IEEE publishes IEEE 802.3bz for 2.5 and 5 Gigabit Ethernet

IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) have published IEEE 802.3bz-2016, "Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Media Access Control Parameters, Physical Layers and Management Parameters for 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s Operation." The specifications support Ethernet transmission at those rates over Category 5e and Category 6 twisted-pair copper cabling.

Specifications for transmission via fiber-optic cable are not included within the standard.

Completed in 18 months, IEEE 802.3bz-2016 defines Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) parameters, physical layer specifications, and management objects for 2.5 and 5 Gbps transmission. The specifications are expected to play in the support of enterprise wireless access points.

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