Introduction

The purpose of a standard is to ensure a minimum level of performance. As defined in the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Engineering Manual, a standard is a document that establishes engineering and technical requirements for processes, procedures, practices and methods that have been decreed by authority or adopted by consensus. Standards may also be established for selection, application, and design criteria for material. Standards are established as a basis to quantify, compare, measure, or judge capacity, quantity, value, quality, performance, limits, and interoperability.

A significant benefit of standards in the telecommunications industry is the aid to improved interoperability of components and systems by multiple manufacturers.

Codes often reference numerous safety standards to ensure the minimum safety requirements of a given material or component.

In the United States, the NEC requires that cable placed in a space defined as a plenum or other air-handling space must be listed for that purpose. This listing is given to material that meets a specific test standard of requirements for:

• Flammability.

• Smoke generation.

• Opaqueness of smoke.

Test standards provide uniform rules for what is to be tested, how it is to be tested, and which results are acceptable.

American National Standards Institute/Telecommunications Industry Association/Electronic Industries Alliance (ANSI/TIA/EIA)

TIA and EIA are organizations that develop and submit standards to ANSI for approval and then publish and make available to the industry. TIA/EIA publishes standards for the manufacturing, installation, and performance of electronic and telecommunications equipment and systems. Each...