A mathematical model of a cable as a system of interacting wires with interwire friction taken into account is presented in this paper. The effect of friction forces and the interwire slip on the mechanical properties of tension cables is investigated. It is shown that the slip occurs due to the twisting and bending deformations of wires, and it occurs in the form of micro-slips at the contact patches and macro-slips along the cable. The latter slipping starts near the terminals and propagates towards the middle of the cable with the increase of tension, and its propagation is proportional to the load. As the result of dry friction, the load-elongation characteristics of the cable become quadratic. The energy losses during the extension are shown to be proportional to the cube of the load and in inverse proportion to the friction force, a result qualitatively similar to that for lap joints. Presented examples show that the model is in qualitative agreement with the known experimental data.