Juniper intros world's first 100Gbps Ethernet interface

Most Ethernet devices used at home and offices today make do with the 100Mbps standard that has been used for many years. Gigabit options have also been available for a while, which largely satisfied many people's need for speed, and some businesses have even adopted the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard. Compared to a traditional home LAN, that's a tremendous difference.

But what if even that immense speed isn't enough? Formerly, the answer would be to go beyond Ethernet and get into the world of fiber optics. However, Juniper Networks believes Ethernet is still the answer and has room to grow, announcing that they have introduced the industry's first 100Gbps Ethernet interface, aimed at telecom providers and other immensely high-capacity applications.

Juniper's efforts to produce the fast interface are in spite of the fact that no official standard for 100Gbps Ethernet exists. You'd think that at the high-end of enterprise, reliance on hardware that had no existing standard would be uncommon. Nevertheless, the company claims they have numerous companies planning pilot networks based around their product. Future uses are numerous, as it leaves room for Ethernet to replace many kinds of fiber, hopefully at reduced cost. Unfortunately, none of that faster speed benefits the home user – though maybe one day it will.