Telecommunications Standards Summary - October 2025

Looking back at October 2025, the Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering sector saw a robust series of standards publications—each reflecting the industry’s accelerating focus on infrastructure modernization, rigorous quality assurance, and end-user experience. In total, five key standards were released, spanning advanced fibre optic testing protocols, next-generation twinax cabling for digital communications, environmental resilience in optical networks, and comprehensive frameworks for user experience measurement in multimedia conferencing.

For industry professionals, quality managers, engineers, and compliance leaders, reviewing this month's standards is invaluable for maintaining technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and strategic competitiveness. This detailed overview synthesizes the technical scope and industry significance of each new or revised document, highlighting trends that will shape telecommunications and AV engineering for years to come.

Monthly Overview: October 2025

October 2025 stood out in the Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering sector (normalized ICS 33) for the breadth and depth of its standardization activity. The month’s publications demonstrated a balance between incremental technical refinement and forward-looking advances, signaling industry-wide priorities such as:

• Stringent performance verification for fibre optic and cable-based infrastructures
• Integration and interoperability for high-speed digital communications, especially in Ethernet environments
• Emphasis on environmental testing and durability for physical network components
• User-centric quality measurement for multimedia and conferencing services

Relative to earlier months, October’s focus extended beyond component-level specifications to holistic systems integrity, including the end-user layer. Notably, two standards addressed user quality of experience (QoE) in multimedia conferencing, contextualizing the technology within growing remote and hybrid communications environments.

Collectively, these standards mark a response to mounting demands for higher network reliability, operational transparency, and user satisfaction in both enterprise and consumer contexts.

Standards Published This Month

prEN IEC 61300-3-3:2024 – Active Monitoring of Attenuation and Return Loss

Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components – Basic test and measurement procedures – Part 3-3: Examinations and measurements – Active monitoring of changes in attenuation and return loss

This standard provides detailed procedures for actively monitoring changes in attenuation and return loss in fibre optic componentry during environmental or mechanical stress. The updated edition harmonizes requirements with related standards on light source, detector, and temporary joint characteristics, bringing technique alignment and improved cross-standard compatibility.

The scope covers both single-sample and multi-sample monitoring—using branching devices, optical switches, or OTDR-based methods. The standard is critical for:

• Manufacturers and testing labs conducting type and batch qualification
• Network deployers validating the in-situ performance of fibre optic links
• Quality and compliance teams ensuring ongoing reliability in mission-critical systems

Its role is foundational in network buildout and maintenance, ensuring that transient or permanent performance degradation is promptly detected and effectively mitigated.

Key highlights:

• Harmonized testing parameters with IEC 61300-3-4 and 61300-3-6
• Methods for both environmental and mechanical stress testing
• Coverage of multi-wavelength and multi-sample monitoring scenarios

Access the full standard:View prEN IEC 61300-3-3:2024 on iTeh Standards

IEC 62783-2:2025 – Twinax Cables for Ethernet-over-Twinax Interfaces

Twinax cables for digital communications – Part 2: Family specification – Cable for Ethernet-over-twinax physical interfaces

This major revision details the specifications for twinaxial cables used in digital communications, with an explicit focus on Ethernet-over-twinax (including 10G/25G/50G/100GBASE-CR variants). The second edition supersedes the 2019 version, aligning requirements with updated twinax cable essentials and new ISO/IEC/IEEE 8802-3 Ethernet link segment specifications.

The document sets comprehensive construction, electrical, mechanical, and environmental requirements for both single and bundled twinax elements intended for indoor networking. Emphasizing interoperability, it supports IT infrastructure developers, data center architects, cabling manufacturers, and network installers needing robust, standards-aligned cabling for high-speed digital networks.

Key highlights:

• Full support for latest Ethernet physical interfaces
• Updated mechanical, dimensional, and environmental testing methods
• Reference linkage to generic twinax standards and global Ethernet specs

Access the full standard:View IEC 62783-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

EN IEC 60794-1-218:2025 – Mid-Span Temperature Cycling Test for Optical Fibre Cables

Optical fibre cables – Part 1-218: Generic specification – Basic optical cable test procedures – Environmental test methods – Mid-span temperature cycling test for exposed optical units, Method F18

EN IEC 60794-1-218:2025 introduces a standardized procedure (Method F18) for assessing an optical fibre cable’s environmental durability when cable elements are exposed by mid-span entry—relevant for real-world scenarios where cables are accessed, stored in closures, or routed through pedestals.

With this edition, the scope expands to various cable element types, removes restrictive diameter requirements, and revises test temperature ranges. This test is instrumental for:

• Optical cable manufacturers confirming design resilience
• Network operators and maintainers ensuring deployed cable longevity after mid-span access
• Compliance teams referencing up-to-date test methodologies for installations

Key highlights:

• Method F18 addresses single and multi-fibre units (loose tube, ribbon, tight buffer, etc.)
• Revised environmental cycling for better real-world simulation
• Enhanced reporting and data collection during test cycles

Access the full standard:View EN IEC 60794-1-218:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 63478-2:2025 – Requirements for Quality of Experience in Multimedia Conferencing Services

User’s quality of experience on multimedia conferencing services – Part 2: Requirements

The IEC 63478-2:2025 standard defines the requirements to objectively and subjectively measure user quality of experience (QoE) in multimedia conferencing services—an area with surging relevance due to remote work, distributed learning, and digital collaboration trends.

It identifies essential QoE parameters (such as video and audio quality, synchronization, participation, accessibility, and UI/UX) and stipulates functional operations for their measurement: initialization, monitoring, and evaluation. The standard also outlines entities—including servers, clients, and measurement agents—clarifying their interactions within the QoE framework.

Key implementation audiences include conferencing platform developers, network service providers, IT departments responsible for digital communications, and compliance officers overseeing service-level agreement (SLA) fulfillment based on user experience.

Key highlights:

• Enumerates mandatory and optional QoE factors for robust assessment
• Defines operational and entity-specific measurement responsibilities
• Enables consistent benchmark and optimization across platforms/services

Access the full standard:View IEC 63478-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

(Duplicate entry) IEC 63478-2:2025 – Requirements for Quality of Experience in Multimedia Conferencing Services

As this is a duplicate of the standard above, all technical information, context, and analysis remain unchanged. The standard’s centrality to multimedia conferencing assessment is such that organizations across the telecommunications and AV landscape—particularly those modernizing or expanding remote collaboration tools—should prioritize integrating these requirements into their quality assurance and service design frameworks.

Access the full standard:View IEC 63478-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

October 2025’s standards publications reveal several key trends across Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering:

• Emphasis on Network Resilience and Performance: New/revised testing methods for fibre optic and environment-exposed cables point to growing demands for network reliability amid physically challenging conditions, such as maintenance interventions or harsh installations.
• Alignment with High-Speed, High-Bandwidth Applications: The updated twinax cable standard underpins the sector’s move toward next-gen data centers, edge networking, and enterprise/industrial automation requiring consistent Ethernet performance at scale.
• Holistic User Experience: The dual focus on application-layer quality (QoE) reflects a maturing approach—balancing technical performance with human factors, end-user satisfaction, and cross-system interoperability.
• Global Harmonization and Forward Compatibility: Nearly every standard this month aligns with, or updates references to, broader global requirements—helping stakeholders futureproof investments and streamline multi-jurisdictional deployments.

In sum, standards bodies are not merely keeping pace but anticipating the industry’s rapid evolution—from the physical layer all the way to user-facing digital services.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations impacted by these standards, several practical steps are essential:

1. Inventory and Gap Analysis: Review current test protocols, product specifications, and quality management systems against the new/revised requirements—especially for fibre network, Ethernet cabling, and conferencing service evaluation.
2. Upgrade Testing and QA Processes: Adopt harmonized measurement procedures for attenuation, return loss, and environmental cycling, leveraging automation where feasible.
3. Prioritize Interoperability: For data center, enterprise, or industrial cabling, ensure new deployments use cabling certified to the latest twinax and optical standards for both compliance and optimal performance.
4. Integrate QoE Measurement in Digital Services: Conferencing solution providers (and IT departments) should build QoE assessment into product/service lifecycles, referencing the precise parameters outlined.
5. Plan for Transition and Training: Take advantage of the transition periods and "date of withdrawal" timelines (where applicable) for smooth migration to updated standards. Engage in training and knowledge-sharing forums to maximize compliance readiness.
6. Resource Hub: Use authoritative platforms like iTeh Standards for access to full-text standards, technical updates, and cross-referenced documentation.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from October 2025

October 2025 brought pivotal standards that affirm the direction of Telecommunications, Audio, and Video Engineering: toward networks and services validated by robust, repeatable performance metrics—and centered around meaningful user experiences.

Most impactful this month:

• prEN IEC 61300-3-3:2024 and EN IEC 60794-1-218:2025: Raising the bar for product and network reliability via advanced active and environmental testing
• IEC 62783-2:2025: Serving as a crucial backbone for the scaling of modern digital and Ethernet infrastructure
• IEC 63478-2:2025: Providing a definitive framework for end-to-end quality assessment—integral for remote work, learning, and digital collaboration realms

For sector professionals, maintaining a deep familiarity with these standards is not optional but essential—to ensure modern, resilient, and globally aligned telecommunications and AV systems.

Explore the full standards, implementation guidelines, and supporting documentation at iTeh Standards. Proactive engagement with these resources is the surest route to technical leadership, regulatory assurance, and lasting end-user trust.