OVERVIEW

Multipair copper and optical fiber cables are installed for the backbone subsystem. Backbone communication cables are installed between telecommunications rooms (TRs) for voice, low-speed data systems, and high-speed data systems.

Pulling backbone cables requires careful planning due to the heavy weight of copper cables and the long cable lengths associated with backbone cables. Backbone cables are usually shipped on large and heavy cable reels. These reels must be set up properly for the installation to be completed correctly and safely.

Backbone cables must be installed in many different types of cable pathways including: conduits, maintenance holes, building entrance conduits, and aerial pathways. These pathways can be congested and difficult to install new backbone cables in them. Heavy backbone cables or backbone cables that must be installed through long conduit sections may require mechanical pulling equipment be used to complete the installation.

This chapter will describe the correct procedures for installing copper and optical fiber backbone cables.

ALLOWED MEDIA TYPES

The ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1 standard released in 2001 supports the following media type in the backbone subsystem for new cable installations (see Figure 17-1):

The 100-ohm UTP copper backbone cables are multipair cables. These cables are primarily used for voice and low-speed data applications. If 100-ohm UTP cable is required for high-speed data applications, a four-pair category 5e or category 6 UTP cable...