backbone cabling system

The system of wiring that connects telecom closets to equipment rooms, equipment rooms to entrance facilities, and entrance facilities to each other. Backbone cabling ties floors to floors and buildings to buildings.

In a typical site, the backbone wiring incorporates special characteristics of the network topology (such as star, bus, or ring), so that the backbone cabling can last for up to ten years.

The Telecom Console provides tools for tracking horizontal cabling, but not backbone cabling.

Compare horizontal cabling.