10G - more facts, less speculation

Steven Foster marketing manager EMEA at Siemon looks at the debate surrounding unshielded versus shielded 10G systems

Structured cabling manufacturers have been positioning 10G systems for some time, particularly since completion of the IEEE 802.3an 10GBASE-T standard. However, this has also led to much heated debate on the subject of shielded systems, with some manufacturers taking a firm stance on shielded being the better option. This has led to the current position, where the industry waits for the market to decide which 10G option will gain acceptance.

Two years ago 90 per cent plus of the projects we won or simply competed for in the UK were UTP, but we now have a UK project pipeline with 47 per cent of future projects specifying 10G systems and of these only 13 per cent being for UTP systems. This is a dramatic shift for a market always considered primarily unshielded.

We continue to see projects for Cat 5e and Cat 6 unshielded systems, but the majority of large projects are seriously looking at 10G shielded systems. We are also seeing global specifications moving towards shielded for multi-national organisations. This is undoubtedly impacting the trend at the top end of the market where UK subsidiaries are steered by corporate standardisation.

The reasons for this shielded shift? In a nutshell it's superior performance, ANEXT elimination, reduced cost differential and installation far simpler than the market has previously been educated to believe.

While shielded systems are undoubtedly linked to 10G at present and have not filtered down to many levels of the market who are satisfied with Category 5e and 6 UTP systems, market shifts are often driven by technology innovators. These are the data centres and large blue chip organizations who are today specifying 10G systems. The reasons for choosing shielded are vast and compelling and these same arguments will drive SME’s down similar avenues when they come to invest in 10G capable systems.

So what does this trend mean for the channel? Well, for resellers, whether this is a trend they have currently witnessed or one which is completely alien, they should take a fresh look at shielded systems. Understanding the benefits of shielded systems and having the ability to sell and install 6A shielded or Category 7 systems will ensure they are in line with the changing needs of the market and well positioned for the future.