Donald Bennett and Raj Nair
ComLSI

Category 5 (CAT5) cable is a multi-pair (usually 4 pair) cable that consists of twisted pair conductors, used mainly for data transmission. Basic CAT5 cable was designed for characteristics of up to 100 MHz. CAT5 cable is typically used for Ethernet networks running at 10 or 100 Mbps. The quality of unshielded twisted wire pair (UTP) may vary from telephone-grade wire to very high-speed cable. Each pair is twisted with a different number of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from adjacent pairs and other electrical devices. The EIA/TIA (Electronic Industry Association/Telecommunication Industry Association) has established standards of UTP for different categories of wire.