Today`s building telecommunications cabling must provide quality, flexibility, value and function not only for current
needs, but also to meet future requirements. Business survival today depends on reliable and cost-effective information exchange. The explosion of digital LAN, PBX and public telephone network technologies created unmanageable networks
comprised of numerous protocols, media types and signaling technologies. Telecommunications professionals have the difficult task of assessing, implementing and maintaining these
complex systems. 
…to allow diverse manufacturers
the ability to build equipment
and components that will interoperate.
DIRECTION
Recognizing the need for standardization, numerous industry professionals, representing equipment manufacturers, consultants and end users have joined together under the guidance of
such organizations as TIA/EIA, IEEE, ANSI and BICSI to ensure that products and cabling standards
meet today`s variety of applications. The main objective was and still is to allow diverse manufacturers the ability to build equipment and components that will interoperate in a
standardized building cabling environment. 
…it is essential that telecommunications
professionals become familiar with
existing and pending standards.
CURRENT SITUATION
These various organizations have and continue to develop standards to ensure that protocols,
signaling electronics, media types and infrastructure design are all compatible. Today, it is essential that telecommunications professionals become familiar with existing and pending
standards to meet today`s needs and tomorrow`s requirements. To obtain copies of TIA standards, technical documents,
or drafts of standards, call GLOBAL ENGINEERING DOCUMENTS at:
Tel (800) 854-7179
Fax (303) 397-2740 (for requests from outside the U.S.) 
… identify minimum requirements that will support multi-product, multi-vendor environments.
TIA/EIA
Within the Premise Wiring world (cabling and components), the TIA/EIA has had the greatest
impact. A task force was formed in 1985 in an effort to address the lack of standards for building
cabling. Its primary intent is to identify minimum requirements that will support multi-product,
multi-vendor environments, and to allow for planning and installation of telecommunications systems without the knowledge of the specific equipment to be installed. A CLOSER LOOK… TIA/EIA-568-A COMMERCIAL BUILDING TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CABLING STANDARD
This standard originated as EIA/TIA-568 in 1991. Since that time TSB-36, TSB40-A and TSB-53, (addendums including cable and connecting hardware performance and additional STP
specifications) were released. This information as well as additional information on optical fiber
and link performance were added to `568, circulated for industry review (as SP-2840 then SP-2840-A drafts), and approved for release as `568-A.
Establishment of this standard is recognized as a substantial accomplishment for it addresses
cabling topologies, distances, channel media and connectors. Its widespread acceptance includes
our own federal government, as well as Canadian and other international standards organizations. This standard addresses the following elements of building cabling:
Horizontal Cabling
Telecommunications Closets
Backbone Cabling
Equipment Rooms
Work Area
Entrance Facilities
100 OHM UTP Cabling Systems
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