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In a big cable, the wires are 'structured'. First into bundles of 25 pairs, then into bundles of bundles, then bundles of 'bundles of bundles', etc. The components of each bundle are 'twisted together' -- to keep them distinct from the other bundles in the cable.`

*usually*, individual pairs in the bundle are color-coded. then, when there is more than one bundle in the cable, each bundle has a color-coded 'ident- ificiation' wire wrapped around the bundle.

At the ends of the cable, the wires are '*almost* invariably' connected in sequential order to the termination block. Thus, once you find which bundle a particular wire is in, you only have to check *that* bundle for the nearby wires. This speeds up things tremendously. :)

In addition, in the case of a "big" cable requiring splicing, they will usually have several people working on the cable simultaneously -- each one splicing on different bundles. How fast the whole job gets done is mostly a function of how many pairs of hands can get at the cable in the area where the splicing needs to be done.

With big, "high priority", cables, they will frequently open up a bigger area -- expressly so that they can spread it out more, for more people to work on it simultaneously.