ECOC 2019: Ethernet Alliance points the way to 800G

At next week's 45th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2019) in Dublin, Ireland, The Ethernet Alliance will host demonstrations of technologies from 25 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 400GbE, while pointing the way to the coming 800GbE future.

The Ethernet Alliance’s live ECOC 2019 multivendor demo includes a broad array of products and solutions, including routers, switches, Active Optical Cables (AOCs) and Direct Attach Cables (DACs), interconnects, and more. With components ranging from 25GbE to 400GbE at lengths of up to 4m in OSFP, QSFP28, and QSFP-DD form factors, the organization’s display showcases Ethernet’s rapid advancement and expansion. Reflecting growing momentum in test and measurement, the demo also includes contributions from leading organizations dedicated to accelerating time-to-market by ensuring compliance with Ethernet specifications.

Representing every aspect of the Ethernet ecosystem, the Ethernet Alliance ECOC 2019 demo includes equipment provided by preeminent Ethernet technology developers and vendors, including Amphenol; Arista Networks; Cisco Systems; CommScope; EXFO; TE Connectivity; Tektronix; Teledyne LeCroy; and Xena Networks.

“Ethernet is bursting through speed barriers at a breakneck pace. With higher speeds and longer reaches, it’s now pushing past its history as an innovative consumer technology into diverse new markets and application spaces like enterprise storage, automotive, and building automation,” said Greg McSorley, president, Ethernet Alliance; and technical business development manager, Amphenol Corp. “The 400GbE era is here but it’s only a stepping stone along the road to 800GbE. The secret to Ethernet’s continued success has always been and will continue to be interoperability. Getting traffic to travel seamlessly from today’s legacy implementations into tomorrow’s high-speed switches and ecosystems comes down to preserving Ethernet’s capacity for multivendor interoperability, which is highlighted in our ECOC 2019 demo.”