NBASE-T Alliance Press Releases -

Ethernet and NBASE-T Alliances Announce Second Joint Plugfest

October 2017 multivendor interoperability event to showcase explosive market growth of 2.5 and 5 Gbps Ethernet

BEAVERTON, OR, October 3, 2017 – The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and advancement of Ethernet technologies, and the NBASE-T Alliance, an industry-wide cooperative effort focused on enabling the development and deployment of products that support 2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T Ethernet, today announced they are hosting a second joint plugfest. Scheduled for October 2017 at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) in Durham, N.H., the event will focus on demonstrating interoperability between the newest influx of NBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bz™ products in the market and include additional test features.

WHAT: Building on the success of their first joint plugfest in 2016, which saw a >99 percent success rate for all cabling and equipment combinations tested, the Ethernet Alliance and NBASE-T Alliance are hosting a second plugfest. Focusing on demonstrating interoperability of BASE-T technologies at greater than 1 Gbps speeds, the event will include testing of devices with optional support for Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE). Additionally, ports supporting new 2.5 and 5 gigabits per second (Gbps) Ethernet rates, along with existing rates such as 10GBASE-T, will demonstrate speed auto-negotiation capability among supported rates.

WHEN & WHERE: The joint Ethernet Alliance and NBASE-T Alliance plugfest will be held October 9 – 13, 2017 at UNH-IOL, Durham, N.H.

WHO: Members of both alliances will take part in the plugfest. Participants represent the diversity of the Ethernet ecosystem, including manufacturers of switch and network interface controller (NIC) ports, physical layer components, and protocol test and electrical test equipment.

For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, please visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org, follow @EthernetAllianc on Twitter, visit its Facebook page, or join the EA LinkedIn group.

For additional information about the NBASE-T Alliance, visit https://archive.nbaset.ethernetalliance.org, follow @NBASETAlliance on Twitter, or join its LinkedIn group.

About the Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and component vendors, industry experts, and university and government professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education.

About the NBASE-T Alliance

The NBASE-T Alliance is an industry-wide cooperative effort focused on enabling the development and deployment of products that support 2.5G and 5GBASE-T Ethernet. The alliance was founded in 2014 to build consensus and help streamline the development of a new standard. That standard, IEEE 802.3bz, was approved in September 2016 and is compatible with specifications published by the NBASE-T Alliance. In addition, the specification includes additional features that further optimize networks based on the standard. The specifications enabled member companies to quickly develop and deploy 2.5G and 5GBASE-T products, making use of the large, installed base of copper cabling, such as Cat5e and Cat6, found in many places including enterprise, home and service provider networks. Today, the alliance continues to publish specifications, facilitate interoperability and educate the market about the multiple applications of the technology.

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Media Contacts:

Melissa Power
Interprose Public Relations for Ethernet Alliance
P: 401-454-1314
E: melissa.power@interprosepr.com

Erika Powelson
Powelson Communications for NBASE-T Alliance
P: 408-781-4981
E: erika@powelsoninc.com