The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) says it has begun work on long reach (LR) and medium reach (MR) CEI-112G projects to build on two existing 100-Gbps serial electrical link projects (see "OIF CEI-112G Project tackles 100-Gbps serial electrical links").
Defining an interface to implement high-loss 112-Gbps backplane channels, the CEI-112G-LR project will also advance direct attach copper (DAC) cable channel links at 112 Gbps. The group says the CEI-112G-MR project will progress specifications for a chip-to-chip interface that can also be used to support applications of 112G x 2 (224G).
"These projects build upon the relevant and foundational 56G and 112G CEI roadmap the OIF has established," said Nathan Tracy of TE Connectivity and OIF vice president of marketing. "The industry continues to look to the OIF to deliver interoperable implementation agreements that will drive adoption of both 100-Gbps serial applications and the interfaces needed to address higher bandwidth."
In a continued effort to support and authorize the development of projects that tackle CEI-112G as bandwidth demand grows, members of the forum met at the quarterly meeting in Shanghai, where Alibaba's Dr. Chongjin Xie addressed the necessity fordiverse network technologies, innovations, and data center breakthroughs.
At the meeting, members voted to transition the Carrier Working Group into the new Network Operator Working Group to demonstrate the active participation of traditional service providers such as China Telecom, Orange, Verizon, and TELUS, and web scale and content service provider members, including Alibaba, Google, and Microsoft.
"The new working group reflects the OIF's growing membership of network operators who are participating in technology advancement and interoperability demonstrations to influence the industry," said China Telecom's Dr. Junjie Li, the newly elected Network Operator Working Group chair. "These network operators have driven the OIF 400ZR and CFP2-DCO projects and are sharing their insights as reflected in the presentation from our Q4 speaker, Dr. Xie of Alibaba."
In addition to launching CEI-112G Projects and forming the Network Operator Working Group, OIF also announced that Nokia's Dave Brown will continue to serve as its president, and TE Connectivity's Nathan Tracy will continue as vice president of marketing. Coriant's Jonathan Sadler was appointed to vice president, while Broadcom Ltd.'s Cathy Liu and Fujitsu's Dr. Martin Bouda were newly elected to the Board for one-year terms. Dr. Bouda was appointed secretary/treasurer as well. Ciena's Ian Betty was re-elected for a two-year term, and Google's Tad Hofmeister was elected to a two-year term.
For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.
For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide