The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has confirmed it is working on a 100Gbit/s Ethernet specification that will push signals over 100m of OM3 multimode fibre cabling and 10km of single mode.

A final specification is long way from ratification, but the technology will eventually supersede the 10Gbit/s Ethernet components currently used in telecommunications networks that also rely on 40Gbit/s dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) links.
10GbE equipment is also used for server interconnects in data centres, whilst some large campus networks, mainly in research facilities, have added 10Gbit/s to their backbones.

In separate news, network equipment specialist Allied Telesis has launched a 32-bit PCI Gigabit fibre adapter card for desktop PCs. The AT-2916SX is designed for use in specialised government and military environments where fibre optic, rather than copper based UTP, cabling is usually deployed, said Melvyn Wray, Allied Telesis’ senior vice president of EMEA marketing.

Wray welcomed the IEEE 100GbE proposal and said that the 100m multimode limitation of future 100GbE equipment is unlikely to cause problems.

“The biggest challenge we have is that most of the fibre was installed five years ago or more, and we are now seeing limits on 500m or 220m. In most cases, though, it’s the security aspect rather than the distance [that is important], and even 200m is adequate,” he said.