The Telecommunications Industry Association’s (TIA) TR-42.7 Copper Cabling Systems Subcommittee recently approved for publication a revision to the 568 cabling standard that will recognize 28-AWG patch cords. The ANSI/TIA-568.2-D Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard was authorized for publication during the TR-42.7’s meeting the week of June 11-15, 2018. It will replace ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and is expected to be published within the next month.
Panduit introduced 28-AWG patch cords, was instrumental in driving the adoption of 28-AWG solutions, and participated in the development of 568.2-D standard. The company released a statement announcing the standard approval and the relevance of including 28-AWG patch cords in the document.
“This represents the culmination of two years of work by a broad spectrum of companies and individuals,” said Frank Straka, Panduit product line manager and member of TR-42.7. “The industry has adopted 28 AWG and sees the value. It’s nice that we have a new standard that reflects that.”
Panduit added that the inclusion of 28-AWG cords in the standard means two things: “Patch cords can be made from 28-AWG cable,” and, “Maximum channel length must be de-rated from their maximum 100-meter length when using 28-AWG patch cords. For example, 10 meters of AWG patch cord can be used with 82.5 meters of horizontal cable for a 92.5-meter channel.”
Panduit points out that horizontal cable with 28-AWG conductors is not included in the updated standard. Cable gauges of 22-24 AWG will still be required for standard-compliant horizontal cable.
“Panduit launched the first 28-AWG patch cords to the market in 2011,” the company added. “Since that time, the market has quickly adopted the reduced-diameter patch cords, which have met all performance standards, but were considered non-compliant because of the wire gauge.”
Tom Kelly, vice president of enterprise business for Panduit, commented, “We are excited to see the industry formally recognize 28-AWG patch cords. Our customers have long understood that the true value of 28 AWG isn’t the small size, but what the size means in the TR—higher cable densities, improved cable management, better air flow, and easier installation and management. Standardizing 28 AWG ensures that our customers will continue to be able to deploy these cables knowing they meet industry-recognized performance requirements.”
Panduit added that the 568.2-D standard “also recognized modular plug terminated link [MPTL] as being standard-compliant. MPTL refers to permanent links where a plug is directly terminated to horizontal cable and plugged into a device. These modular plugs, including Panduit’s Field Term Plug, simplify the connection of devices such as security cameras and wireless access points.”
