Which category of cable is designed for a maximum distance of 100 meters for 10GBASE-T?

The correct answer is based on the specifications of network cabling. Category 6a (Cat 6a) cables are engineered to support 10GBASE-T Ethernet for distances up to 100 meters. This category of cable is particularly designed to handle the higher frequencies needed for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, typically supporting frequencies up to 500 MHz.

Cat 6a cables have improved performance over their predecessors—Cat 6 and Cat 5e—due to their thicker wiring and better shielding, which reduce crosstalk and noise. This makes them suitable for high-speed networking applications in data centers and enterprise environments.

In contrast, while Cat 6 cables can support 10GBASE-T over shorter distances (up to 55 meters), they are not rated for the full distance of 100 meters at that speed. Lower categories like Cat 5 and Cat 5e are not designed for 10GBASE-T at all, as they can only adequately support lower speed requirements, typically up to 1 Gbps. Thus, Cat 6a is the optimal choice for ensuring high-speed data transmission over the maximum allowed distance in a 10GBASE-T network.