Superior Essex has decreased the diameter of its plenum-rated 10Gain XP CAT 6A cable to 0.265 inches, “making it the smallest Category 6A UTP cable available,” the company said when announcing the size reduction. “The smaller diameter provides an improved cable pathway fill ratio, a smaller bend radius, and increased airflow efficiency in data centers.”
The cable has a circular cross-section (illustrated below), and is constructed with a non-conductive isolation wrap around the core that blocks alien crosstalk (AXT), Superior Essex explained. “AXT protection is essential to10-Gigabit Ethernet transmission performance,” the company continued, summarizing a position it has taken in this article and in other documentation it has issued, “and 10Gain XP is guaranteed to offer 7 dB of margin over standard industry requirements, as defined by TIA-568-C.2. This performance guarantee is designed to provide UTP systems with interference protection that approaches that of shielded cabling systems.”
Amir Sekhavat, Superior Essex’s director of global product management for premises copper cables, said, “The new smaller-diameter 10Gain XP CAT 6A plenum cable offers significant size advantages in tight spaces and less environmental impact without compromising on performance. Our new design uses approximately 20 percent less plastic than a typical Cat 6A cable, and offers significant protection against alien crosstalk interference.”
As we have covered recently, 10Gain XP and its family of premises copper cables are also supported by Health Product Declarations (HPD) and third-party-verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which, the company explains, “allow these products to be used in building projects and contribute toward LEED points required for green building certification.”