ATIS - Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions
Scope
Purpose The purpose of this Standard is to enable the planning@ design@ and installation of telecommunications grounding and bonding systems within a building with or without prior knowledge of the telecommunications systems that will subsequently be installed. This Standard also provides recommendations for grounding and bonding of customer owned towers and antennas. This telecommunications grounding and bonding infrastructure supports a multivendor@ multiproduct environment as well as various system installation practices. A large resource of information exists within the telephone industry in the form of telephone utility company guidelines and proprietary practices. The NEC covers the safety aspects of grounding and bonding of telecommunications equipment and systems; ANSI T1.318@ Electrical Protection Applied to Telecommunications Network Plant and Entrances to Customer Structures or Buildings@ provides information on grounding and bonding as necessary to support electrical protection considerations. However@ prior to the original release of ANSI/TIA/EIA 607@ there were no U. S. standards for telecommunications grounding and bonding in commercial buildings. This reissued Standard continues to provide a uniform telecommunications grounding and bonding infrastructure that supports simple and reliable deployment of telecommunications equipment and systems in a commercial building environment. General This Standard specifies the requirements for a uniform telecommunications grounding and bonding infrastructure that shall be followed within commercial buildings where telecommunications equipment will be installed. This Standard specifies a telecommunications grounding and bonding infrastructure and its interconnection to other building systems. Figure 2.1-1 depicts the scope of the telecommunications grounding and bonding infrastructure for larger@ multi-story commercial buildings with multiple telecommunications backbones. Figure 2.1-2 depicts a smaller commercial building where telecommunications spaces are combined. This Standard specifies the requirements for: --A ground (earth) reference for telecommunications systems within the telecommunications entrance facility@ the telecommunications room@ and equipment room; --Bonding of metallic pathways@ cable shields@ conductors@ and hardware at telecommunications rooms@ equipment rooms@ and entrance facilities. This Standard is intended to encourage planning@ which should include grounding and bonding arrangements to accommodate telecommunications equipment installation. While primarily intended to provide direction for design of new commercial buildings@ this Standard may be used as a guide for the renovation or retrofit of existing buildings. Design requirements and choices are described to enable the designer to make informed design decisions.