ABSTRACT: This document sets forth the Telcordia view of generic requirements to applicable to unfilled (aircore) or filled, polyolefin-insulated-conductor (PIC) cables of up to 4200 pair counts with various shield and jacket constructions. GR-421 covers cables deployed from the cable entrance facility (CEF) or cable vault of the central office (CO) facility to the demarcation point at the customer premises with the exemption of service drop wires. The variety of cable products covered in this document may be deployed in aerial, underground and direct-buried plant applications where conditions can vary widely. This document covers mechanical and electrical generic requirements for polyofefin insulated telecommunications cables. It is organized into sections covering insulated conductors, core assembly and construction, shield construction, jackets, and performance requirements for the completed cable.

GR-421 has been the primary requirements document for outside plant (OSP) exchange cables used in OSP applications - buried, aerial, and underground applications.

Issue 2 of GR-421 was developed with industry input from service providers and suppliers, and includes:

• Revisions to the latest insulation, jacket, and shield-material technologies, and other cable design changes
• Updates to the latest cable, insulation, jacket and shield-material design technologies
• Harmonization, where possible, of the document requirements with other industry specifications
• Consolidation of a variety of product documents into a single GR document
• An updated Section 10 to delete obsolete cable designs and references to pulp insulated wires, and introduce requirements for transition stub cables