A major benefit that Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cables provide over Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cables is greater resistance to electromagnetic interference (EMI). The shielding in STP cables, which is usually a metal foil or braided mesh around the wires, helps prevent electrical noise and external interference from penetrating the cable. This shielding reduces crosstalk and signal degradation, enabling better signal integrity and potentially higher data transmission speeds in environments with high interference. In contrast, UTP cables lack this shielding and rely only on twisting of the pairs to reduce interference, making them more susceptible to EMI, crosstalk, and noise, especially in industrial or noisy environments. Thus, STP cables offer enhanced protection against interference, making them suitable for environments where electromagnetic interference could affect network performance—something UTP cables do not provide as effectively. However, STP cables tend to be more expensive and less flexible compared to UTP cables, and they require proper grounding to work effectively. In summary, the key advantage of STP over UTP is its better resistance to interference due to shielding. This is the major benefit STP provides that UTP does not.