Cisco Live Milan Multigigabit Ethernet and NBaseT Introduction and Discussion

Peter Jones, Principal Engineer at Cisco and Chairman of the NBaseT Working Group, presented an in-depth discussion on NBaseT and Cisco Multigigabit Ethernet at Cisco Live Milan 2015. He began by introducing the concept of NBaseT, which aims to provide 2.5 and 5 gigabit Ethernet speeds over existing Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling. This initiative is driven by the increasing demand for higher bandwidth, particularly due to the rise of 802.11ac gigabit wireless technology. Jones highlighted the technical challenges and the necessity of forming alliances to standardize these new speeds, mentioning the formation of the NBaseT Alliance, which includes major industry players like Cisco, Intel, and Marvell.

Jones elaborated on the technical aspects and the market need for Multigigabit Ethernet. He explained that the current infrastructure, predominantly Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling, cannot support 10GBaseT over 100 meters, which creates a bottleneck as wireless speeds increase. The solution proposed by NBaseT is to enable 2.5 and 5 gigabit speeds on these existing cables, thus avoiding the high costs and logistical challenges of pulling new cables. He also discussed the importance of Power over Ethernet (PoE) standards, which are crucial for powering devices like wireless access points. The goal is to provide up to five times the speed without changing the existing cabling infrastructure, making it a cost-effective and efficient upgrade path for many organizations.

The presentation also covered the progress and future plans of the NBaseT Alliance. Jones mentioned that the alliance had grown to include 21 companies and had made significant strides in developing the necessary specifications. He emphasized the importance of industry consensus and the need for a standardized solution to ensure interoperability and widespread adoption. The alliance aims to support initial deployments and build momentum through advocacy in industry forums and standard development organizations. Jones concluded by discussing the potential for future applications and the importance of user feedback in shaping the development of Multigigabit Ethernet technologies.