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Optical Internetworking Forum
open-in-new
<p>The Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is a prominent <a href="/facts/Non-profit/AmXu2c85">non-profit</a> <a href="/facts/Consortium/uMGVbLps">consortium</a> that was founded in 1998. It <a href="/facts/Lobby_organization/lzdxSAUj">promotes</a> the development and deployment of <a href="/facts/Interoperable/7WgqUbXU">interoperable</a> <a href="/facts/Computer_network/3w5RM99p">computer networking</a> products and services through <a href="/facts/Specification_(technical_standard)/xEMUsktp">implementation agreements</a> (IAs) for <a href="/facts/Optical_telecommunication/gshoNBto">optical networking</a> products and component technologies including <a href="/facts/SerDes/tzVeKyyV">SerDes</a> devices. </p><p>OIF also creates benchmarks, performs worldwide <a href="/facts/Interoperability/7WgqUbXU">interoperability</a> testing, builds market awareness and promotes education for optical technologies. The <a href="/facts/Network_Processing_Forum/q2nx2nfe">Network Processing Forum</a> merged into OIF in June 2006. </p><p>The OIF has around a hundred member companies and has four face-to-face meetings per year. It is managed by Association Management Solutions and operates using parliamentary debate rules and transparent decision making. The technical content is member-driven. The OIF operates under a <a href="/facts/Reasonable_and_non-discriminatory_licensing/qBAA4w9T">RAND</a> licensing framework. It maintains liaison relationships with many other <a href="/facts/Standards-developing_organization/8o7wGeYg">standards-developing organizations</a> including the <a href="/facts/International_Telecommunication_Union/Yn8UKKkw">ITU</a>, <a href="/facts/IEEE_802.3/Q9jxNSNT">IEEE 802.3</a>, the <a href="/facts/Open_Networking_Foundation/WrkMHJas">ONF</a>, the <a href="/facts/InfiniBand_Trade_Association/MdXlPS0C">InfiniBand Trade Association</a>, the <a href="/facts/Telecommunications_Industry_Association/2UlrgpAx">TIA</a> and the <a href="/facts/Internet_Engineering_Task_Force/tIcCsFhX">IETF</a>. </p>