Different problems exist for Cat. 5+ / Cat. 6 and Cat. 7 connecting hardware.

Cat. 5+ / Cat. 6 connecting hardware is intended for the RJ 45 interface. This interface has bad crosstalk performance at highest frequencies which is causing problems, especially to develop a generic Cat. 6 standard as discussed in the previous section. The biggest problem is to have the proposed performance at the same time as intermateability and backwards compatability are secured. Cat. 7 connecting hardware cannot use the RJ 45 interface if four pair Cat. 7 performance is required unless very special RJ 45 connector constructions are applied. Hence a new connector interface must be developed before a generic 4 pair Class F transmission is available. So far a number of manufacturer specific 4 pair Cat. 7 interfaces are proposed to the market, two of which are modified RJ 45 interfaces, but no standardisation of the interface has yet been made. Target for specification of the new Cat. 7 interface is 1999.

The standardisation groups are presently preparing the Cat. 5, Cat. 5+, Cat. 6 and Cat. 7 connecting hardware standards corresponding to the cabling standards described in the cable section.

The following standardisation groups are responsible for the development of international connecting hardware specifications:

ISO/IEC JTC 1, SC 25, WG 3:
An international cabling committee which is driving connecting hardware requirements, for instance based on cooperation with application committees. Connecting hardware standards for ISO/IEC JTC1, SC 25, WG 3 are prepared by IEC SC 48B Task Group.

CENELEC TC 215:
An international cabling committee for European countries working in parallel with ISO/IEC JTC 1, SC 25, WG 3. Many persons are members of both cabling committees. Efforts are being made to secure consistency between the work of the two cabling committees, but national traditions between countries may cause differences in the resulting standards. Connecting hardware standards for CENELEC TC 215 are prepared by IEC SC 48 B Task Group.

IEC SC 48B:
The international connecting hardware committee which develop connecting hardware standards, for instance according to requirements of ISO/IEC JTC 1, SC 25, WG 3. However, the present connecting hardware requirements have been developed by ISO/IEC JTC 1, SC 25, WG 3. Presently the cabling standardisation work of SC 48B is carried out in the Task Group.

Similar work is going on in the US to develop connecting hardware standards for the future cabling specified in ANSI/EIA/TIA-568 and Addendums.

3P is a member of all the cabling committees referenced to above in order to secure compliance of 3P Verified connecting hardware with future requirements of developing standards.