testing of balanced and coaxial cabling systems. It is developed in relation to balanced cabling as specified in ISO/IEC 11801-1 and related standards.

Standards play an important role in the technology advancement that you see today. Technical committees are usually formed from technical members working in the industry. In most cases the standards of new technical developments are developed in parallel with the technology itself.  

You can access a detailed video on this article on the following link: https://youtu.be/00aw0MUVeAo

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