The research & developments on the foamable cable compounds based on polyolefins

fluoropolymers and PVC are reviewed.The polyolefins include polyethylene and polypropylene

while the fluoropolymers cover the range from polytetrafluoroethylene to perfluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer（FEP）

polyvinylidene fluoride and the blend of FEP and perfluoroalkoxy copolymer.These compounds are utilized respectively as the insulation materials and the sheathing materials for diverse kinds of telecommunication cables.The main characteristics of the relevant foaming systems are compared

and the empirical knowledge on the foaming of the high-performance cables such as the twin-ax cables and the RF cables are summarized.The technical trend of the transmission lines for the future 5G mobile networks are predicted from the material perspective.Furthermore

how to enhance the foamabilities of the cable compounds is also explored according to the unique viscoelastic behaviors of the cable compounds.