Optical connections, be they short range between datacenter servers and switches or long range between campuses or cities, must work regardless of who manufactures them. Without interoperability among pluggable optical modules, semiconductors, cables, and connectors, network engineers would be locked into a single source because each manufacturer would include a “secret sauce.”
The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) keeps everyone on a level field by developing physical-layer interoperability standards and conducting demonstrations and workshops showing how components and equipment from multiple sources can and do interoperate. Currently, the OIF is demonstrating 400 Gbps and 800 Gbps optical links with 1.6T coming next. That interoperability includes both optical standards and implementation agreements for pluggable optical modules and their electrical interfaces.
On December 10, 2025, EE World will host an editorial webinar featuring Nathan Tracy, OIF President and Tom Issenhuth, OIF Market Awareness & Education Committee Co-Chair, Physical & Link Layer. EE World Senior Technical Editor Martin Rowe will moderate this open discussion. The webinar will focus on the current OIF projects:
- Coherent optics for 400G, 800G, and 1.6T links
- Energy-efficient interfaces (EEI)
- Common Electrical Interface (CEI)
- Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS)
Join us on December 10, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET, 11:00 AM PT, 20 00 CET for Interoperability Drives Optical and Electrical Communications.
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