IEEE 802.3 Multimode Optical Fiber Ethernet Standards
There are three 50 µm-diameter multimode optical fiber types recommended by TIA Standards for new installations:
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- OM3 multimode was the first fiber designed for use with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) light sources operating at the 850 nanometer (nm) wavelength
- OM4 multimode offers greater Effective Modal Bandwidth (EMB) than OM3 multimode to support longer operating ranges at the 850 nm wavelength
- OM5 multimode has the same EMB as OM4 multimode, but is characterized at both 860 nm and 953 nm wavelengths to support longer operating ranges for applications using wavelength division multiplexed transmission schemes
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Multimode optical fiber cabling Ethernet networks are more cost-effective than same-speed single-mode optical fiber networks due to lower cost connectors (wider glass cores require less mechanical precision) and VCSEL light sources, which also consume less power than true lasers. The trade-off is that multimode optical fiber cabling Ethernet networks do not have the reach capability offered by single-mode optical fiber Ethernet networks.
The key considerations when planning a multimode optical fiber infrastructure capable of supporting multiple generations of Ethernet applications are: 1) desired data rate, 2) number of transmit fibers required, and 3) operating range. For example, the 2‑fiber application tab below demonstrates that a migration path of 1000 Mb/s to 10 Gb/s to 100 Gb/s is achievable over up to 60 meters of OM3 optical fiber or up to 100 meters of OM4 (or OM5) optical fiber.
Parallel transmission schemes use more than 2‑fibers to achieve higher data rates. For example, the 100GBASE‑SR4 signaling scheme transmits four lanes of 25 Gb/s to achieve a data rate of 100 Gb/s. Parallel transmission schemes require more optical fibers, but typically provide a more economical path to achieving higher speed transmission.
IEEE 802.3 Multimode Ethernet Applications
- All Speeds
- 2-fiber
- 4-fiber
- 8-fiber
- 16-fiber
- 20-fiber
- 32-fiber
- 1 Gb/s
- 10 Gb/s
- 25 Gb/s
- 40 Gb/s
- 50 Gb/s
- 100 Gb/s
- 200 Gb/s
- 400 Gb/s
- 800 Gb/s
All fiber count IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 1000BASE-LX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 600 m1 | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 1000BASE-SX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 1,000 m1 2 m to 1,100 m1 |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 10GBASE-LX4 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 53 |
| 10GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m 2 m to 400 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 52 |
| 25GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 112 |
| 40GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
| 50GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 100GBASE-SR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 100GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 100GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 95 |
| 100GBASE-SR10 | 20 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
| 100GBASE-VR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 200GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 200GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 200GBASE-VR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 400GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 400GBASE-SR4.2 | 8 | OM3 OM4 OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 150 |
| 400GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 400GBASE-SR16 | 32 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 123 |
| 400GBASE-VR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-VR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 1 OM3, OM4, and OM5 had not been standardized when 1000BASE‑LX and 1000BASE‑SX were developed. Calculated operating range and insertion loss budget assume two standards compliant connector pairs in a channel and are provided for system planning purposes only. | ||||
2-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 1000BASE-LX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 600 m1 | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 1000BASE-SX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 1,000 m1 2 m to 1,100 m1 |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 10GBASE-LX4 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 53 |
| 10GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m 2 m to 400 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 52 |
| 25GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 112 |
| 50GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 100GBASE-SR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 100GBASE-VR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 1 OM3, OM4, and OM5 had not been standardized when 1000BASE‑LX and 1000BASE‑SX were developed. Calculated operating range and insertion loss budget assume two standards compliant connector pairs in a channel and are provided for system planning purposes only. | ||||
4-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 100GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 200GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 200GBASE-VR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
8-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 40GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
| 100GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 198 |
| 200GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 400GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 400GBASE-SR4.2 | 8 | OM3 OM4 OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 150 |
| 400GBASE-VR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-SR8 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-VR8 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
16-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 400GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 800GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-VR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
20-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 100GBASE-SR10 | 20 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
32-fiber IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 400GBASE-SR16 | 32 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 123 |
1 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 1000BASE-LX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 600 m1 | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 1000BASE-SX | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 1,000 m1 2 m to 1,100 m1 |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 38 |
| 1 OM3, OM4, and OM5 had not been standardized when 1000BASE‑LX and 1000BASE‑SX were developed. Calculated operating range and insertion loss budget assume two standards compliant connector pairs in a channel and are provided for system planning purposes only. | ||||
10 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 10GBASE-LX4 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m | IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 53 |
| 10GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
2 m to 300 m 2 m to 400 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 52 |
25 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 25GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 112 |
40 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 40GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
50 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 50GBASE-SR | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
100 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 100GBASE-SR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 100GBASE-VR1 | 2 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 100GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 100GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 95 |
| 100GBASE-SR10 | 20 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 86 |
200 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 200GBASE-SR2 | 4 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 200GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 200GBASE-VR2 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
400 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 400GBASE-SR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 400GBASE-SR4.2 | 8 | OM3 OM4 OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m 0.5 m to 150 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 150 |
| 400GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 138 |
| 400GBASE-SR16 | 32 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 70 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 123 |
| 400GBASE-VR4 | 8 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
800 Gb/s IEEE 802.3 Ethernet multimode applications:
| Application | No. of Fibers | Multimode Media | Operating Range | Standards Reference |
| 800GBASE-SR8 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 60 m 0.5 m to 100 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |
| 800GBASE-VR4 | 16 | OM3 OM4/OM5 |
0.5 m to 30 m 0.5 m to 50 m |
IEEE Std 802.3, Clause 167 |