Standards are the framework that allows the sustained growth of a structured cabling platform. Adherence to industry standards specifies a threshold of performance capability and ensures the interoperability of components provided by industry manufacturers.

Standards are developed as a collaborative process that includes manufacturers, users, consultants, and others under the guidance of organizations such as TIA and IEEE. Members of standards committees bring differing perspectives to the process, but the resulting standard provides a solution that is accepted by the industry and provides guidelines for network planners and installers. Once the cabling requirements are standardized, only then can applications be defined that will operate over them.