Services/Data Cabling
Data
Cabling.
Reliable, high-performance networks start with the cable underneath. CoreComms designs and installs structured data cabling for offices, factories, schools and large sites across Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and the wider North West. Cat 5e through Cat 7, fully certified, and finished to a standard your IT team will thank you for.
Structured Data Cabling for Offices, Factories & Large Sites.
Structured cabling is the physical backbone of your network. Every wired connection, every access point, every camera, every phone runs back to it. Done properly, it disappears into the building and quietly delivers reliable performance for decades.
Our cabling team handles end-to-end installs: design, containment, cable runs, terminations, patch panels, labelling, certification testing, and the documentation pack at the end. We work in live offices around your team, in new builds before fit-out, in factories alongside production, and in schools during the holidays so classrooms are ready for September.
The team has over 50 years of combined experience across the North West, and we've built our reputation on installs that look as good behind the patch panel as they do at the wall plate. "We have never seen cables so neat and tidy", Claire Stevenson, Paramount Software UK Ltd.
What is structured cabling?
Structured cabling is the standardised approach to running and terminating network cables across a building. Instead of point-to-point patch leads and hope, you get a planned, documented system: horizontal cabling from each work area back to a wall outlet, patch panels in a comms cabinet, fibre or copper backbone between cabinets, and a labelling scheme so every port can be traced in seconds.
Done properly it gives you four things:
Speed and reliability that holds up under load
Modern offices pull 1Gb at the desk and 10Gb in the comms room. Properly specified cable and certified terminations protect that performance end to end.Future-proofing
A Cat 6a install today supports 10GBASE-T to 100m and Wi-Fi 6E/7 access points without re-pulling cable. That's a 15-year horizon, not three.Faster fault-finding
Labelled ports and certified test results mean a problem at desk 47 is a five-minute fix, not a two-hour hunt.Compliance and resale value
Insurers, NHS DSPT assessments, ISO audits, and incoming tenants all expect documented, tested cabling. Without it you'll redo the work later under pressure.Got a project in mind? Let's scope it together.
Cable Types We Install.
We install all four common copper categories, plus fibre where the distance or bandwidth calls for it. The right choice depends on run length, bandwidth needs, the environment and how long you want the install to perform without revisiting it.
| Category | Max Speed | Max Distance | Shielding | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat 5e | 1 Gbps | 100m | Unshielded (UTP) | Small offices, tight budgets, like-for-like top-ups |
| Cat 6 | 1 Gbps (10 Gbps to ~55m) | 100m | UTP or FTP | Most office installs to current sweet spot |
| Cat 6a | 10 Gbps | 100m | Foiled (F/UTP) | New builds, refits, dense Wi-Fi, healthcare |
| Cat 7 | 10 Gbps (40/100Gb in lab conditions) | 100m | Fully shielded (S/FTP) | Industrial, EMI-heavy, broadcast, data-centre adjacent |
Cat 5e
The most cost-effective certified category on sale. Cat 5e supports 1 Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) reliably to 100m, handles PoE and PoE+ for IP phones and access points, and remains a current standard under TIA-568. A solid choice where the use case fits the spec.When we recommend Cat 5e:
Small offices (5 to 15 users) on a tight budget where 1Gb is genuinely all that's needed
Like-for-like top-ups to existing Cat 5e estates so the system stays consistent
Pop-ups, exhibition stands, or short-lease space where the cabling will be lifted in 18 months
When Cat 6 or Cat 6a is the better fit:
Anything new-build or full refit where the cabling will be in the walls for 10 to 15 years
Sites planning Wi-Fi 6E/7 access points (a busy AP can pull more than 1Gb at the uplink)
Healthcare, finance, or any sector likely to face stepped-up compliance in the next few years
In 2026 the price gap between Cat 5e and Cat 6 on a typical small-office job is often £200 to £600 across the whole install. We quote both at survey stage so you can choose on numbers.
Cat 6
The default category we install in most offices. Cat 6 carries 1Gb comfortably to the full 100m, supports 10Gb to short distances (around 55m on certified Cat 6), and has notably better crosstalk performance than Cat 5e thanks to its tighter twist rates and internal separator. It's available unshielded (UTP) for typical office runs and foiled (F/UTP) where there's nearby EMI.This is the sweet spot for most clients we quote: 1Gb to every desk with comfortable headroom, room to deploy modern Wi-Fi access points without choking the uplink, and a cable category that'll still meet your needs in five to ten years. The cost premium over Cat 5e is small enough that we recommend Cat 6 as the default for any commercial install where the cable is staying for the long haul.
Cat 6a
The category we recommend for new builds, full refits, and any site where 10Gb at the desk is on the horizon. Cat 6a delivers 10GBASE-T to the full 100m, is foiled as standard, and is the current TIA-recommended cable for new commercial installs. Slightly thicker than Cat 6, slightly fiddlier to terminate, and the right choice when you want a 15-year horizon rather than five.We routinely specify Cat 6a for:
New office fit-outs where capital costs are amortised over the lease
Healthcare sites, DSPT-aligned networks, GP surgeries, dental practices, care homes
Schools and universities where dense Wi-Fi access points are going in across classrooms
Manufacturing offices feeding into ERP and MES systems with growing data needs
Any site planning Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 access points (their uplinks can saturate Cat 6 under load)
Cat 6a also stands up better in EMI-heavy environments thanks to its foil shield. Useful in offices near lift shafts, beside heavy power cabling, or above industrial floors.
Cat 7
Heavily shielded, individually-foiled-pairs-plus-overall-braid (S/FTP) cable, designed for industrial, broadcast and data-centre-adjacent environments where electromagnetic interference is a real problem. Cat 7 supports 10Gb to 100m and, in lab conditions, 40Gb and 100Gb over short distances.Two specifics worth knowing:
Cat 7 is an ISO/IEC standard rather than a TIA category. It uses GG45 or TERA connectors, so the patch panels, faceplates and patch leads are part of the same shielded ecosystem.
Cat 7 is purpose-built for tough environments. Where there's no specific EMI requirement or 25Gb/40Gb roadmap, Cat 6a is usually the more cost-effective choice for commercial offices.
We typically specify Cat 7 for industrial control rooms, broadcast facilities, secure-by-default sites and edge-of-data-centre environments. For most other commercial work we recommend Cat 6a.
For long runs, inter-building links or leased lines see our fibre cabling page. If you'd like a side-by-side breakdown. Bandwidth, cable run distance, recommended use cases, ballpark cost, ask for our cable comparison sheet when you book a survey.
Cabling for New Builds.
New build is where cabling is easiest to get right and cheapest to install. We work alongside your main contractor, M&E team and architects from drawing stage so containment, cable trays, floor boxes and comms room space are specified properly before plasterboard goes up.
Typical new-build deliverables:
We've worked on office fit-outs in Wellington Place (Leeds), Spinningfields (Manchester) and the Liverpool Commercial District, plus warehousing and light-industrial units across Trafford Park and Aire Valley.
Cabling Upgrades & Refits.
Most jobs aren't new build. They're a live office where users can't down tools, an old school with cabling from 2008, or a healthcare site that can't be offline during clinical sessions.
We design refits around your operations:
If your existing cabling is undocumented, we can audit it first: trace every port, label everything, certify what's working, and quote on what needs replacing. That on its own often pays for itself the first time someone needs to find a fault.
Want a fixed-price quote? We'll come and survey first.
Testing & Certification.
Every cable we install is tested with a Fluke certifier and you get the results, pass marks, length, attenuation, return loss, near-end crosstalk, the lot. As a PDF report at handover. Not "tested with a continuity tester and a thumbs up". Properly certified, against the category standard you paid for.
Manufacturer warranty
most cable systems require certified test results to honour the 25-year warrantyFault diagnosis
a baseline test at install means we can tell six months later whether a cable has been damaged or a port has degradedInsurance and compliance
certified test results stand up at audit; "looks fine" doesn'tIndustries we serve.
Offices
Open-plan offices, multi-floor sites, hot-desking environments, boardroom AV, Wellington Place fit-outs, Wirral Waters regeneration units. Cable density per metre matters. We plan capacity so the floor still works in five years.Manufacturing
Factories, warehouses, distribution centres. Industrial-grade cabling in armoured containment, fibre runs between buildings, harsh-environment outlets, integration with ERP and MES systems. We've installed in Trafford Park, Aire Valley and Speke Industrial Estate. See our factory networking page for industry-specific detail.Healthcare
GP surgeries, dental practices and care homes. DSPT-aligned, EMIS- and SystmOne-ready networks installed quietly around clinical sessions. See our healthcare IT support page for industry-specific detail.Education
Primary, secondary, FE and HE. School holiday installs, classroom-by-classroom planning, integration with safeguarding requirements, AV cabling for interactive whiteboards.Service Areas.
We install structured cabling across the North West and West Yorkshire, with dedicated local pages for each city:
Data cabling in Liverpool
L1 to L40, Wirral CH41 to CH49 and CH60 to CH63, Bootle, Crosby, Speke, AigburthData cabling in Manchester
The M postcodes across Greater Manchester, Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Altrincham, DidsburyData cabling in Leeds
LS1 to LS29, Wellington Place, South Bank, Headingley, Roundhay, plus Wakefield and Bradford edgesOutside those three cities we cover Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire on standard call-out. Ask if you're not sure whether you're in patch.
Cabling FAQs.
Get a Free Cabling Quote.
Send us your floor plan or just walk us through what you're trying to do. We'll book a free site survey, mark up cable routes, give you a fixed-price quote with a clear breakdown, and put dates against the work. No retainer, no commitment.
Same working day response · Free site survey · Fixed-price quote