| Full title | Information technology. Generic cabling for customer premises. Part 6: Distributed building services |
| Publisher | ISO and IEC, prepared by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25 |
| Current edition | Edition 1, November 2017, with Corrigendum 1:2018 and Amendment 1:2026 (published September 2026) |
| Status | Published and current |
| European equivalent | EN 50173-6:2018, published in the UK as BS EN 50173-6:2018 |
| Related documents | ISO/IEC 11801-1 to -5, TIA TSB-162-B (2021), ANSI/TIA-568.1 |
What it covers
ISO/IEC 11801-6 specifies generic cabling for distributed building services. These are services that are not tied to a particular user or desk. Typical examples are wireless access points, building automation and control, security systems, sensors and other networked devices fixed to the building.
It covers balanced cabling and optical fibre cabling within premises of one or more buildings on a campus. It can be used on its own or alongside the premises-specific parts of the series, such as ISO/IEC 11801-2 for offices or ISO/IEC 11801-5 for data centres.
It was new in the 2017 restructure of the ISO/IEC 11801 series. Its European counterpart, EN 50173-6, was first published in 2013.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Service distributor (SD) | The distributor that feeds the service distribution cabling |
| Service distribution cable | Cable from the service distributor to service outlets, or to service concentration points |
| Service concentration point (SCP) | A connection point between the service distributor and the service outlets (Type A), or the point offering connections to terminal equipment (Type B) |
| Service outlet (SO) | The fixed connecting device where the service distribution cabling terminates |
| Service area | An area in a room or other space where non-user specific equipment is placed |
The definitions above are paraphrased from EN 50173-6, which uses the same structure as the ISO standard.
Type A and Type B cabling
The standard describes two forms of service distribution cabling.
| Type A | Type B | |
|---|---|---|
| Functional elements | SD, service distribution cable, SCP, SCP cable, SO | SD, service distribution cable, SCP |
| Where the generic cabling ends | At the service outlet | At the SCP |
| Beyond that point | Cord to the device | Application-specific cabling to the device, outside the scope |
Both types can include campus backbone, building backbone and service distribution subsystems. The cabling can be a stand-alone structure or an overlay on the cabling of another premises type. The overlay is described in an informative annex.
Performance
- Balanced cabling uses channel and link Classes EA, F and FA as specified in ISO/IEC 11801-1.
- Optical fibre channel and link requirements are as specified in ISO/IEC 11801-1.
- The standard gives maximum channel lengths for Type A and Type B reference implementations, and channel length formulae for service distribution channels. Use the tables in the standard itself for design values.
Planning the grid
Informative Annex A covers services and applications, SCP grid density and cabling provision to SCPs. It includes tables of recommended SCP grid dimensions and the estimated number of service outlets per SCP.
Typically, the floor plate is divided into a regular grid of coverage areas, with an SCP placed to serve each one. Service distribution cables run from the SCP to outlets placed where devices will be fixed, often in or above the ceiling. Outlets can then be added or moved without new cables from the distributor.
Another informative annex covers the use of optical fibre within Type B service distribution cabling.
Amendments
- Corrigendum 1:2018 corrects the 2017 text.
- Amendment 1:2026 was published on 29 September 2026. It runs to 7 pages.
- In Europe, a draft amendment, EN 50173-6:2018/prA1, adds single pair cabling as specified in EN 50173-10 to distributed building services.
How it relates to other standards
- EN 50173-6:2018 is the European equivalent. It supersedes EN 50173-6:2013 and is published in the UK as BS EN 50173-6:2018. It adopts Classes EA, F and FA from EN 50173-1.
- ISO/IEC 11801-1 holds the common requirements: class limits, component categories and cabled fibre categories.
- TIA TSB-162-B (2021), Telecommunications Cabling Guidelines for Wireless Access Points, is related North American guidance. It covers topology, design, installation and testing of cabling to wireless access points, in line with ANSI/TIA-568.0-D and ANSI/TIA-569-E. As a TSB it is guidance, not a standard.
- ANSI/TIA-568.1-E Addendum 1 (2023) requires two Category 6A cables to each wireless access point location where balanced twisted-pair cabling is used.
What it means in practice
- Decide early whether the design is Type A (generic cabling to the service outlet) or Type B (generic cabling to the SCP only). It changes what is tested and handed over as generic cabling.
- Specify the channel class, for example Class EA, for service distribution channels that carry PoE to access points and cameras.
- Take SCP grid sizes from the annex as a starting point, then confirm with a wireless survey and the device layout.
- Record SCP and service outlet locations in the as-built drawings so later devices can be connected without new home runs.
- Where the project follows TIA documents and uses balanced twisted-pair cabling to access points, plan two Category 6A cables per wireless access point location.
Related reading: What is structured cabling? · The complete guide to Cat6A cable.