Cable crosstalk and separation rules in complex installations

Cable separation rules to prevent crosstalk between different cable categories are in use for over five decades. The rules have been developed in the analogue era and when equipment was not fulfilling any, or maybe some, electromagnetic interference standard. This has changed but the rules are still in use. The technical rationale is unknown, so simulations and measurements have been performed to understand and interpret crosstalk between various cables, to develop ingredients for a general model that includes sources, coupling and victims. The goal is to eventually find ways to simplify, harmonise and improve these rules.