CommScope demos technical feasibility of Category 8 copper cabling

You didn’t think copper cabling vendors would give up after 10 Gbps, did you? CommScope Inc. says it has successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of Category 8 copper cabling for enterprise networks – which is an important first step towards creating a viable 40GBase-T system for data center applications.

CommScope verified a proof-of-concept approach for a viable 40 Gigabit Ethernet channel by using prototype Category 8 RJ-45 connectors and copper twisted-pair cables. All components were designed by engineers in CommScope labs.

The demonstration took place at the recent International Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 NGBase-T study group meeting in Phoenix, AZ. A technical contribution to the study group titled, “Category 8 Structured Cabling Channel Demonstration by CommScope,” described the feasibility of the concept.

“This contribution highlights CommScope’s commitment and continued leadership to bring next-generation copper cabling and connectivity solutions to market,” said Richard Mei, director of transmission solutions, CommScope. “We believe this demonstrated solution shows the real market potential for customers to eventually take advantage of 40G transmission rates over copper twisted-pair based media with cable and connector types they are familiar with today.”

The two aspects outlined by this proof-of-concept include commonly used RJ-45 connectors and bandwidth capability of proposed Category 8 cabling. The proof-of-concept demonstrates that data center operators will be able to extend the use of copper as a means of communication technology for 40G, CommScope asserts.

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