100 gigabit Ethernet transport [Guest Editorial]

As optical networks demand ever increasing data rates, driven by video sharing, high-definition video on demand, network computing, and other applications, much research effort has been devoted to the development of 100G converged transport and Ethernet for carrier networks and enterprise applications. IEEE Communications Magazine previously published a series on 100GbE development in the supplemental issues of IEEE Application & Practice in November and December 2007. In this followup series we present two columns and six articles covering new developments in 100GbE, including discussions on key enabling technologies, implementation and field experiments, network requirements, and an update on the progress toward the establishment of 100GbE standards.