A standard amendment for 1000 Mb/s Ethernet operation over plastic optical fiber has been issued by IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association. IEEE 802.3bv™—Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 1000 Mb/s Operation Over Plastic Optical Fiber responds to demand for high-speed Ethernet solutions for automotive, industrial, andhome network connectivity. Plastic optical fiber provides unique capabilities for these applications where long link lengths aren’t required.
Plastic optical fiber is already in use in automobiles and other vehicles, and IEEE 802.3bv provides a robust and reliable media option for Ethernet automotive networks. As an alternative transmission medium, the standard is also applicable to harsh, electrically noisy environments such as industrial automation islands and other applications with similar requirements.
Plastic optical fiber’s non-conductive cable construction and simple installation properties are also being leveraged by telecom providers worldwide to enhance Ethernet-based home networks for wireless network access based on IEEE 802.11 (”Wi-Fi®”) devices.
