After four years, the IEEE has ratified the IEEE Standard 802.3ba, which covers 40Gb and 100Gb Ethernet. This is the first time that a standard was created that specifies two new Ethernet speeds. The biggest advantage of IEEE 802.3ba is its compatibility with existing IEEE 802.3 installations; thereby preserving significant industry investment in the technology noted the press release.

Speaking to InternetNews.com, Blaine Kohl, chief marketing officer of the Ethernet Alliance elaborated on how both standards address a different part of the market; 100 GbE was driven by server-side needs while 100 GbE by core networking and service provider needs.

Despite the ratification of the 802.3ba standard, expect it to take some time before interoperability is achieved across the various vendor solutions. Regardless, one positive side effect for businesses would be an eventual decline in the price of 10Gb Ethernet. Indeed, the chair of the IEEE 802.3ba task force noted that at least one vendor is already pricing its 40G Ethernet switching modules at $1,000 per port, or just "slightly higher than the average selling price of a 10G Ethernet port."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at InternetNews.com
- check out this article at Network World 

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