IEEE 802.3 Working Group Approves New Study Group for Ethernet in the First Mile

Contact:
Howard Frazier, IEEE 802.3 EFM SG Chair, +1 408 437 9552 Voice, millardo@dominetsystems.com

Karen McCabe, Standards Mktg. Mgr., +1 732 562 3824 Voice, k.mccabe@ieee.org

For Release: Immediate

(PISCATAWAY, NJ, 14 Nov. 2000) The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., (IEEE) 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC) today announced it has approved a new study group to investigate the subject of "Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM)." The new study group has been chartered to develop a project proposal for a standard that will apply the proven and widely used Ethernet networking protocol to the customer initial access market.

The EFM study group was formed within the IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD Working Group on 9 November, following a "Call for Interest" meeting held on 7 November that was attended by over 300 individuals. At the meeting, over 87 individuals representing 69 different companies said that they plan to participate in an EFM study group within IEEE 802.3.

The IEEE 802.3 Working Group chose the designation "Ethernet in the First Mile" for the project to emphasize the fact that they intend to put their customers needs first. The term "First Mile" refers to the all-important first link between a customer and their internet service provider.

Mike Bennett, from Yipes Communications, a Metropolitan Area service provider, proclaimed his support at the Call for Interest meeting, saying, "The time is right - Let's put Ethernet in the First Mile and put an end to all those unnecessary protocol translations!"

During the call for interest meeting, speakers presented their views on the need for a new standard that will address the demands of the broadband access market. This market is currently served by a variety of technologies and protocols, all of which are found to be lacking due to bandwidth constraints, availability, ease of use, or high cost.

Steve Carlson, representing the Entertainment Services and Technology Association, also participated in the call for interest meeting, and offered a user's perspective on the need for a standard in this area, stating, "Almost all of our applications are in the 'First Mile'."

Representatives from 3Com (COMS), Alloptic, Aura Networks, CDT/Mohawk (CDT), Cisco Systems (CSCO), DomiNet Systems, Intel (INTC), WorldCom (WCOM), and World Wide Packets all voiced support for the formation of the study group in presentations given at the call for interest meeting.

The initial meeting of the Ethernet in the First Mile Study Group will be held during the week of 8 January 2001 in Irvine, CA. The meeting announcement, including schedule and venue information, will be available at http://www.ieee802.org/3/interims/. The Study Group will begin work on a project authorization request (PAR) and supporting documentation. The EFM Study Group will also create a set of specific objectives for the project that will be used to guide the standards development work.

Howard Frazier, chairman of the EFM Study Group, said that he expects the group to present a PAR to the IEEE 802.3 Working Group, the IEEE 802 LMSC Executive Committee, and the IEEE-SA Standards Board in the first half of 2001.

The IEEE 802.3 Working Group is responsible for the development of Ethernet standards, such as 10BASE-T, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The IEEE 802 LMSC is sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society and develops IEEE Networking Standards that are recognized worldwide. For more information on the IEEE 802.3 Working Group, visit: http://www.ieee802.org/3/index.html.

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) is an international membership organization serving today's industries with a complete portfolio of standards programs. The IEEE-SA is a major contributor to the IEEE, which is the world's largest technical professional society. IEEE-SA membership, through its IEEE association, promotes the engineering process by creating, developing, integrating, sharing and applying knowledge about electro- and information technologies and sciences for the benefit of humanity and the profession. More information is found at http://standards.ieee.org/sa-mem/index.html.

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