NEBS (Network Equipment-Building System) is a standard for telephony equipment.

NEBS was developed in the 1970's by Bell Labs (now Telcordia).

Many equipment vendors build their equipment to NEBS standards, even when they do not intend for their equipment to be placed in a Central Office. Equipment vendors do this because compliance with the NEBS standards shows buyers that the equipment is well built.

NEBS Standards

NEBS is officially documented in a collection of Telcordia documents, including:

GR-63-CORE Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) Requirements: Physical Protection
GR-1089-CORE Electromagnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety – Generic Criteria for Network Telecommunications Equipment
GR-1217 Generic Requirements for Separable Electrical Connectors Used in Telecommunications Hardware
GR-1221 Generic Reliability Assurance Requirements for Passive Optical Components
GR-2930 Network Equipment Building System NEBS Raised Floor Generic Requirements for Network and Data Centers
GR-2969 Generic Requirements for the Design and Manufacture of Short-Life Information Handling Products and Equipment
GR-3028 Thermal Management In Telecommunications Central Offices: Thermal GR-3028
GR-357 Generic Requirements for Assuring the Reliability of Components Used in Telecommunications Equipment
GR-468 Generic Reliability Assurance Requirements for Optoelectronic Devices Used in Telecommunications Equipment
GR-63 NEBS Requirements: Physical Protection
GR-78 Generic Requirements for the Physical Design and Manufacture of Telecommunications Products And Equipment
SR-3580 NEBS Criteria Levels
SR-4087 Physical Design Certification of Bare Printed Boards
SR-4407 Adhesive Certification
SR-4408 Flux Certification
SR-4409 Legend Ink, Marking Ink and Adhesive Label Certification
SR-4410 Solder Mask, Conformal Coating, and Repair Polymer Certification
SR-4568 Separable Electrical Connector Certification
SR-4808 Printed Board Assembly Certification
SR-4935 Connector to Cable Assembly Certification
TR-NWT-000930 Generic Requirements for Hybrid Microcircuits Used in Telecommunications Equipment