* Ethernet Alliance forms subcommittees for specific standards efforts
The Ethernet Alliance this week formed subcommittees focused on copper-based 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gig over passive optical networks.
The industry group also added eight members, bringing its total to more than 50. This is pretty impressive, considering the group only got started in January. The new members are CebaTech, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association, IXIA, KDDI R&D Labs, Siemon, Spirent Communications, Toshiba and the University of South Florida.
The new 10GBase-T subcommittee will concentrate on the soon-to-be-standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet spec for twisted-pair cabling, and will support interoperability demonstrations, help develop test suites and publish white papers. That spec is expected to be standardized next month, so these kinds of tests and demonstrations should be ramping up from the major vendors.
The other subcommittee is focusing on a specification at the other end of the spectrum, one that’s just getting started in the IEEE. The Ethernet Alliance says the new subcommittee will support the IEEE’s 10G EPON study group looking at 10 Gigabit Ethernet passive optical networks, formed in March. The study group is considering increasing the speed of EPONs from today’s 1Gbps to 10Gbps. Applications include advanced video services, gigabit-capable home networks, connections to multi-tenant buildings, and backhauls for 4G mobile communications networks, the alliance says.
The alliance says it plans to provide a forum to facilitate the development of a standard, and to provide test suites to make sure equipment conforms to the standard once it is set.
