Ethernet in the First Mile

Over Point-to-Point Fiber (EFMF)

Overview
Since 1980, Ethernet has been the dominant enterprise LAN protocol. Several popular Ethernet standards,
including 10Base-T, 100Base-T, and 1000Base-T for copper, and 1000Base-LX for fiber, have enabled
deployment to grow to roughly half a billion ports worldwide.

In the last few years, Ethernet has solved the bandwidth bottleneck in aggregation networks and is the
technology best suited to provide access to customers—the so-called last mile of broadband access.
New standards are being developed by the EFM task force (IEEE 802.3ah) that position Ethernet as the
single technology to deliver universal broadband access for high-end user applications, while enabling
true end-to-end, seamless technology integration in communications.

The EFMF standards are aimed at the physical layer for point-to-point fiber with Ethernet at speeds of
100 Mbps and 1 Gbps, and spanning lengths of at least 10 km over single-mode fiber that will allow a broad
range of applications. The following chart shows global Ethernet standards for all the main physical media in
use today, as well as the new ones for copper and fiber to support EFM.
Existing EFMC EFMF
IEEE 802.3 Ieee 802.3ah IEEE 802.3ah
Standards
10 Gbps

10 GigE
Maximum Bandwidth (Symetric)

1 Gbps
1000Base-T 1000Base
(MMF) 1000Base-LX (SMF)
B/L/PX10
100 Mbps

1000Base-PX20
100Base-T 100Base-FX
(Cu Cat 5) (MMF)
100Base-L/BX10
10 Mbps (Single Mode Fiber)
10Pass-TS-TS
(VDSL)
10Base-T
2 Mbps (Cu Cat 5)
2Base-TS
(SHDSL)
0
100 m 500 m 750 m 2000 m 2700 m 5000 m 10 km 20 km
Minimum Reach
Figure 1: Global Ethernet Standards including EFMF and EFMC

Based on the existing IEEE 802.3 fiber optic standards, the EFMF adds support for both single and dual fiber,
as well as support for an extended temperature range (from –40 to +85 degrees C), making it suitable for
outside deployments that need to withstand a variety of environmental conditions.

As Figures 2 and 3 show, the 100 Mbps option will probably make more sense for residential or small office
access. This option is likely to get early traction because of the lower cost (in terms of processor speed,
memory and buffers) of building Fast Ethernet switches. This will allow an easier way into the market for
cautious operators, whereas the Gigabit Ethernet options will be more appropriate for small and medium
enterprises.
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 100Base-LX10 or
100Base-LX10U
100Base-LX10 or
100Base-LX10D
Central
Office
Node
1 or 2
Fiber Strands

Maximum Distance 10 km

Figure 2: Small Home or Office

For small/medium enterprises and residential access in multi-tenant units, there will likely be an aggregation
link between the access or aggregation node and the CO.
1000Base-LX10 or
1000Base-LX10D
Central Cat 5, SMF or MMF
Office Aggregation Link
100 or 1000 Mbps
Node

1000Base-LX10 or
1000Base-LX10U
Maximum Distance 10 km

Figure 3: SME or Residential Access, Point-to-Point Gigabit Ethernet Aggregation

Within the building, the network would reach the desktop or the individual subscriber in the multi-tenant
unit with either Category 5 cable or copper.

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EFMF PMD Sublayer
The following table shows where EFMF fits in terms of the existing Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet
standards.
100 Mbps 1000 Mbps
SMF SMF
1000Base-LX, 5 km
Dual Fiber 100Base-LX10, 10 km 1000Base-LX10, 10 km,
Extended Temperature
100Base-BX10-D, 10 km 1000Base-10BX-D, 10 km
Single Fiber
100BaseBX10-U, 10 km 1000Base-BX-U, 10 km

Table 1: Standards for EFMF

EFMF adds a new set of standards to the IEEE 802.3 standards suite by introducing support for single
SMF. Most importantly, for a subscriber access technology, EFMF allows extended temperature and reach
capabilities for both Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet.

EFMF supports symmetrical, high bandwidth and full duplex point-to-point links. Both the 100 Mbps
option and the Gigabit Ethernet option are implemented through SMF by multiplexing the laser signal into
different wavelengths. A 10 km span will be supported with standard SMF.

There are high-volume MAC chip-sets available for both the 100 Mbps and the 1 Gbps options, and early
EFMF rollouts will take advantage of this. EFMF is created with a new PMD layer; and as Figure 3 shows, the
PMD is implemented as the bottom sublayer on Layer 1.

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 OSI
Reference Model LAN CSMA/CD LAN CSMA/CD
Layers Layers Layers

Application Higher Layers Higher Layers

Presentation LLC - Logical Link Control LLC - Logical Link Control

Session OAM (Optional) OAM (Optional)

Transport MAC Control (Optional) MAC Control (Optional)

Network MAC MAC

Media Access Control Media Access Control

Data Link Reconciliation Reconciliation

MII GMII
Physical
PCS PCS
PMA PHY PMA PHY
PMD PMD
MDI MDI
Medium Medium

100 Mbps Link Segment 1000 Mbps Link Segment

Figure 4: The PMD as a Sublayer of the PHY

The dual fiber options transmit in the send and receive directions on separate fibers, and the single fiber
options have a multiplexer to split the send and receive signals into two wavelengths and consolidate fiber
usage accordingly.

Dual Fiber Standards

The dual fiber options are 100Base-LX10 and 1000Base-LX10. These standards use separate fibers for
transmitting the send and receive directions.

100Base-LX10
The 100Base-LX10 support is for single-mode, dual fiber connections at a signaling speed of 125 Mbps.
100Base-LX10 has a reach of over 10 km. The optical output power of the laser (Pout) is –15 dBm with a
sensitivity of –25 dBm. 100Base-LX10 uses 4B/5B NRZI encoding. The wavelength plan makes it possible
to use existing OC-3/STM-1 optical TRx. The encoding scheme makes it possible to use existing 100Base-X
chipsets.

1000Base-LX10
The Gigabit Ethernet option (1000Base-LX10) supports a signaling speed of 1250 Mbps, operating on single
mode, dual fiber at lengths of greater than 10 km. The optical power (Pout) is –9.5 dBm with a sensitivity of
–20 dBm and a transmit wavelength of 1260–1360 nm.

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Gigabit EFMF can also be run on multimode dual fibers at a span of greater than 550 meters. The Pout for this
option is –11 dBm with a sensitivity of –20 dBm and a transmit wavelength of 1310 nm. 8B/10B encoding is
used to leverage existing Gigabit Ethernet standards. 1000Base-LX10 standardizes the vast amount of pre-
standard Gigabit Ethernet TRx deployed today.
1000Base-LX10 TRx 1000Base-LX10 TRx

2 Fiber Strands
Figure 5: Dual Fiber Option for Gigabit EFMF

Single Fiber Standards

The single fiber options, described in the following sections, depend on the use of a special multiplexer
placed in front of the laser as illustrated in Figure 6. The signal is split into transmit and receive wavelengths.

Single G.652 Fiber

1.5 µm Laser 1.3 µm Laser

1.3 µm Receiver 1.5 µm Receiver

Figure 6: Two-Wavelength Device (the figure illustrates one possible solution of separating wavelengths)

The laser and receiver are in the same package where the optical light path is split into a second and third
window by the WDM filter. This filter has a typical insertion loss less than one decibel.

100Base-BX10
100Base-BX10 supports single-mode, single fiber and a signaling speed of 125 Mbps. It also supports greater
than a 10 km span. The optical output is –14 dBm with a sensitivity of –29.2 dBm. The single fiber support is
made possible because the uplink TRx and downlink TRx are transmitting on different wavelengths:
• Downlink at 1480 to 1580 nm
• Uplink at 1260 to 1360 nm

The downlink PMD is called 100Base-BX10-D and would typically be located in the central office or similar
POP presence, whereas the uplink 100Base-BX10-U PMD is located at subscriber premises. This new PMD for
single fiber access is illustrated in Figure 7.

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 100Base-BX10-D 100Base-BX10-U

1 Fiber Strand
Figure 7: PMD for Single Fiber Access

Because the send and receive directions are on different wavelengths, only a single fiber is needed.

1000Base-BX10
The 1000Base-BX10 specification provides single-mode, single fiber support at a signaling speed of
1250 Mbps for a span of greater than 10 km. The optical output is –9 dBm with a sensitivity of –20 dBm. The
uplink 1000Base-BX10-U TRx and downlink 1000Base-BX10-D are transmitting on different wavelengths:
• Downlink at 1480 to 1500 nm
• Uplink at 1260 to 1360 nm

Again, the downlink would be located in the central office or similar POP presence, whereas the uplink is
located at subscriber premises. The PMD for single fiber Gigabit Ethernet is illustrated in Figure 8.
1000Base-BX10-D 1000Base-BX10-U

1 Fiber Strand
Figure 8: PMD for Single Fiber Gigabit EFMF Support

As with the Fast Ethernet option, only a single fiber is needed when you multiplex the transmit and receive
directions into different wavelengths.

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Wavelength Overlays
The following figure illustrates the wavelength overlays for the EFM PMDs along with the CWDM grid.
1260 1300 1360 1400 1480 1500 1580

100Base-LX10 1000Base-BX10-D
1000Base-LX-10
1000Base-BX10-U

1270 1290 1490 1570

CWDM-grid (1270, 1290, ..., 1610, 1630 nm)

O-band (1260–1360 nm) E-band (1360–1460 nm) S-band (1460–1530 nm) C-band L-band
(1530–1565 nm) U-band

Figure 9: Wavelength Overlays and their Relation to EFMF

Conclusion
The EFM point-to-point technologies are extremely close to existing Ethernet, and its topology provides
cost-effective opportunities for replacing expensive T1 and T3 links.

EFMF is a proven concept, and it is already being deployed in its pre-standard form. Typical applications are
FTTH, FTTB/C, point-to-point end-to-end support for business access, and point-to-point aggregation.

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 Acronym Descriptor
C Celsius
CO Central Office
CSMA/CD Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection
Cu Copper
CWDM Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing
EFM Ethernet in the First Mile
EFMC Ethernet in the First Mile over Copper
EFMF Ethernet in the First Mile over Fiber
FTTB/C Fiber to the Building/Curb
FTTH Fiber to the Home
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
GMII Gigabit Media Independent Interface
LAN Local Area Network
MAC Media Access Control
Mbps Megabits per Second
MDI Medium Dependent Interface
MII Media Independent Interface
MMF Multi Mode Fiber
OAM Operations, Administration and Maintenance
OSI Open Systems Interconnection
PCS Physical Coding Sublayer
PHY Physical Layer Device
PMA Physical Medium Attachment
PMD Physical Medium Dependent
SHDSL Symmetric High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line
SMF Single Mode Fiber
VDSL Very-High-Data-Rate Digital Subscriber Line
WDM Wavelength Division Multiplexing

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