The chosen infrastructure will need to support a wide array of network services for both current and future applications, as well as complying with environmental and regulatory demands.

Compliance with international standards and local regulations is essential when commissioning a new network. To provide a seamless transmission network, LAN media must comply with standards that ensure interoperability and optimum performance. The volume of specifications should not be underestimated, and those listed in Table 1 and set out by the International Standards Organisation (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IE C) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation) are legislative requirements in Europe, and should be your first port of call.

A standard or code of practice is widely regarded as the approved mode of compliance and the wording used is extremely precise. Verifiable requirements are denoted by the use of ‘shall’/’shall not’, ‘it is essential that’, and ‘under no circumstances’, and their interpretation is detailed in a British Standards Institute (BSI) guide.