unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

Most common type of transmission media for voice and data communications, connecting telephone company subscribers to the telephone central office (exchange) and computers in a local area network (LAN) such as Ethernet and Token Ring. It consists of two 19 to 26 American wire gauge (AWG) thickness copper wires encased in color-coded plastic insulation, twisted around each other to minimize electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference induced from one wire to the other. TP wires are categorized according to their thickness (thicker the better) such as CAT-3 for voice, CAT-4 for voice and 10-base-T, and CAT-5 for 100-base-T. Also called twisted pair (TP). See also shielded twisted pair.