GLASGOW, Scotland--The Ethernet Alliance conducted a multivendor interoperability demonstration in booth #460 at the 2023 European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC).
Having achieved a half-century of proven success with the latest advancements in speed and next-generation technologies, the showcase illustrated Ethernet's global influence.
Several Ethernet Alliance members participated in its interactive interoperability demo, including AMD, Amphenol Corporation, Cisco Systems, Hyper Photonix, Keysight Technologies, Synopsys, Teledyne LeCroy and Xena Networks.
The Ethernet Alliance’s experiential exhibit at ECOC booth #460 encompassed a broad cross-section of Ethernet products and solutions. With speeds ranging from 10GbE to 800GbE, among the technologies comprising its demo are copper and optical cabling and interconnects, switches, routers, transceivers, test and measurement equipment, and pluggable form factors such as OSFP, QSFP-DD, QSFP, and SFP.
Helping the networking industry take advantage of 800 GbE is a crucial initiative for the Forum. In 2020, the Ethernet Technology Consortium introduced the 800GBASE-R specification for 800G Ethernet, repurposing two sets of existing 400G Ethernet logic from the IEEE 802.3bs standard with some modifications to distribute data across eight 106-Gbps physical lanes.
However, the Ethernet Alliance said that the implementation of 800G Ethernet and the path to 1.6T speed needs a robust, silicon-proven 800G Ethernet solution. Designers are looking to focus on their core competencies and for proven solutions to help ensure a fast time-to-market. The involvement of bodies like the Ethernet Alliance facilitates the market with seamless integration and interoperability with the complex and broad Ethernet ecosystem.
To celebrate Ethernet’s 50th anniversary, the Ethernet Alliance’s ECOC booth hosted the Grand Prize drawing for its ongoing Rock the Roadmap social media photo contest. Highlighting the industry’s only Ethernet roadmap, the Grand Prize drawing for a collector’s edition of the Ethernet Alliance Ethernet Roadmap signed by Ethernet co-creator Robert M. Metcalfe will take place at booth #460 on October 3, 2023.
“Throughout its five-decade journey, Ethernet has transcended barriers and boundaries, propelling itself into new markets and applications while stretching the limits of its capabilities,” said David J. Rodgers, chair of the Ethernet Alliance events and conferences committee. “The result of collaborative efforts by diverse stakeholders worldwide, Ethernet's narrative is inherently unifying and continues to grow, easily withstanding the test of time. Scaling from 10 Mbps to now 800 Gbps during the past 50 years, Ethernet continues to surprise and surpass competitive technologies by creating a more efficient whole network architecture from the data center to edge devices.”
For related articles, visit the Optical Tech Topic Center.
For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.