Cat 7
Ethernet Cables · 8 specs
Direct Answer
Category 7 (Cat 7) is an ISO/IEC 11801 Class F cable standard ratified in 2002. Operating at frequencies up to 600 MHz, it mandates S/FTP individual pair shielding and was engineered for proprietary GG45 and TERA connectors. Cat 7 is not recognized by the American TIA/EIA standard body.
Source: ISO/IEC 11801:2002 Class F / IEC 60603-7-7 · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Frequency Bandwidth | 600 MHz |
| Max Bandwidth / Data Rate | 10 Gbps |
| Max Channel Length | 100 m |
| Shielding Requirement | S/FTP (Screened/Foiled Twisted Pair) |
| Native Connectors | GG45 (IEC 60603-7-7) / TERA (IEC 61076-3-104) |
| Channel Classification | ISO/IEC 11801 Class F |
| ANSI/TIA Recognition | None (Not recognized by TIA) |
| RJ45 Native Compliance | No (Limits performance to Cat 6a) |
The Non-TIA Standard and Connector Reality
Cat 7 was ratified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC) in 2002, but was never adopted by the North American Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA/EIA), which chose to develop Cat 6a instead.
The Class F specification requires individual foil shielding around every pair plus an overall braided outer screen (S/FTP), along with non-RJ45 connectors like Nexans GG45 or Siemon TERA. When terminated with standard 8P8C (RJ45) modular plugs, the interface crosstalk bottlenecks the connection, rendering it electrically equivalent to Cat 6a.
Commercial Misconceptions
Many consumer 'Cat 7' patch cables sold with standard molded RJ45 connectors are not certified ISO Class F channels. True Cat 7 installations were deployed primarily in European datacenters and industrial automation requiring high noise immunity before the arrival of Cat 6a and Cat 8.