BS EN 60794-3-21:2016

BSI Standards Publication

Optical fibre cables

Part 3-21: Outdoor cables — Product
specification for optical self-supporting
aerial telecommunication cables for use
in premises cabling
BS EN 60794-3-21:2016 BRITISH STANDARD

National foreword
This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 60794-3-21:2016. It is
identical to IEC 60794-3-21:2015. It supersedes BS EN 60794-3-21:2006
which is withdrawn.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted by Technical Com-
mittee GEL/86, Fibre optics, to Subcommittee GEL/86/1, Optical fibres and
cables.
A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on
request to its secretary.
This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of
a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.
© The British Standards Institution 2016.
Published by BSI Standards Limited 2016
ISBN 978 0 580 60670 0
ICS 33.180.10
Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from
legal obligations.
This British Standard was published under the authority of the
Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 29 February 2016.

Amendments/corrigenda issued since publication

Date Text affected

 BS EN 60794-3-21:2016

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 60794-3-21

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM February 2016

ICS 33.180.10 Supersedes EN 60794-3-21:2006

English Version

Optical fibre cables - Part 3-21: Outdoor cables - Product

specification for optical self-supporting aerial telecommunication
cables for use in premises cabling
(IEC 60794-3-21:2015)

Câbles à fibres optiques - Partie 3-21: Câbles extérieurs - Lichtwellenleiterkabel - Teil 3-21: LWL-Außenkabel -
Spécification de produit pour les câbles optiques de Produktspezifikation für selbsttragende Fernmelde-
télécommunication aériens autoporteurs utilisés dans le Luftkabel für anwendungsneutrale Standortverkabelung
câblage de locaux (IEC 60794-3-21:2015)
(IEC 60794-3-21:2015)

This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2015-12-24. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels

© 2016 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.

Ref. No. EN 60794-3-21:2016 E

BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
EN 60794-3-21:2016

European foreword

The text of document 86A/1564/CDV, future edition 2 of IEC 60794-3-21, prepared by SC 86A “Fibres
and cables” of IEC/TC 86 ”Fibre optics" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and
approved by CENELEC as EN 60794-3-21:2016.

The following dates are fixed:

• latest date by which the document has to be (dop) 2016-09-24

implemented at national level by
publication of an identical national
standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national (dow) 2018-12-24
standards conflicting with the
document have to be withdrawn

This document supersedes EN 60794-3-21:2006.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC [and/or CEN] shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such
patent rights.

Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60794-3-21:2015 was approved by CENELEC as a
European Standard without any modification.

2
 BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
EN 60794-3-21:2016

Annex ZA
(normative)

Normative references to international publications

with their corresponding European publications
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

NOTE 1 When an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant
EN/HD applies.

NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available here:
www.cenelec.eu

Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

IEC 60793-2-10 2011 Optical fibres - EN 60793-2-10 2011

Part 2-10: Product specifications -
Sectional specification for category A1
multimode fibres

IEC 60793-2-50 2012 Optical fibres - EN 60793-2-50 2013

Part 2-50: Product specifications -
Sectional specification for class B single-
mode fibres
Optical fibre cables -
IEC 60794-1-1 - EN 60794-1-1 -
Part 1-1: Generic specification - General
IEC 60794-1-2 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-1-2 -
Part 1-2: Generic specification - Cross
reference table for optical cable test
procedures

IEC 60794-3 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-3 -

Part 3: Outdoor cables - Sectional
specification

IEC 60794-3-20 - Optical fibre cables - EN 60794-3-20 -

Part 3-20: Outdoor cables - Family
specification for self-supporting aerial
telecommunication cables

ISO/IEC 11801 - Information technology - Generic cabling - -

for customer premises

ISO/IEC 24702 - Information technology - Generic cabling - - -

Industrial premises

3
 BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
–2– IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015

CONTENTS
FOREWORD ......................................................................................................................... 3
1 Scope ............................................................................................................................ 5
2 Normative references..................................................................................................... 5
3 General requirements .................................................................................................... 5
4 Particular requirements .................................................................................................. 6
4.1 General ................................................................................................................. 6
4.2 Environmental requirements – Temperature cycling ............................................... 6
4.3 Transmission requirements .................................................................................... 6
4.3.1 Attenuation of cabled fibre .............................................................................. 6
4.3.2 Fibre bandwidth requirements ........................................................................ 7
4.3.3 Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) requirements .......................................... 7

Table 1 – Multimode maximum cable attenuation coefficient (dB/km) ..................................... 6

Table 2 – Single-mode maximum cable attenuation coefficient (dB/km) .................................. 7
Table 3 – Minimum multimode fibre bandwidth (MHz∙km) ....................................................... 7
BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015 –3–

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________

OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES –

Part 3-21: Outdoor cables –

Product specification for optical self-supporting aerial
telecommunication cables for use in premises cabling

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
governmental organizations liaising with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely
with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

International Standard IEC 60794-3-21 has been prepared by subcommittee 86A: Fibres and
cables, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics.

This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2005. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.

This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:

a) reference to ISO 24702;

b) reference to Fibre B6 (IEC 60793-2-50);
c) reference to the OS2 Fibre as defined by ISO/IEC 11801.
 BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
–4– IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015

This standard shall be used in conjunction with IEC 60794-1-1, IEC 60794-1-2, IEC 60794-3
and IEC 60794-3-20.

The text of this standard is based on the following documents:

CDV Report on voting

86A/1564/CDV 86A/1624/RVC

Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.

This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

A list of all parts in the IEC 60794 series, published under the general title Optical fibre
cables, can be found on the IEC website.

The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be

• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.

A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015 –5–

OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES –

Part 3-21: Outdoor cables –

Product specification for optical self-supporting aerial
telecommunication cables for use in premises cabling

1 Scope

This part of IEC 60794 is a product specification. It presents the detailed requirements
specific to optical self-supporting aerial telecommunication cables for use in premises cabling
to ensure compatibility with ISO/IEC 11801 and ISO/IEC 24702. The requirements of the
family specification IEC 60794-3-20 and sectional specification IEC 60794-3 are applicable to
cables covered by this standard.

2 Normative references

The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.

IEC 60793-2-10:2011, Optical fibres − Part 2-10: Product specifications – Sectional

specification for category A1 multimode fibres

IEC 60793-2-50:2012, Optical fibres − Part 2-50: Product specifications − Sectional

specification for class B single-mode fibres

IEC 60794-1-1, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-1: Generic specification – General

IEC 60794-1-2, Optical fibre cables – Part 1-2: Generic specification – Cross reference table
for optical cable test procedures

IEC 60794-3, Optical fibre cables – Part 3: Outdoor cables – Sectional specification

IEC 60794-3-20, Optical fibre cables − Part 3-20: Outdoor cables − Family specification for
self-supporting aerial telecommunication cables

ISO/IEC 11801, Information technology − Generic cabling for customers premises

ISO/IEC 24702, Information technology − Generic cabling – Industrial premises

3 General requirements

The cable shall comply with the family specification, IEC 60794-3-20, and meet the
requirements which are defined in it, including requirements in the sectional specification,
IEC 60794-3.

The optical fibre contained in cables covered by this standard shall comply with one of the
following standards, and meet the normative requirements defined within them as applicable:

• IEC 60793-2-50:2012, Annex A (Single-mode fibre category B1.1);

 BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
–6– IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015

• IEC 60793-2-50: 2012, Annex C (Single-mode fibre category B1.3);

• IEC 60793-2-10:2011, Annex A (Multimode fibre, sub-category A1a, 50 µm core diameter);
• IEC 60793-2-10:2011, Annex B (Multimode fibre, sub-category A1b, 62,5 µm core
diameter).

To ensure compatibility with ISO/IEC 11801 and ISO/IEC 24702, optical performance level
requirements are presented in terms of the following performance classification codes:

• OS1 single-mode fibre, category B1.1, B1.3, or B6;

• OS2 single-mode fibre, category B1.3 or sub-category B6_a;
• OM1 multimode fibre, sub-category A1a or A1b;
• OM2 multimode fibre, sub-category A1a or A1b;
• OM3 multimode fibre, model A1a.2;
• OM4 multimode fibre, model A1a.3.

NOTE These codes are informative from the perspective of the requirements defined in IEC 60794-3-20.

4 Particular requirements

4.1 General

These requirements either define a specific option relative to the requirements of

IEC 60794-3-20 or define additional requirements.

4.2 Environmental requirements – Temperature cycling

The cable shall meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 11801 and ISO/IEC 24702, with the
following values:

• TA1: –10 °C TA2: –25 °C TA3: –40 °C

• TB1:+60 °C TB2: +70 °C

4.3 Transmission requirements

4.3.1 Attenuation of cabled fibre

Depending on the fibre type, the attenuation coefficient of the cabled fibre shall be less than
the maximum values in Table 1 for the multimode fibres, and less than the maximum values in
Table 2 for single-mode fibres – for the wavelengths listed in the Table 1 column headings
and in Table 2.

The fibre type shall be agreed between customer and supplier.

Table 1 – Multimode maximum cable attenuation coefficient (dB/km)

Fibre specification Attenuation coefficient at Attenuation Performance

850 nm coefficient at classification code
1 300 nm
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.1 3,5 1,5 OM1, OM2
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.2 3,5 1,5 OM3
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.3 3,5 1,5 OM4
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1b 3,5 1,5 OM1, OM2
BS EN 60794-3-21:2016
IEC 60794-3-21:2015 © IEC 2015 –7–

Table 2 – Single-mode maximum cable attenuation coefficient (dB/km)

Fibre specification Wavelength Maximum Performance

nm attenuation classification
coefficient code
IEC 60793-2-50, B1.3guy, or B6_a 1 310, 1 383, 1 550 1,0 OS1
IEC60793-2-50, B1.3 or B6_a 1 310, 1 383, 1 550 0,4 OS2

NOTE IEC SC86A has recommended to ISO/IEC JTC1 SC25 to modify the requirements for OS1 and OS2 fibre in
ISO/IEC 11801. The requirements in Table 2 are consistent with these recommendations. In the case of OS1 fibre
in installations specified prior to ISO 11801, in which either B1.1 fibre is used or if the B1 fibre type is unknown, the
1 383 nm requirement is not applicable.

4.3.2 Fibre bandwidth requirements

There are no bandwidth requirements on single-mode fibres.

For cables containing multimode fibres, the uncabled fibre shall be specified at one of
performance levels defined in Table 3 in terms of minimum bandwidth (MHz∙km), wavelength,
and type of measurement.

The fibre type and performance level shall be agreed between customer and supplier.

Table 3 – Minimum multimode fibre bandwidth (MHz∙km)

Fibre specification Nominal Overfilled Overfilled Effective Performance

core bandwidth bandwidth modal classification
diameter at 850 nm at 1 300 bandwidth at code
µm nm 850 nm

IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.1 50 200 500 Non-applicable OM1

IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.1 50 500 500 Non-applicable OM2
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.2 50 1 500 500 2 000 OM3
IEC 60793-2-10, model A1a.3 50 3 500 500 4 700 OM4
IEC 60793-2-10, sub-category 62,5 200 500 Non-applicable OM1
A1b
IEC 60793-2-10, sub-category 62,5 500 500 Non-applicable OM2
A1b

4.3.3 Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) requirements

Cables containing single-mode fibres shall meet the PMD requirements of IEC 60794-3.

____________
This page deliberately left blank
This page deliberately left blank
NO COPYING WITHOUT BSI PERMISSION EXCEPT AS PERMITTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW

British Standards Institution (BSI)

BSI is the national body responsible for preparing British Standards and other
standards-related publications, information and services.
BSI is incorporated by Royal Charter. British Standards and other standardization
products are published by BSI Standards Limited.

About us Revisions
We bring together business, industry, government, consumers, innovators Our British Standards and other publications are updated by amendment or revision.
and others to shape their combined experience and expertise into standards We continually improve the quality of our products and services to benefit your
-based solutions. business. If you find an inaccuracy or ambiguity within a British Standard or other
The knowledge embodied in our standards has been carefully assembled in BSI publication please inform the Knowledge Centre.
a dependable format and refined through our open consultation process.
Organizations of all sizes and across all sectors choose standards to help Copyright
them achieve their goals. All the data, software and documentation set out in all British Standards and
other BSI publications are the property of and copyrighted by BSI, or some person
Information on standards or entity that owns copyright in the information used (such as the international
We can provide you with the knowledge that your organization needs standardization bodies) and has formally licensed such information to BSI for
to succeed. Find out more about British Standards by visiting our website at commercial publication and use. Except as permitted under the Copyright, Designs
bsigroup.com/standards or contacting our Customer Services team or and Patents Act 1988 no extract may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
Knowledge Centre. or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, photocopying, recording
or otherwise – without prior written permission from BSI. Details and advice can
Buying standards be obtained from the Copyright & Licensing Department.
You can buy and download PDF versions of BSI publications, including British
and adopted European and international standards, through our website at Useful Contacts:
bsigroup.com/shop, where hard copies can also be purchased. Customer Services
If you need international and foreign standards from other Standards Development Tel: +44 845 086 9001
Organizations, hard copies can be ordered from our Customer Services team. Email (orders): orders@bsigroup.com
Email (enquiries): cservices@bsigroup.com
Subscriptions
Subscriptions
Our range of subscription services are designed to make using standards
Tel: +44 845 086 9001
easier for you. For further information on our subscription products go to
Email: subscriptions@bsigroup.com
bsigroup.com/subscriptions.
With British Standards Online (BSOL) you’ll have instant access to over 55,000 Knowledge Centre
British and adopted European and international standards from your desktop. Tel: +44 20 8996 7004
It’s available 24/7 and is refreshed daily so you’ll always be up to date. Email: knowledgecentre@bsigroup.com
You can keep in touch with standards developments and receive substantial
Copyright & Licensing
discounts on the purchase price of standards, both in single copy and subscription
format, by becoming a BSI Subscribing Member. Tel: +44 20 8996 7070
Email: copyright@bsigroup.com
PLUS is an updating service exclusive to BSI Subscribing Members. You will
automatically receive the latest hard copy of your standards when they’re
revised or replaced.
To find out more about becoming a BSI Subscribing Member and the benefits
of membership, please visit bsigroup.com/shop.
With a Multi-User Network Licence (MUNL) you are able to host standards
publications on your intranet. Licences can cover as few or as many users as you
wish. With updates supplied as soon as they’re available, you can be sure your
documentation is current. For further information, email bsmusales@bsigroup.com.

BSI Group Headquarters

389 Chiswick High Road London W4 4AL UK