ITU-T updates G.8020.3 to align with latest IEEE Ethernet standard
ITU-T has revised Recommendation G.8020.3, incorporating by reference the 2022 edition of IEEE 802.3 and its subsequent amendments, covering Ethernet speeds up to 800 Gb/s and new physical layer specifications.
The International Telecommunication Union has published version 2.0 of Recommendation ITU-T G.8020.3, which was approved in November 2025, updating its reference to the current IEEE Ethernet standard.
G.8020.3 incorporates by reference IEEE Std 802.3-2022, ‘IEEE Standard for Ethernet’, together with multiple amendments, corrigenda and errata. The Recommendation applies to Ethernet local area, access and metropolitan area networks, using a common media access control specification and management information base.
The scope covers shared medium operation based on carrier sense multiple access with collision detection and full duplex operation, media independent interfaces to physical layer devices, frame encoding and decoding, and support for power over selected twisted pair physical layers.
The incorporated IEEE material includes amendments introducing support for higher speeds and new deployment scenarios. These range from 100 Mb/s and 1 Gb/s Ethernet through 10 Gb/s, 25 Gb/s, 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s, to 200 Gb/s, 400 Gb/s and 800 Gb/s operation. The standard also covers developments such as single-pair Ethernet, automotive Ethernet over electrical and optical media, energy-efficient Ethernet, time synchronisation enhancements, and power over data lines.
By incorporating IEEE 802.3 by reference rather than restating technical specifications, ITU-T G.8020.3 provides a formal bridge between ITU transport standards and the Ethernet ecosystem, ensuring alignment between transport network specifications in the G.8000-series and the evolving IEEE Ethernet framework
