Q & A on 10BaseT Cabling Q: is 10BaseT twisted pair, untwisted pair or both? A: The acronym UTP stands for ``Unshielded Twisted Pair'', which is what 10Base-T Ethernet uses. Here is an explanation: Unshielded Twisted Pair cable (UTP) The cable consists of pairs of isulated wires that are twisted around one another to minimize interference from external electromagnetic radiation. To minimize interference with other pairs, the rate of twisting in each pair differs. 10Base-T requires a UTP cable that meets the category 5 standard. Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) Is like a UTP cable except that it also has metal shielding around the outside of the cable. The additional shielding makes it more immune to external electromagnetic radiation. Of course, STP is slightly more expenseive. Most early networks required shielded cables; advances in electronics, signal processing, and error correcting codes have allowed high-speed communication over UTP.