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IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group | Institution Profile | Photonics

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INSTITUTION PROFILE / OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS & PHOTONICS

IEEE 802.3
The working group where individuals, not companies, vote on the Ethernet standard

IEEE 802.3 is the working group that writes the Ethernet standard, IEEE Std 802.3, within the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), the standards arm of the U.S.-headquartered engineering organisation IEEE. For Ethernet, the signalling rates exchanged between switches and optical transceivers, and the physical-layer specifications for optical fibre, are set as standards by this working group. It is not a government body and its standards carry no legal force, but they are also adopted as ISO/IEC international standards. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence IEEE 802.3 actually has over optical communications and photonics.

Sources: the IEEE 802.3 Working Group's official pages (project list, voting eligibility and ballot records), IEEE SA standards pages, IEEE 802 LMSC pages, a liaison letter to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6, and an executive summary of an ITU-T SG15 meeting, used as primary information. Last updated September 2026.

What this article covers
  1. IEEE 802.3 in 30 seconds
  2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
  3. What it does in optical communications and photonics
  4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
  5. The organisations involved
  6. Outlook
  7. Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit

1. IEEE 802.3 in 30 seconds

FULL NAMEIEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working GroupA working group of the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC)
COUNTRYPart of IEEE, headquartered in the United StatesIEEE's headquarters are in Piscataway, New Jersey
TYPE OF BODYWorking group within a professional body's standards armIEEE is a public charity, not a government agency
PARENT BODIESIEEE SA / IEEE Computer SocietyFinal approval of standards rests with the IEEE SA Standards Board
SIZE265 people in the ballot recordsOur count of the roster as of 10 September 2026. Membership is individual
ACCESS TO STANDARDSPublished standards are freeIEEE's GET Program offers the PDFs at no charge. Drafts must be bought
ROLE IN PHOTONICSWriting the Ethernet standard, including the optical physical layer1.6T in P802.3dj, multimode fibre in P802.3ds, and work on 400G per lane
REACHCompanies worldwide that adopt the standardA voluntary standard. IEEE 802.3-2022 has been submitted for adoption by ISO/IEC
The one thing to grasp first

In IEEE 802.3, voting rights belong to individuals, not companies. The working group's page on voting requirements states plainly that membership is held by individuals rather than by companies, and to qualify a person must attend at least 75% of the meeting time at two of the last four plenary sessions Sourced. A draft passes through two stages, a working group ballot and an IEEE SA ballot, and becomes a standard once the IEEE SA Standards Board approves it. In other words, it is not a standard belonging to any one country or company, but one decided by engineers from many firms taking part as individuals. That is what sets it apart from OIF, where companies vote, and from ITU-T, where member states and sector members such as companies take part in approval.

2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence

Unlike the companies in this series, the institutions that appear in our optical communications and photonics coverage do not sell optical components. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.

Four types of institution that shape optical communications Institutions do not sell optical components. They differ in the route by which they influence the industry Funding Policy & regulation Standards Convening Allocates R&D budgets Strategy, subsidies, law Specs, standards, Recs Conferences, expos, forums NICT / AIM Photonics MIC / U.S. DoD OIF / IEEE 802.3 / ITU-T OFC / IOWN GF / OCP What gets researched What gets built at home How to connect and measure Who meets whom Reach: own budget Reach: own territory Reach: adopting firms Reach: participants IEEE 802.3 is the standards type. It writes Ethernet, including the fibre physical layer Not legally binding, but also adopted as ISO/IEC standards. Individuals, not companies, hold the vote
Fig. 1 Four types of institution involved in optical communications and photonics, and where IEEE 802.3 sits. The classification is our own; the examples are the eight institutions covered in this series and the government agencies that fund them Our calculation. MIC is Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and DoD the U.S. Department of Defense. IEEE 802.3 is a working group inside IEEE, which is headquartered in the United States. It is not a government body, but we place it under Standards because it is where the Ethernet standard itself is written.

3. What it does in optical communications and photonics

IEEE 802.3's work is carried out project by project, by task forces and study groups. The main projects bearing on optical interconnect in data centres are as follows Sourced.

ProjectStatusWhat it covers
IEEE 802.3df-2024Approved 15 February 2024 and published 15 March 2024400Gb/s and 800Gb/s Ethernet. Adds an 800Gb/s MAC (the rules for exchanging data) and 400G and 800G physical layers
IEEE P802.3djProject approved 3 December 2022. Still in progress as of September 2026A 1.6Tb/s MAC, plus physical layers and management parameters for 200G, 400G, 800G and 1.6Tb/s
IEEE P802.3dsIn progressPhysical layers carrying 200Gb/s and above over multimode fibre, using 200Gb/s signalling per lane
400 Gb/s/Lane Signaling Study GroupFormed 13 March 2026. Its draft project authorisation (PAR) was approved by the IEEE 802 LMSC on 17 JulyElectrical interfaces and optical interfaces over single-mode fibre of up to 500 m, using 400Gb/s signalling per lane
IEEE Std 802.3-2022Current consolidated editionThe Ethernet standard itself. Submitted for adoption by ISO/IEC under the PSDO agreement
A materials engineer's view: each step up in per-lane speed changes the conditions for components

From 800G (802.3df) to 1.6T (P802.3dj) and now the study of 400Gb/s per lane, IEEE 802.3 is raising the rate carried by each signal line and each optical path step by step. Higher per-lane rates let the same total capacity travel over fewer lanes, but they demand lower loss at higher frequencies from the modulators and photodetectors in optical transceivers and from the electrical traces on circuit boards. The fact that the 400Gb/s-per-lane study explicitly covers single-mode fibre of up to 500 m signals that relatively short optical links inside data centres are the next main battleground Sourced.

4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)

AspectWhat IEEE 802.3 hasWhat it does not have
PowersThe power to draft standards and put them to working group ballot. Approved drafts go to the IEEE SA Standards Board for approval and are published by IEEEPower to enforce its standards, certify products or fund research
GeographyInternational. IEEE SA says it works with experts from more than 160 countries. IEEE 802.3-2022 has been submitted for adoption through ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6Power to decide whether its standards are written into national laws or technical regulations (that is up to each country)
Who can take partMembership is individual. Members vote in the working group ballot; IEEE SA members (or people who pay a per-ballot fee) vote in the IEEE SA ballotAny mechanism that allocates votes to companies or countries
Access to standardsPublished IEEE 802 standards can be downloaded free of charge (IEEE's GET Program)Free access to drafts under discussion (drafts must be purchased)
Relations with other bodiesOIF has a liaison to IEEE 802.3, and joint workshops are held with ITU-T SG15Power to override OIF's IAs or ITU-T Recommendations
A note on reading the numbers

The figure of 265 is our own count of the names on the ballot records roster that the working group publishes. It is not a membership figure announced by the working group Our calculation. The number of people who attend meetings or submit comments may be larger. The completion date of P802.3dj is not given in the primary information checked for this article (the IEEE SA standards page) Not yet confirmed.

5. The organisations involved

Where IEEE 802.3 sits and who it deals with Left: the hierarchy inside IEEE. Right: exchanges with outside organisations IEEE / IEEE SA (United States) Standards Board gives final approval IEEE 802 LMSC LAN/MAN Standards Committee IEEE 802.3 Working Group Individuals hold the vote P802.3dj (1.6T, in progress) P802.3ds (MMF, 200G per lane) 400G-per-lane study group OIF (industry forum) Has a liaison to IEEE 802.3 CMIS-APSU manages Annex 178B of 802.3dj ITU-T SG15 (a UN specialised agency) 10th joint workshop held in July 2026 Sent liaisons on incorporation by reference ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6 Process to adopt IEEE 802.3-2022 as an international standard under the PSDO agreement
Fig. 2 Where IEEE 802.3 sits and how it relates to outside organisations. Sources: the official IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802 LMSC pages, IEEE SA standards pages, OIF's current work and liaisons pages, the ITU-T SG15 executive summary (July 2026), and IEEE 802.3's liaison letter to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6 (May 2024) Sourced. ITU-T is a sector of the ITU, the UN specialised agency.

IEEE 802.3 is organised around individuals, and the public pages checked for this article do not list participants' employers. For that reason we do not map it to the companies profiled in this series. In the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6 adoption process, China's national body commented that IEEE 802.3-2022 lacks security mechanisms, and the working group responded Sourced. It shows how, when a standard goes international, differences in national positions surface as formal comments.

6. Outlook

What the evidence suggestsPrimary information it rests onCategory
Completion of P802.3dj will give 1.6T Ethernet optical transceivers a full basis in the standardP802.3dj is an ongoing project defining a 1.6Tb/s MAC and physical layers. OIF is working on a specification to manage its Annex 178BInference
The next generation will be 400Gb/s per lane, centred on optical links of up to 500 m inside data centresThe 400Gb/s/lane study group's draft PAR was approved by the IEEE 802 LMSC in July 2026Inference
The division of labour and liaison with OIF and ITU-T will continueOIF's liaison; the 10th joint workshop with ITU-T SG15 and the liaisons it sentInference

7. Glossary

Working group (WG)
The unit within IEEE 802 that writes the standards for a given area. 802.3 covers Ethernet; 802.11 covers wireless LAN.
PAR
Project Authorization Request: the approved document that sets the scope and purpose of a standards project.
MAC / physical layer (PHY)
The MAC is the set of rules for sending data; the physical layer is the specification for carrying it as electrical or optical signals.
SMF / MMF
Single-mode fibre and multimode fibre. MMF is for short reaches and places different demands on light sources and photodetectors.
PSDO agreement
An agreement between IEEE and ISO, used in the process of adopting IEEE standards as ISO/IEC international standards.

8. References

  1. IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group: project list, free download of published 802 standards, and purchase of standards and drafts (updated 6 August 2026). https://www.ieee802.org/3/
  2. IEEE 802.3 Requirements for voting on IEEE 802.3 drafts: the two ballot stages, individual membership and attendance requirements. https://www.ieee802.org/3/rules/member.html
  3. IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3 member ballot return records: the roster as of 10 September 2026. https://www.ieee802.org/3/ballots/ballot_returns.pdf
  4. IEEE SA IEEE P802.3dj: active PAR, PAR approval date, scope and sponsoring committee. The page's list of other working group activities also gives the scope of P802.3ds and notes free access to 802.3ck and 802.3df. https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.3dj/11115/
  5. IEEE SA IEEE 802.3df-2024: approval date, publication date and scope. https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.3df/11107/
  6. IEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3 400 Gb/s/Lane Signaling Study Group: formation date, scope, and approval dates for the PAR and CSD. https://www.ieee802.org/3/400GPL/index.html
  7. IEEE 802 LMSC IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee: list of working groups and their roles. https://www.ieee802.org/
  8. IEEE SA About IEEE Standards Association: experts from more than 160 countries, and IEEE's status as a public charity. https://standards.ieee.org/about/
  9. IEEE SA Contact: headquarters location (IEEE Operations Center, Piscataway, New Jersey). https://standards.ieee.org/about/contact/
  10. IEEE 802.3 Liaison letter to ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6 (agreed 16 May 2024): the adoption process for IEEE 802.3-2022 under the PSDO agreement, and the response to comments from China's national body. https://www.ieee802.org/3/minutes/may24/outgoing/IEEE_802d3_to_ISO-IEC_JTC-1_SC-6_Redacted.pdf
  11. ITU-T SG15 Executive Summary (July 2026, Montreal): liaisons to IEEE 802.1 and 802.3 on incorporation by reference, and the joint workshop with IEEE 802. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/studygroups/2025-2028/15/Pages/exec_sum_2026-07.aspx
  12. OIF Current OIF Work: CMIS-APSU corresponds to Annex 178B of IEEE 802.3dj. https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/current-work/
  13. OIF Liaisons: OIF's liaison to IEEE 802.3. https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/liaisons/

9. Claim-to-source audit

Claim in the articleCategorySource
Project list, free download of published 802 standards, drafts available for purchaseSourcedReference 1 https://www.ieee802.org/3/
Individual membership, attendance requirements, two ballot stagesSourcedReference 2 https://www.ieee802.org/3/rules/member.html
265 people on the ballot records roster (our count)Our calculationReference 3 https://www.ieee802.org/3/ballots/ballot_returns.pdf
P802.3dj PAR approval date, in-progress status and scope; P802.3ds scope; IEEE Computer Society as the parent bodySourcedReference 4 https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.3dj/11115/
802.3df-2024 approval date, publication date and scopeSourcedReference 5 https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/802.3df/11107/
Formation date, scope and PAR approval date of the 400Gb/s/lane studySourcedReference 6 https://www.ieee802.org/3/400GPL/index.html
Working group structure of the IEEE 802 LMSCSourcedReference 7 https://www.ieee802.org/
More than 160 countries; IEEE is a public charitySourcedReference 8 https://standards.ieee.org/about/
Location of IEEE's headquartersSourcedReference 9 https://standards.ieee.org/about/contact/
Adoption process for IEEE 802.3-2022 at ISO/IEC; comments from China's national bodySourcedReference 10 https://www.ieee802.org/3/minutes/may24/outgoing/IEEE_802d3_to_ISO-IEC_JTC-1_SC-6_Redacted.pdf
Joint workshop and liaisons with ITU-T SG15SourcedReference 11 https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/studygroups/2025-2028/15/Pages/exec_sum_2026-07.aspx
How OIF's CMIS-APSU relates to 802.3djSourcedReference 12 https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/current-work/
OIF's liaison to IEEE 802.3SourcedReference 13 https://www.oiforum.com/technical-work/liaisons/
The four types of institutionOur calculationOur own classification
Completion date of P802.3dj; an officially published membership figureNot yet confirmedNot stated in references 1 to 6; this article does not estimate them
The three points in the outlook (section 6)InferenceThis article's reading of references 4, 6 and 11 to 13

Last updated 26 September 2026 / Troy Technical
All statements come from the official pages and public documents of IEEE 802.3, IEEE SA and the IEEE 802 LMSC, and from the ITU-T and OIF websites. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by IEEE.

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