Electronic – Why diameter of telephone cable is exactly 0.44mm and 0.63mm

cablestelephone

I am wondering why telephone cables are having the diameter or exact 0.44mm and 0.63mm? Is that any special reason?

I have seen some of the cable have up to 2400 twisted pairs, could I know is the number of pairs will affect performance of cable?

Thank you.

Best Answer

The diameters are almost certainly for historical reasons. The sizes you've given correspond to 1/40 inch and 1/60 inch. Probably these looked like good round numbers to someone who was making the decision a long time ago, and we've stuck with them ever since. Any new cable would have to have the same characteristic impedance as the old, fit into the same connectors, have the same or better bend radius etc.

Each twisted pair in a cable carries a signal. More pairs, more signals. More pairs can slightly reduce the performance of a cable due to crosstalk, but it's generally worth it to carry the extra signals.