The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance, and extension of the available bandwidth from 350 MHz for category 5e to 500 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.