IEEE Group Tackles Twisted-Pair Reductions

The new IEEE 802.3 Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY study group plans to take a look at IEEE 802.3 physical-interface transceivers (PHYs) that are being deployed in a wide variety of application spaces that include data services to “infotainment” to driver assistance to such vehicle control systems as those used in brakes, suspension and transmission.

“To achieve Gigabit Ethernet networking speeds via 1000BASE-T for those applications, four pairs of wires would be required. Reducing the number of wire pairs would cut the size and weight of Ethernet wiring in a vehicle,” the group says. “Considering the market demand and technology requirements of achieving such performance gains via the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and IEEE 802.1 Audio/Video Bridging standards, the new IEEE 802.3 study group will explore the potential for an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards project to define a Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY."

“The formation of an IEEE 802.3 study group occurs when there is interest in developing a request to initiate an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standards-development project,” notes David Law, chair of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet working group and distinguished engineer with HP Networking. “Reducing the number of wire pairs required to achieve high bandwidth could introduce additional, untapped markets for IEEE 802.3-based Ethernet technology, such as industrial-control and avionics, and have far-reaching impact across varied industries.”

Interested individuals are invited to contribute to the new IEEE 802.3 Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY study group, which is scheduled to meet at the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Interim Session, May 14-18, at the Hilton Minneapolis (for more information, click here).