SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026

• Abstract:

  This standard specifies generic cabling to serve the automation islands in industrial premises, or industrial spaces within other types of building.; It covers balanced cabling and optical fibre cabling.; This standard specifies directly or via reference to EN 50173 1 the:; — structure and minimum configuration for generic cabling within industrial spaces;; — interfaces at the telecommunications outlet (TO);; — performance requirements for cabling links and channels;; — implementation requirements and options;; — performance requirements for cabling components;; — conformance requirements and verification procedures.

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 29-Oct-2026
• ICS: 33.040.50 - Lines, connections and circuits
• ICS: 35.110 - Networking
• Technical Committee: ELI - Electrical and communication installations
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 14-Aug-2026
• Due Date: 01-Jan-2027
• Ref Project: EN 50173-3:2018/prA1:2026 - Information technology - Generic cabling systems - Part 3: Industrial spaces

• Amends: SIST EN 50173-3:2018 - Information technology - Generic cabling systems - Part 3: Industrial spaces
• Effective Date: 23-Dec-2025

SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 is a CLC draft amendment to the European standard for generic cabling systems in industrial spaces. It updates the rules for cabling that serves automation islands in industrial premises and industrial spaces within other building types, covering balanced cabling, optical fibre cabling, and support for single pair cabling. The document is for engineers, installers, quality managers, and buyers who need to design, specify, verify, or assess industrial cabling against the EN 50173 series.

What does SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 specify?

SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 specifies the industrial-spaces part of generic cabling. Its scope covers the structure and minimum configuration of the cabling system, telecommunications outlet (TO) interfaces, cabling link and channel performance, implementation options, component performance, and conformance verification.

The amendment is organized as targeted changes to the European foreword, Introduction, Clause 2, Clause 3, Clause 4, Clause 5, Clause 6, Clause 7.2, Clause 8.2.1, Clause 9.2, and Annex A. That structure matters in practice because readers can see which parts of the base standard are being updated and where the new single pair cabling content is inserted.

What are the key requirements of SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026?

SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 extends industrial-space cabling rules so they cover both traditional balanced cabling and single pair cabling. The key practical change is that the document now separates the 2-pair and 4-pair path from the 1-pair path and ties each to the appropriate EN 50173 part.

Cabling structure and supported applications

• Clause 4 links the industrial-space structure to applications listed in EN 50173-1:2018, Annex F, and EN 50173-10:2025, Annex C.
• Clause 4 adds the Edge Distributor (ED), an optional distributor used to move between balanced 4-pair or 2-pair cabling and 1-pair cabling.
• Clause 4 states that 1-pair cabling systems according to EN 50173-10 use an ED, typically as a switch or media converter with 2-pair or 4-pair Ethernet and Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) ports.

In practice, this tells a designer where the conversion point sits in an industrial network and when single pair cabling needs an intermediate distributor.

Cable, hardware and cord rules

• Clause 7.2 requires 2-pair and 4-pair cables to meet EN 50173-1:2018, 7.2 and the relevant Category 5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A, 8.1 and 8.2 performance in EN 50173-1:2018, 7.3.1 and 7.3.2.
• Clause 7.2 adds that cables connected to more than one TO must also meet the transmission requirements in EN 50173-1:2018, 7.3.3.
• Clause 7.2 requires single pair cables to meet EN 50173-10:2025, Clause 9.
• Clause 8.2.1 requires 2-pair and 4-pair connecting hardware to meet EN 50173-1:2018, 8.1, and single pair connecting hardware to meet EN 50173-10:2025, Clause 10.
• Clause 9.2 requires 2-pair and 4-pair cords to meet EN 50173-1:2018, 9.3, and single pair cords to meet EN 50173-10:2025, Clause 11.

For users, this means the cable, connector, and cord choice depends on whether the installation is balanced cabling or single pair cabling, and each path has its own conformity route.

Performance and verification references

• Clause 5 updates channel performance references so the industrial-space rules also cover applications in EN 50173-10:2025, Annex C.
• Clause 6 points 2-pair and 4-pair reference implementations to EN 50173-1:2018, 7.3 and Annex F, and 1-pair implementations to EN 50173-10:2025, 5.2 and Annex C.
• Annex A.2.2 gives link performance references for 2-pair and 4-pair cabling and adds the single pair cabling link-performance route through EN 50173-10:2025, Clause 6.

What terms does SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 define?

• Edge Distributor (ED) - an optional additional distributor that allows a transition from balanced 4-pair cabling to balanced 1-pair cabling.
• Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) - the Ethernet mode used with single pair cabling in the new industrial-space structure.
• Telecommunications outlet (TO) - the outlet point where active equipment is connected in the industrial cabling structure.
• Balanced cabling - the 2-pair and 4-pair cabling path used in the industrial-space rules.
• Single pair cabling - the 1-pair cabling path that is brought in through EN 50173-10.

Who uses SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026?

SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 is used by people who design, install, specify, or verify cabling for industrial premises and industrial spaces in other buildings. That includes industrial network engineers, automation engineers, cabling installers, test and certification labs, quality managers, and buyers choosing components for TOs, distributors, cables, and cords.

What changed in SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 from the previous edition?

SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 modifies EN 50173-3:2018 to add single pair cabling support. The amendment:

• adds EN 50173-10:2025 to the normative references,
• adds the Edge Distributor (ED) term and the SPE abbreviation,
• updates the industrial-space structure, channel performance, reference implementation, cable, hardware, cord, and Annex A text to distinguish 2-pair and 4-pair cabling from single pair cabling,
• ties the industrial-space content to EN 50173-10:2025 Annex C where single pair cabling is involved.

Which standards are used with SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026?

Standard	Contribution
EN 50173-1:2018	Base rules for 2-pair and 4-pair cabling, including cable, hardware, cord, and link-performance requirements, plus Annex F applications.
EN 50173-10:2025	Single pair cabling rules, including cabling, hardware, cords, link performance, and Annex C applications.
EN 50174-1 / EN 50174-2 / EN 50174-3 / EN 50174-4	Shown in the Introduction as part of the related document framework for design, installation, and operation phases.
EN 50310	Shown in the Introduction as part of the related document framework.

What does the SIST EN 50173-3:2018/oprA1:2026 document contain?

The document contains revised foreword and Introduction text, including an updated relationship figure and lifecycle table for the EN 50173 series and related documents. It also contains amended clause text for terms, structure, channel performance, reference implementations, cables, connecting hardware, cords, and Annex A.2.2. For readers, the most useful parts are the new ED and SPE content, the split between 2-pair and 4-pair cabling versus single pair cabling, and the references that tell you which EN 50173 part to follow for each case.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2026
Informacijska tehnologija - Generični kabelski sistemi - 3. del: Industrijska okolja -
Dopolnilo A1
Information technology - Generic cabling systems - Part 3: Industrial spaces
Informationstechnik - Anwendungsneutrale Kommunikationskabelanlagen - Teil 3:
Industriell genutzte Bereiche
Technologies de l'information - Systèmes de câblage générique - Partie 3: Espaces
industriels
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 50173-3:2018/prA1:2026
ICS:
33.040.50 Vodi, zveze in tokokrogi Lines, connections and
circuits
35.110 Omreževanje Networking
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD DRAFT
EN 50173-3:2018
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
prA1
August 2026
ICS 35.110 -
English Version
Information technology - Generic cabling systems - Part 3:
Industrial spaces
Technologies de l'information - Systèmes de câblage Informationstechnik - Anwendungsneutrale
générique - Partie 3: Espaces industriels Kommunikationskabelanlagen - Teil 3: Industriell genutzte
Bereiche
This draft amendment prA1, if approved, will modify the European Standard EN 50173-3:2018; it is submitted to CENELEC members for
enquiry.
Deadline for CENELEC: 2026-10-30.

It has been drawn up by CLC/TC 215.

If this draft becomes an amendment, CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this amendment the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft amendment was established by CENELEC 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, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to
provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without notice and
shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Project: 83173 Ref. No. EN 50173-3:2018/prA1:2026 E

Contents Page
1 European foreword . 3
2 1 Modifications to the European foreword . 4
3 2 Modifications to the Introduction . 4
4 3 Modifications to Clause 2, “Normative references” . 5
5 4 Modifications to Clause 3, “Terms, definitions and abbreviations” . 5
6 5 Modifications to Clause 4, “Structure of the generic cabling system in industrial spaces” . 5
7 6 Modifications to Clause 5, “Channel performance in industrial spaces” . 6
8 7 Modifications to Clause 6, “Reference implementations in industrial spaces” . 6
9 8 Modifications to 7.2, “Balanced cables of Category 5, 6, 6 , 7, 7 , 8.1 and 8.2” . 6
A A
10 9 Modifications to 8.2.1, “General requirements “ . 7
11 10 Modifications to 9.2, “Balanced cords of Category 6A, 7, 7A, 8.1 and 8.2” . 7
12 11 Modifications to A.2.2, “Balanced cabling” . 7
13 European foreword
14 This document (EN 50173-3:2018/prA1:2026) has been prepared by CLC/TC 215 “Electrotechnical aspects of
15 telecommunication equipment”.
16 The following dates are proposed:
• latest date by which the existence of this (doa) dav + 6 months
document has to be announced at national
level
• latest date by which this document has to be (dop) dav + 12 months
implemented at national level by publication of
an identical national standard or by
endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards (dow) dav + 36 months
conflicting with this document have to be (to be confirmed or
withdrawn modified when voting)
17 1 Modifications to the European foreword
18 Add the following standards at the end of the paragraph starting with “At the time of publication …”:
“EN 50173-10 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 10: Single pair cabling
EN 50173-20 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 20: Alternative cabling
configurations”
19 Add the following list item to the paragraph starting with “This edition of EN 50173-3”:
20 “f)  includes the implementation of single pair cabling according to EN 50173-10.”
21 2 Modifications to the Introduction
22 Replace Figure 1 with the following:
23 “
...