Self-supporting cable

A self-supporting cable comprising at least one insulated conductor that includes a conductor having at least one wire and a conductor-insulation, at least one longitudinally extending shield band, and a jacket surrounding the at least one insulated conductor wherein each shield band is provided with undulations that extend generally tangentially, and is radially rigid;

• and the jacket has undulations that correspond to the shield band undulations, the jacket being slidable relative to the shield band, wherein said jacket undulations and said shield band undulations grip into one another in response to relatively low radially acting pressure forces on cable fixing points thereby preventing the relative sliding between the jacket and shield band, such that tension forces and gravitational forces acting on the cable between said fixing points can be transmitted into the conductor as an axially extending force in the absence of slippage, such that the cable becomes self-supporting by virtue of intrinsic mechanical strength possessed by the conductor.