IEEE to assess Ethernet bandwidth demand

The IEEE, at its Interim Meeting held September 10-14 in Spokane, WA, decided to launch The IEEE 802.3™ Industry Connections New Ethernet Applications Ad Hoc, a year-long effort to assess Ethernet bandwidth demands across applications worldwide. The results of the effort should influence the development of future Ethernet standards.

“The first IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Bandwidth Assessment report, published in 2012, was extensively referenced in industry reporting and road mapping and greatly informed innovation around IEEE 802.3, IEEE Standard for Ethernet,” said John D’Ambrosia, chair of the ad hoc. “The diversity of demands on Ethernet networks has exploded in the years since, and now it is time to reassess industry’s current and foreseeable bandwidth needs around the world. I am excited to learn more about the use-case models that are unfolding and emerging applications that are taking shape worldwide.”

While the IEEE has been very active in new standards development for traditional service provider and data center network use cases recently (ranging in transmission rate from 25 Gbps to 400 Gbps), it’s also begun to develop standards for emerging applications such as automotive networks. It’s likely the ad hoc will investigate other new areas where Ethernet might play a role.

The ad hoc welcomes input as it makes its assessments. Those interested can find more information on the ad hoc’s website.

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