Coax, CAT 5, Telephone Wire

In the late 1980s a thick or thin coaxial cable was typically used for 10-Mbps Ethernet networks,  UTP cabling became more commonly used because it was easier to install and less expensive. UTP CAT3 and CAT4 were the first to be used, but since the emergence of 100Base-TX networks a quick shift to CAT5. Then in 2000, moves to gigabit (1000Base-TX) Ethernet LANs created a need for another specification, CAT5 and CAT5e.  They are now being superseded by CAT6 cable and there is a developing standard for CAT7.