The longstanding 100m channel limit for copper cabling might appear to be some kind of arbitrary rule but there’s a good reason for it. As the length of a cable increases, so does the signal loss, which is usually referred to as insertion loss. Put simply, the longer the cable, the weaker the signal. While the 100m standard has been regarded as the sweet spot for reliable performance, ever more intelligent buildings, sprawling campuses and a growing number of edge devices mean times have clearly changed.

Everyone wants faster speeds over longer distances without blowing their budget, so adding more telecoms tooms, running more optical fibre and installing power over Ethernet (PoE) extenders is a big turn off. These are some of the reasons why there is growing interest in extended reach cabling and in this issue’s Question Time we’ve asked a specially selected panel of industry experts to assess the key considerations when it comes to specifying, installing and testing it – and the pitfalls to avoid.

To drill down into the latest goings-on in copper cabling, we have a feature dedicated to this subject. Alberto Zucchinali of Siemon looks at the evolving role of copper cabling in high speed networks, examining how advances in standards, design and application are enabling copper to remain a relevant choice. Alberto is joined by Harshang Pandya of AEM Precision Cable Test, who unravels the interconnected web of standards bodies and organisations.

This issue also contains a special feature on data centre energy management, with two excellent articles on the subject. First up, Stu Redshaw of EkkoSense argues that when it comes to energy use it’s time for some serious engineering thinking. He’s followed by Ben Pritchard of AVK, who explains why effective data centre energy strategies are essential to minimise environmental impact and ensure resilience, grid stability and long-term operational viability.

Last but certainly not least, I’d like to say a massive thank you to all those who participated, sponsored and provided raffle prizes for the Inside_Networks 2025 Charity Golf Day. On what was the 20th anniversary of this event, the amazing sum of £10,000 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Support and a great time was had by all. You can see a round-up of the event in next month’s issue.

Rob Shepherd

Editor