Category 6A UTP vs.

FTP

Nathan Benton, RCDD/NTS/WD

Technical Manager
UTP vs. FTP

• Two copper solutions for 10Gb/s

– UTP and FTP

• Effects of Alien Crosstalk (ANEXT)

• ANEXT Mitigation Methods

• Standards Approach
Victim
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1
Data Rate
Max Distance
Cable Size
ANEXT Testing
Shared Pathways
Training
Standards Compliance

• TIA-568-C.1 Commercial Building

Telecommunications Cabling Standard

• Ratified Feb 2008

• Available Now on TIA Website

– http://www.tiaonline.org/standards/catalog/search.
cfm
TIA-568-C.1 Commercial Building
Telecommunications Cabling Standard
To incorporate
• ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-4, Addendum 4 – Recognition of Category 6 and 850 nm Laser-
Optimized 50/125 Multimode Optical Fiber Cabling
• ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-5, Addendum 5 – Telecommunications Cabling for
Telecommunications Enclosures

Highlights of technical changes from the previous edition

• Removal of generic requirements which are now placed within ANSI/TIA-568-C.0
• Removal of 150-Ohm STP cabling
• Removal of Category 5 cabling
• Incorporation of references to generic nomenclature found in ANSI/TIA-568-C.0
• Inclusion of Category 6 and Augmented Category 6 balanced 100-ohm cabling
• Inclusion of 850 nm laser-optimized 50/125 um multimode optical fiber cabling
• Inclusion of Telecommunications Enclosures
• Removal of balanced twisted-pair cabling performance and test requirements which are
now placed within ANSI/TIA-568-C.2
• Centralized cabling incorporated into main body of document
• Removal of 50-ohm and 75-ohm coaxial cabling
 UTP-vs-FTP Selection Matrix

Must meet TIA-568-C.1

Generic
Customer Requirements X10D UTP X10D FTP
Cat 6A FTP

Support 10GBASE-T to 100 meters (up YES YES YES

to 4-connection channel)
Meet or exceed ISO/IEC Class EA channel YES YES NO
specifications (up to 4-connection channel)

Meet or exceed TIA Category 6A channel YES YES YES

specifications (up to 4-connection channel)

Meet Class A Emission requirements YES YES YES

Meet immunity requirements per IEC CISPR 24,

EN 55024 and IEC/EN 61000-6-1 (Office YES YES YES
environments)
NO
Meet immunity requirements per IEC/EN 61000-6-2 YES YES
(YES if in metal
(Heavy Industrial environments)
containment)
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate
Max Distance
Cable Size
ANEXT Testing
Shared Pathways
Training
Data Rates

• Standard written around 10Gb/s

• Category 6A Added to Standard
• Backwards Compatible with Cat6 and Cat5e
• Category 5e removed from standard

• IEEE 802.11an Standard

• 10Gb/s over installed base of Category 6
– May Require Mitigation
10GBASE-T Power Projection
Technology Improvements Reduce Power Needs

Teranetics TeraPHY®
3W

TN
3030

5W

TN
130nm 2020
10W

TN
1010

Source: Linley Group Conference May 2007

2006-7 2007-8 2008-9

• Intel Penryn Processor (45 nm technology) available November 2007

• 32 nm technology processors available in 2009
• Each improvement reduces power 30-40%
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance
Cable Size
ANEXT Testing
Shared Pathways
Training
Maximum Distance

• 100 Meters Channel

• Specifies a 4 Connector Model

• IEEE 802.11an Standard

• 10Gb/s over installed base of Category 6
– 37 Meters
– May Require Mitigation
Performance of Channel vs.
Components
• When comparing performance specifications it is
important to view the entire channel
• Ensure manufacturer is warranting the entire channel
not just the components they manufacture
SYSTIMAX M3600 SYSTIMAX M3600
w/ MGS500 w/ MGS500 MGS500 MGS500
Lucent PATCHMAX Lucent PATCHMAX

3 6 1 2 3 6 1 2

91A Series Cable

GS10E Cord GS10E Cord GS10E Cord
GS10E Cord

• Be careful of Cable test measurements that exceed

the TIA568.B.2 - 250 MHz frequency sweep

– 600 MHz frequency is not achievable in a field channel

Verified Support of 10G
6@1 100m 4-conn Channel
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance 100 meters 100 meters
Cable Size
ANEXT Testing
Shared Pathways
Training
Cable Diameter

• TIA-568-C.1 Specifes maximum cable diameter of

.354 inches O.D.
• Specified for both UTP and FTP
• Typical UTP O.D. .30 in to .33 in
– New UTP introduction of .285 in
• Typical FTP O.D. .290 in

• 6 around 1 configuration
Conduit Fill Ratio

FTP UTP A- A- 40% Fill 40%Fill

Size Acond OD OD FTP UTP UTP FTP

0.5 0.20 0.29 0.31 0.07 0.08 1.04 1.19

0.75 0.44 0.29 0.31 0.07 0.08 2.34 2.68

1.00 0.79 0.29 0.31 0.07 0.08 4.16 4.76

1.25 1.23 0.29 0.31 0.07 0.08 6.50 7.43

1.50 1.77 0.29 0.31 0.07 0.08 9.37 10.70

* Plenum Cable used in this illustration

Cable Diameter

Single gang boxes are not large enough

to maintain proper bend radius.

– UTP – 4x Outside Diameter of the Cable

– FTP – 8x Outside Diameter of the Cable

1.24”

2.3”

CAT6A UTP CAT6A FTP

Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance 100 meters 100 meters
Cable Size .285 in O.D. .290 in O.D.
ANEXT Testing
Shared Pathways
Training
 Alien NEXT

Large bundles common in Data Centers

Cable geometry dictates the total
number of cables with Alien Crosstalk
effect on a single cable is SIX (6)
The signal strength of non-adjacent
cables is simply too weak to induce
Alien Crosstalk
 Measuring
Alien
Crosstalk

Test Equipment Setup Example of 6 around 1 Configuration

FIELD TESTING

• Field Testing is NOT specified in the

Standards for UTP or FTP – it is an
option.
• Most UTP manufacturers do not require
ANEXT testing to warranty system

• To ensure meeting quality metrics both

UTP and FTP should be tested.

• FTP Shield continuity testing

Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance 100 meters 100 meters
Cable Size .285 in O.D. .290 in O.D.
ANEXT Testing Not Required* Not Required*
Shared Pathway
Experience
Shared Cable Pathways

• TIA-568-B.2-10 E.4 Test Configurations

“Alien Cross-talk requirements for category 6A
channels and permanent links are specified for
bundled configurations containing only category
6A cabling requirements”
• Manufacturers publish specific installation
guidelines for various situations
Shared Cable Pathways

• Separation of Cat6A UTP cabling from lower categories is an issue

if the lower categories are supporting 10G. For all other applications
there is no issue.

• Typical Cabling Requirements

• Cable types are laid, routed, and/or bundled in separate groups

• Pull each cable type separately
• Cables can be layered but not intermingled
• If alternate pulling of each cable type is planned, then side by side
positions in the tray must be allocated for each cable type
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance 100 meters 100 meters
Cable Size .285 in O.D. .290 in O.D.
ANEXT Testing Not Required* Not Required*
Std. Bundling/
Shared Pathway Layering Std. Bundling
Experience
Installation Experience
Structured Cabling Questionnaire

Question Answer

1 What percentage of installations over the past 3 years have been FTP / STP (non-UTP) ?

2 What percentage of installations over the last 3 years have been UTP?

3 How many installation projects have you done in hospital environments in the last 3 years?

4 How many of these hospital projects utilized FTP / STP solutions?

Have your Technicians received independent training for FTP /STP Solutions (BICSI, Global Knowledge,
5 NJATC, etc) ?

6 If Yes, what percentage of technicians received training?

7 Have your Technicians received vendor specific training for FTP / STP solutions?

8 If Yes, what percentage of technicians received training?

Have your Technicians received independent training for UTP Solutions (BICSI, Global Knowledge, NJATC,
9 etc) ?

10 If Yes, what percentage of technicians received training?

11 Have your Technicians received vendor specific training for UTP solutions?

12 If Yes, what percentage of technicians received training?

13 What percentage of current inventory consists of FTP / STP components?

14 What percentage of current inventory consists of UTP components?

Installation Experience

FTP v. UTP Installations Non-Vendor FTP Training

1% 6%

Received
1 2

99% 94%

Vendor-Specific FTP Training Percentage of Inventory

0%
9%

Received FTP

91% 100%
Comparison Chart

6A UTP 6A FTP
Parameter
TIA-568-C.1 Compliant Compliant
Data Rate 10 Gb/s 10Gb/s
Max Distance 100 meters 100 meters
Cable Size .285 in O.D. .290 in O.D.
ANEXT Testing Not Required* Not Required*
Std. Bundling/
Shared Pathway Layering Std. Bundling
84% 16%
Experience Worldwide Worldwide
 Thank you
Nathan Benton, RCDD/NTS/WD
Technical Manager, NAR Enterprise Solutions
nbenton@commscope.com
248.231.8514

Brought to you by