Open Industry Alliance and IEEE to Bring 2.5G and 5G Ethernet Speeds to Enterprise Access Points

Multi-Rate Gigabit Ethernet Base-T to Deliver Cost-Effective Scaling of Network Bandwidth to Enterprise Networks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Dec. 2, 2014 -- Leading technology vendors Aruba Networks, Avaya, Broadcom Corporation, Brocade, Delta Electronics, Delta Networks, Freescale® Semiconductor, Pulse Electronics and Ruijie Networks today announced their support for the IEEE efforts to bring 2.5G and 5G Ethernet speeds to enterprise access points and other systems relying on unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling. The IEEE has formed a study group to understand the need for these new speeds that will meet the high demand for Ethernet between 1G and 10G, which are the only standard options available today for high-speed networking over UTP cables.

With advanced technologies in enterprise networks and increasing numbers of wireless computing devices connecting to next-generation cloud infrastructure, 1000BASE-T Ethernet is limited in bandwidth while 10GBASE-T Ethernet requires UTP Cat6a cabling, a costly upgrade to the install base of Cat5e and Cat 6 cables that constitutes the majority of the cabling installed base today. The addition of the 2.5G and 5G Ethernet link protocol speeds will enable the cost effective scaling of network bandwidth delivered to enterprise access points and provide IT professionals with more data rate options.

To meet growing industry demand for the deployment of new Ethernet speeds and to create true multi-vendor solutions, this group of leading technology vendors has formed the MGBASE-T Alliance. The specification adopted by the Alliance leverages many of the fundamental technologies in Ethernet standards as defined in the IEEE 802.3 10GBASE-T, enabling faster time to market with minimal research and development efforts for ecosystem vendors. The specification is available royalty-free to all members.

"Formed in June, the goal of the Alliance is to work alongside the IEEE to accelerate the deployment of 2.5G and 5G BASE-T from multiple component and system vendors by enabling an end-to-end solution," said Simon Assouad, President, MGBASE-T Alliance. "The new Ethernet speeds will enable enterprise users to unleash the full benefits of next generation 802.11ac (Wave 1 & 2) wireless technology using existing cabling infrastructure."

The MGBASE-T Alliance members will support the work of the IEEE 802.3 that allows the industry to achieve interoperability and ultimately enable widespread and successful adoption of new technologies through its collaborative and consensus driven process.

MGBASE-T Alliance and Specification

The MGBASE-T Alliance is open to membership from any ecosystem company or organization. To become a member of the MGBASE-T Alliance, visit www.mgbasetalliance.org

Additional Quotes

Broadcom Corporation

"We are proud to be a leading contributor to the MGBASE-T Alliance," said Dr. Ali Abaye, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Broadcom Corporation. "A Broadcom delegate to IEEE 802.3 initiated the Call For Interest (CFI) for the formation of a study group within the IEEE 802.3 on intermediate speeds between 1G and 10G to help start the standardization process of additional Ethernet speeds. We believe the advancement of 2.5G and 5G Ethernet standards are imperative for the advancement of enterprise access points."

Brocade

"Increasing bandwidth demands for enterprise access points is driving the need for an intermediate Ethernet rate of 2.5G" said Siva Valliappan, Vice-President of Campus Product Management, at Brocade. "We are excited to be part of the MGBASE-T Alliance and will work with the IEEE to help drive industry convergence and standardization around these new Ethernet speeds in support of emerging customer needs."

Freescale Semiconductor

"Already supporting multigigabit rates with its QorIQ® processors, Freescale looks forward to standardized 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps operation over Cat 5e cable," said Nikolay Guenov, Director, Product Marketing, Freescale's Digital Networking Group.