Supports up to 10 Mbps (Megabits per second) for up to 100 meters and is commonly used for phone lines today?

• A. Cat3
• B. Cat5e
• C. Cat6
• D. Cat5

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that the category of a copper Ethernet cable defines both the maximum data rate it can reliably carry and the distance it can cover in a single segment. For 10 Mbps Ethernet over twisted pair, the 10BASE-T standard operates reliably up to 100 meters using cables designed for lower-frequency signals typical of voice and basic data. Cat3 cables were specifically designed for that use, providing the needed bandwidth for 10 Mbps and supporting up to 100 meters, which is why they’ve historically been the wiring choice for telephone systems. The other options are geared toward higher data rates (Cat5e, Cat6, Cat5), so while they can carry voice, they’re overqualified for a 10 Mbps, 100-meter voice/low-speed data scenario and are more common in data networks today.