We are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point in history, we’re all learning how to accept that our interaction as people must be limited. The need to stay at home is affecting our lives in countless ways. Not running to the store to pick up food or other items we want. Remote working for many. Not going to family gatherings. Not going out for social or entertainment purposes. The list goes on.
As a result of this crisis, the technology driving the hyper connectivity of today’s world has never been more crucial. It is helping us to maintain some semblance of life as we have known it. It is helping this world to survive.
Today’s hyper connected world didn’t happen by some strange accident. It is the deliberate effort of years of investment, development, and deployment of a myriad of technologies that work together to create this web of connectivity. From the various companies that built our telecom networks, ISP networks, mobile networks, enterprise networks, content delivery networks, metro networks, and hyperscale centers, to the companies that provided them with the various components and interconnect products, to the software developers that provided all of the coding to make it all work together.
There is one, often forgotten, part of this ecosystem and that is the standards development organizations, alliances, and MSA’s that have provided the industry with standards and specifications that enabled the development of components, systems, and networks that could be developed by multiple vendors and were interoperable. The creation of this environment enabled competition to kick-in and drive the cost down so that networking became inexpensive enough that it could go anywhere.
This is what IEEE 802 has been doing its entire existence. March 13 of this year marked its 40th year of developing high quality, market relevant standards, that have invited competition, innovation, and market development. Standardization provides a common specification to enable multi-vendor interoperability, and these two powerful forces have combined to drive the success of 802 standards and much of the connectivity of today’s world.
Consumers rarely think about the networking standards behind the applications they know and love - they are just happy to get on Wi-Fi and go about their business. Today’s global health crisis has highlighted this more than ever. Consumers are using so much networking technology to work remotely, connect with their loved ones, and maintain some sort of normalcy.
Take 802.3 Ethernet-based networks for example. Those connected via Wi-Fi probably don’t even realize that many of the applications they are using are powered by Ethernet-based networks. Their favorite websites, the online systems that are taking their orders for groceries and supplies, the streaming services where they are getting their favorite movies and music, and connecting the peering points globally.
Many won’t appreciate the Ethernet enabled wireless access points that are efficiently and cost effectively used for multiple wireless connections. But many don’t realize that the two technologies in combination with 802.1 bridging standards need each other to thrive.
On a more personal note, my cousin recently succumbed to COVID-19. His passing made me painfully aware of the true potential of the IEEE 802’s family of networking standards. Wi-Fi and Ethernet enabled his last moments of contact with his wife, family and friends. They allowed me to logon to Facebook to get updates on his health, text with my family for updates, and attend a live stream from the church of his mass. Very few of these scenarios were probably envisioned when the IEEE 802 standards were created, but now more than ever we can see the good they serve.
It’s clear that the products and services enabled by IEEE 802’s family of standards over the past 40 years are providing the interconnectivity that today needs to operate in some fashion of normalcy. On behalf of my family and I, thanks to everyone who helped enable the networks and applications that provided this connectivity at one of our saddest times.
Ultimately, that is the legacy of 802 - connecting a world that needs to be connected.
