The IEEE has launched a Study Group to explore fiber-efficient ways to implement 200 Gigabit Ethernet and 400 Gigabit Ethernet via multimode fiber. The Study Group’s existence could be seen as an acknowledgement that current multimode fiber PMDs for such transmission rates (400 Gigabit Ethernet, as the 200 Gigabit Ethernet specifications are still being developed) may prove a bit unwieldy to deploy. But it also demonstrates that data center operators foresee a continuing need for multimode fiber options at data rates beyond 100 Gbps.
