Powering and Connecting the Digital World
While the shift toward wireless technology continues, insulated wires and cables remain indispensable to modern communication and power systems. From critical infrastructure to everyday devices, they form the reliable backbone of electrical and data transmission networks. To meet growing demands for speed, performance, safety, and sustainability, cable technologies must continuously evolve—and so must the standards that govern them.
Standardization Activities in the Cables Sector
CENELEC’s Technical Committees play a central role in ensuring that cable products meet the highest levels of quality, safety, and interoperability across a wide range of applications.
CLC/TC 20 – Electric Cables
Develops European Standards for insulated conductors, cables, and flexible cords, as well as related accessories for both low and high voltage applications (excluding telecommunications cables). Key areas of work include:
- Power distribution and transmission cables
- Railway applications
- Example: EN 50305:2020 ‘Railway applications - Railway rolling stock cables having special fire performance - Test methods’
- Overhead line conductors
- Example: EN 50397-1:2020 ‘Covered conductors for overhead lines and the related accessories for rated voltages above 1 kV AC and not exceeding 36 kV AC - Part 1: Covered conductors’
- Test requirements for low voltage aerial bundled cable accessories
- Example: EN 50483-1:2025 ‘Test requirements for low voltage aerial bundled cable accessories - Part 1: Generalities’
These standards contribute to ensuring operational reliability and safety, particularly in challenging environments like rail and energy infrastructure.
CLC/TC 46X – Communication Cables
Responsible for standardizing metallic communication cables, including:
- Symmetric and coaxial cables
- Waveguides with metallic conductors
This committee plays a key role in supporting next-generation communication networks, such as 5G, by advancing the following standard series:
- EN 50288 – series on multi-element metallic cables used in analogue and digital communication and contro
- EN 50117 – series on Coaxial cables
- EN 50290 – Communication cables, focusing on common design rules and construction
- EN IEC 62153 – Test methods for metallic cables and passive components
- EN IEC 62037 – Intermodulation level measurement for RF and microwave devices
These standards help ensure that Europe’s telecommunication infrastructure is robust, high-performing, and future-proof.
CLC/TC 86A – Optical Fibre Cables
Focuses on optical fibre cables, developing standards that support high-speed, high-capacity communication systems. Recent work includes several parts of the:
- EN IEC 60794-6 series – Specifications for indoor-outdoor optical fibre cables, designed to meet the diverse needs of modern broadband and fibre-optic networks.
CLC/TC 86BXA – Fibre optic interconnect, passive and connectorised components
The main activity of the Technical Committee and its working groups is to prepare and maintain European Standards and specifications for a wide range of fibre optic components and systems. These include:
- EN 61300-3 series - Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and measurement procedures
- EN IEC 61755-3 series - Fibre Optic Interconnecting Devices and Passive Components - Connector Optical Interfaces
- EN 50411-3 - Fibre management systems and protective housings to be used in optical fibre communication systems
Driving Connectivity, Safety, and Innovation
By developing harmonized European Standards for electric, communication, and optical cables, CENELEC helps manufacturers, utilities, and network operators deliver systems that are:
- Safe and reliable
- Technically advanced
- Compliant with EU legislation
- Ready for the future of smart, connected infrastructure
