FREMONT, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — December 8, 2020 — OIF, the global industry forum accelerating market adoption of advanced interoperable optical networking solutions, today announced the start of two new projects – 800G Coherent and Co-Packaging Framework, availability of a new FlexE for 400ZR white paper, newly elected board members/positions and working group representatives. These activities and elections took place at the Q420 Technical and MA&E Committee meetings held virtually November 2-November 6, 2020.

New Projects

800G Coherent

In scope for the 800G Coherent project is to define interoperable 800G coherent line specifications for campus and DCI applications. The resulting Implementation Agreement (IA) will:

• Define single-lambda 800G coherent line interfaces for two applications
  • Amplified, single span, DWDM links up to 80-120km
  • Unamplified, fixed wavelength links of 2-10km
• Support Ethernet client(s) (minimum 100GE) up to 800G aggregate bandwidth

“The next standardized coherent rate beyond 400ZR will be technically challenging with many factors to be considered,” said Tad Hofmeister, Technical Lead, Optical Networking Technologies at Google and OIF Vice President. “With the 800G Coherent IA, OIF is in a unique position to take a leadership role in defining interoperable 800G coherent line interfaces for various applications.”

Co-Packaging Framework IA

The Co-Packaging Framework IA, announced on November 10, 2020, will study the application spaces and relevant technology considerations for co-packaging of communication interfaces with one or more ASICs. A primary objective of this specification is to identify new opportunities for interoperability standards for possible future work at the OIF or other standards organizations. Upon completion, the work will be summarized in a Framework IA.

White Paper

A new OIF white paper addressing 400ZR applications requiring multiplexing of lower rate Ethernet signals (e.g. 100GE) and how to leverage FlexE for this service multiplexing is now available.

The OIF 400ZR IA includes mapping of 400G Ethernet signals as defined in IEEE 802.3, but not lower rate services such as 100G Ethernet. This white paper describes utilizing the OIF FlexE Implementation Agreement multiplexing of lower service rates, such as 100G and 200G Ethernet to a 400G frame that can be carried by 400ZR devices. Example profiles are provided to guide interoperability in common scenarios.

Election Results

• Board of Directors:
  • Ian Betty, Ciena, continues to serve on the Board and was appointed as President
  • Mark Filer, Microsoft, was elected to the Board (two-year term)
  • Tad Hofmeister, Google, continues to serve on the Board and was re-appointed as Vice President
  • Mike Li, Intel, was re-elected to the Board (one-year term)
  • Jeffery Maki, Juniper Networks, was elected to the Board (one-year term)
  • Gary Nicholl, Cisco, was re-elected to the Board (two-year term) and appointed as Secretary/Treasurer
  • Nathan Tracy, TE Connectivity, was re-elected to the Board (two-year term) and appointed as VP of Marketing
• Officers:
  • Klaus-Holger Otto, Nokia, was elected as Technical Committee Chair
  • Karl Bois, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, was elected as Technical Committee Vice Chair
  • Lyndon Ong, Ciena, was re-elected as Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Networking
  • Richard Ward, Intel, was elected as Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Physical and Link Layer
  • Dave Brown, Nokia, continues to serve as Director of Communications
• Technical Committee:
  • Michael Klempa, Amphenol, was elected as Physical and Link Layer Interoperability Working Group Chair (two-year term)
  • Jeffery Maki, Juniper Networks, was re-elected as Physical Layer User Group Working Group Chair (two-year term)

“I’m looking forward to serving OIF members as president of this vital organization and thank all those who have served and continue to serve,” said Ian Betty, Ciena and new OIF president. “OIF’s role continues to be critical in making great strides in interoperability solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Congratulations to the entire board and those appointed to leadership positions – your role is integral to OIF’s continued success.”

About OIF

OIF is where the optical networking industry’s interoperability work gets done. Building on 20 years of effecting forward change in the industry, OIF represents the dynamic ecosystem of 100+ industry leading network operators, system vendors, component vendors and test equipment vendors collaborating to develop interoperable electrical, optical and control solutions that directly impact the industry’s ecosystem and facilitate global connectivity in the open network world. Connect with OIF at @OIForum, on LinkedIn and at http://www.oiforum.com.

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Leah Wilkinson
Wilkinson + Associates for OIF
Email: leah@wilkinson.associates
Office: 703-907-0010