A specification for Gigabit Ethernet over twisted pair cabling (IEEE 802.3ab), the 1000Base-T standard defines 1 Gbps data transfer with a maximum distance of 100m. Since it uses CAT-5 cabling, which many companies already have installed, 1000Base-T simplifies the migration to Gigabit Ethernet. It is an attractive and less expensive alternative to Gigabit Ethernet over multimode optical fiber (1000Base-LX, 1000Base-SX).

See also, 1000BaseSX , 1000BaseLX  and 1000BaseCX.