Mountain View, CA- March 25, 2008 - The Ethernet Alliance today announced that the IEEE P802.3at task force has created IEEE P802.3at/Draft 3.0 and has submitted it to the IEEE 802.3™ working group ballot for technical review of the draft standard. This task force expects to complete standard ratification by 2009.

The IEEE 802.3 working group created the PoE Plus study group in November 2004 to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of providing increased power to devices over Ethernet, and approved the creation of the IEEE P802.3at task force in July 2005. The task force has been working with key vendors and customers to deliver a solution for providing up to 24W of power using Category 5 cables.

IEEE Std. 802.3af™-2003 (Power over Ethernet) helped consolidate voice and data services using a converged network infrastructure, giving customers enormous savings and greater capabilities from their networks. PoE Plus promises to add Video services in the same converged networks such as those requiring high-end, pan-tilt-zoom video cameras.

"PoE Plus brings value to Ethernet by enabling key video services such as perimeter Security, video conferencing and video-based IP phones for video collaborations," said Val Oliva, president, Ethernet Alliance. "The Ethernet Alliance is proud to support the IEEE P802.3at task force in its process of creating and ratifying the IEEE P802.3at draft standard."

The Ethernet Alliance supports the IEEE P802.3at task force through its PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee. Subcommittee members promote the benefits and value of PoE and PoE Plus through activities that include:

Interoperability demonstrations

Plugfests

Technology demonstrations

Webinars

White papers

The PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee plans to hold a plugfest and webinar on PoE Plus in 2008.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. If you are interested in joining the PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee or would like additional information, please contact admin@ethernetalliance.org.

About Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is dedicated to promoting industry awareness, acceptance, and advancement of technology and products based on existing and emerging IEEE 802® Ethernet standards. The organization's mission is to accelerate industry adoption and remove barriers to market entry by providing a cohesive, market-responsive industry voice on IEEE 802 Ethernet projects. For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, visit www.ethernetalliance.org