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The current standards for authorised cabling products and the 'Wiring Rules' have been amended due to an unintended requirement in the wiring rules that all underground cable would be filled with for example a grease or gel. This requirement had immediate effect on 24 December 2001 when the standard was mandated. Industry has decided that manufacturers and cablers were not given prior warning of the ramification of filled cable.
AS/CA S008: 2010 - Telecommunications (Requirements for Customer Cabling Products) outlines the requirements for manufacturers, importers and agents of cabling products that are intended for use on the customer side of a telecommunications network boundary. This standard has been amended to require that all underground cables (excluding blown fibre systems) beyond a carrier's network boundary must withstand water penetration. The amendment of the standard has also necessitated an amendment of the Wiring Rules by Communications Alliance Ltd (formerly ACIF).
AS/ACIF S009: 2006 - Installation requirements for the customer cabling (Wiring Rules) outlines the general technical requirements for installing or maintaining customer cabling and customer equipment that is connected, or intended to be connected, to a telecommunications network. In particular, this standard addresses installation and maintenance matters relating to health safety and network integrity. The amendment now requires that from 1 January 2004 all cables intended to be installed underground (excluding blown fibre tube systems) to incorporate a blocking agent within the cable to prevent the ingress of water.
Various methods of cable construction can be used by manufacturers to comply with the water penetration requirement. Existing methods of blocking water include but is not limited to:
- use of swelling agents such as tape, yarn or powder
- pressure sheathing and:
- grease or gel
From 1 January 2004 cablers must ensure that they use only cable that meets the water penetration requirement.
The Communications Alliance Ltd provides free downloading of technical standards.
