A Telecommunications Trailblazer: Belden’s Recent Recognition
Cabling may help bring technology to life, but cabling standards are always working in the background to ensure that cabling products meet minimum performance benchmarks and are interoperable with different technologies to keep innovation moving forward.
Without cabling standards, there would be no way to ensure that technology and systems are compatible, uniform, safe and functional. Thanks to standards organizations like the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and BICSI, any industry designer, engineer or installer can confidently use common media, connectors, test methodologies and topologies to develop their own infrastructure solutions.
Because cabling standards establish only minimum performance requirements, they can be built upon by experienced professionals and companies that choose to go beyond those technical specifications.
For example, Belden relies on cabling standards as a baseline reference for product performance—and then exceeds those levels to make sure our fiber and copper systems can support emerging applications and technologies.
Recognizing Industry Contributions to Standards Development
Before standards can be applied, however, they must first be developed. Standards committees serve as a collaborative ecosystem where manufacturers, suppliers, integrators and end-users—all with different perspectives—can come together to share knowledge and accelerate new ideas.
For example, TIA and BICSI standards are created through the work of industry experts who volunteer their time. These two associations often celebrate volunteers for their efforts, and we’re excited to share two recent updates about Belden’s own industry recognition.
BICSI Harry J. Pfister Award
To honor lifetime achievements and accomplishments in telecommunications, BICSI grants the Harry J. Pfister Award for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry to one professional each year. Established in 1982, the award is named after Harry J. Pfister, the founder of the BICSI Winter Conference and former BICSI president.
According to BICSI, the award “promotes the efforts of an individual who enhances the scientific, technical or educational aspects of the telecommunications industry, or who promotes the professionalism of the industry.”
This year, the award was bestowed upon Belden’s own Ron Tellas, LAN technology and applications manager. With this recognition, he joins an elite list of industry innovators, including industry veteran Paul Kish, Belden’s former director of systems and standards, who was honored in 2006.
Tellas is a great example of the impact industry professionals can make on cabling standards. As a subject-matter expert in RF design and electromagnetic propagation, his telecommunications career spans nearly 35 years, and he holds more than 15 U.S. patents.
He’s an active BICSI member and regularly presents at BICSI conferences and participates in panel discussions. He also has a dynamic role in many other industry initiatives, including the TIA TR-42 Telecommunications Cabling Systems Engineering Committee, ISO WG3 committee, Connected Technologies Industry Consortium, IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group and NFPA 70 Code-Making Panel 3.
TIA Star Award
Belden team members have been actively involved in TIA standards development over the years as well. In fact, we’ve been involved since the first commercial building standards were developed in 1991. (One of the founding fathers of the TIA TR-42 Telecommunications Cabling Systems standards was Kish, who we mentioned above.)
TIA recognizes professionals who contribute time to ICT industry advancements through its TIA Star Awards. Established in 2022, the awards honor engagement in TIA initiatives at individual and company levels, whether that engagement involves participation in standards development, technology programs or government advocacy.
Last year, Tellas and Smart Buildings Solutions Consulting Manager Henry Franc were honored as TIA Star Award winners for their industry impact. Belden was also recognized as a Top 5% Star Award winner.
This year, Tellas was honored once again as a TIA Top 5% Star Award winner for his industry impact, along with Franc and Brian Shuman, manager of measurement and analysis.
Franc has been involved with TIA for nearly two decades and serves as chair of the TIA TR-42 Telecommunications Cabling Systems Engineering Committee, which develops and maintains voluntary standards for telecommunications cabling infrastructure in user-owned buildings, data centers and healthcare institutions.
Shuman serves as chair of the TIA TR-42.9 Industrial Telecommunications Infrastructure Engineering Committee, leading standards development activities.
Belden was also recognized once again as a Top 5% Star Award winner for its commitment to advancing the industry and paving the way for continued network interoperability, functionality and connectivity.
Why Belden Participates in Standards Development
Belden makes it a priority to partner with other manufacturers, users, consultants and experts through active participation in organizations like TIA, BICSI, IEEE and ISO, providing insights to shape cabling standards.
We contribute to standards development for four reasons:
- Participation helps us understand how and why standards are written (and why cabling standards only cover certain things).
- We want to represent the perspectives of installers and end-users. Our participation helps ensure that standards remain product agnostic so customers know their networks will support the technology of today and tomorrow.
- It aligns with several of our core values. Continuous improvement guides Belden, and we know that processes, systems and technologies can always be better. We also believe that working together as an industry is vital.
- We want to make sure cabling standards can address network and connectivity challenges.
Remember: The industry needs to hear your voice, too. If you want to become more involved in the development of cabling standards, we can help you get connected.