电缆按其用途可分为电力电缆、通信电缆和控制电缆等。与架空线相比,电缆的优点是线间绝缘距离小,占地空间小，地下敷设而不占地面以上空间，不受周围环境污染影响，送电可靠性高，对人身安全和周围环境干扰小。但造价高，施工、检修均较麻烦，制造也较复杂。因此，电缆多应用于人口密集和电网稠密区及交通拥挤繁忙处；在过江、过河、海底敷设则可避免使用大跨度架空线。在需要避免架空线对通信干扰的地方以及需要考虑美观或避免暴露目标的场合也可采用电缆。
Cables can be divided into power cables, communication cables and control cables according to their uses. Compared with overhead lines, the advantages of cables are small insulation distance between lines, small space occupied, underground laying without occupying space above the ground, not affected by environmental pollution, high reliability of power transmission, and less interference to personal safety and the surrounding environment. But the cost is high, the construction and maintenance are more troublesome, and the manufacture is more complicated. Therefore, cables are mostly used in densely populated areas, densely populated power grids and traffic congestion areas; large-span overhead lines can be avoided in laying across rivers, rivers and seabed. Cables can also be used in places where interference from overhead lines to communications needs to be avoided and where aesthetic considerations or exposure of objects need to be considered.