Screened, or shielded, twisted pair cabling solutions are not new. In fact, according to the BSRIA 2023 UK market report, over one third of all copper cabling installed was screened. Category 6A led the way with 47% of the total; Excel Networking Solutions made significant gains during the year, increasing its share to 23% of this market and taking number 2 position in this growing segment. As the demand for high-performance network infrastructure grows, Excel’s long standing, established advanced shielded solutions are meeting the needs of modern enterprise networks.
Despite most cabling vendors offering shielded options for over 10 years, new entrants are coming to the market which will inevitably lead to an increase in the overall share of such cabling within the UK market.
Category 6A has seen increased adoption due to its superior performance versus Category 6 when considering bandwidth and POE support. Screened designs are preferred by most users due to complexities of multi-gig transmission over twisted pair cabling. Excel Networking Solutions has for many years been at the forefront, providing robust and reliable solutions that cater to the evolving demands of IoT networks with increasing numbers of POE and POE + devices.
Excel's extensive portfolio offers a variety of cable designs, including options with different levels of shielding: individual pair foil (U/FTP), overall foil and individual pair foil (F/FTP), and braided shield with individual pair foil (S/FTP), alongside an unscreened (U/UTP) solution.
In recent months the offering has been extended and improved further:
- New screened cables designed for external applications have been introduced aimed at supporting POE devices such as cameras and wireless bridges.
- A reduced diameter screened ‘zone’ cable for switch port harness assemblies or short run applications
- An F/FTP cable supplied in plastic-free fast-feed 305 metre boxes
Simon Jacobs, Product Manager at Excel Networking Solutions, stated, “Our Cat6A solutions are a testament to our commitment to innovation and quality. We made the decision many years ago to focus on developing a broad end to end screened offer, it was clear to us that this was the market’s preferred design option when it came to 6A solutions. As the market demands higher performance and more reliable networks, Excel is proud to provide solutions that not only meet but exceed these expectations. Our Cat6A cables are available in a range of Euroclasses, have third party certification and are supported by our 25-year application warranty when installed by accredited partners.”
Ross McLetchie, Sales Director for the UK concluded, “The BSRIA data confirms the strong development we saw in demand for Excel Cat6A in 2023, I would like to thank all of our installation partners for their support and commitment to the brand”.
Looking ahead, the demand for Cat6A solutions is expected to continue growing, driven by the increasing adoption of high-speed networks and the need for reliable, future-proof infrastructure.
Excel Networking Solutions is poised to lead this growth, offering state-of-the-art Cat6A cabling solutions that set the standard for performance, reliability, and sustainability.