Category 1 cable a.k.a. voice-grade copper is a misnomer, probably adopted by those who assumed that TIA set up "Categories" for all types of cables originally defined by Anixter International

Anixter International

Anixter International is a Fortune 500 company based in Glenview, Illinois, USA and founded in 1957. Anixter is a leading global supplier of communications and security products, electrical and electronic wire and cable, fasteners and other small components. Anixter has physical presence in 52...

, the distributor, under the grades called "Levels." Cat 1 cable is used in earlier times. It is used for typically voice networks that carries only voice traffic example telephones. TIA/EIA-568

TIA/EIA-568

TIA/EIA-568 is a set of three telecommunications standards from the Telecommunications Industry Association, a 1988 offshoot of the EIA. The standards address commercial building cabling for telecom products and services. The three standards are formally titled ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001,...

 only recognized cables of Category 3 ratings or above. Anixter "Level 1" was a grade of unshielded twisted pair cabling designed for telephone

Telephone

The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...

 communications, and was the most common on-premises wiring

On-premises wiring

In telecommunication, on-premises wiring is customer-owned communications transmission lines. It is also called customer premises wiring . The transmission lines can be metallic or optical fiber, and may be installed within or between buildings.Premises wiring may consist of horizontal wiring,...

.