Technical Committee

The OIF Technical Committee’s mission is to accomplish the technical objectives of the OIF with the principal goal to cooperatively produce technical Implementation Agreements (IAs) and other technical documents to accelerate the deployment of optical networking technology and facilitate industry convergences on interoperability.

To contact any of the Technical Committee leadership, please send an email to technicalquestions@oiforum.com

Technical Committee Chair

Karl Bois, NVIDIA

Technical Committee Vice Chair

Klaus-Holger Otto, Nokia

Network Operator Working Group Charter

The OIF Network Operator Working Group (NetOp WG) develops requirements and guidelines for the services and functions to be supported by the future optical networking products, thus providing a common direction to the equipment and component vendors’ community as well as the other OIF working groups. Specifically, the OIF NetOp WG may specify inter-networking requirements and be involved in the OIF interoperability test and demonstration. The outputs of NetOp WG include OIF Implementation Agreements (IAs), OIF Technical White Papers, and OIF Network Operator Working Group Documents, which provide input and guidance to other OIF working groups and other standards bodies as well. The OIF NetOp WG will be open to all OIF members, but only Network Operators will have the right to vote in the working group.

Network Operator Working Group Chair

Chengliang Zhang, China Telecom
Chair Term Ends: November 2025

Interoperability Working Group Charter

The Interoperability Working Group defines testing methodologies for IAs, carries out proofs of concept, evaluates multi-vendor interoperability trials.  Interoperability test criteria are extracted from IAs, and methods are defined with support of the source technical working group.  Where possible the group reuses or leverages the work of standards groups or forums.  This working group is not chartered to certify conformance to IAs.  Results of interoperability testing are communicated to appropriate OIF working groups and standards groups and forums.

PLL Interoperability Working Group Chair

Mike Klempa, Alphawave Semi
Chair Term Ends: November 2024

Networking & Operations Interoperability Working Group Chair

Jonathan Sadler, Infinera
Chair Term Ends:  November 2025

Networking & Operations Working Group Charter

The Networking & Operations Working Group facilitates the development of interoperable networking and operations solutions for dynamic multi-technology transport networks.  These solutions will meet the requirements provided by network operators, be grounded in an extensible architecture, support both multi-vendor and multi-carrier interoperability and reuse the work of other standards development organizations (SDOs) where appropriate.  The solutions will be documented in IAs and other technical documents for publication.

Networking & Operations Working Group Chair

Jia He, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Chair Term Ends: May 2025

Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group Charter

The OIF Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group develops IAs related to physical and data link layer interfaces between Optical Internetworking elements and between their internal components, reusing existing standards when applicable.  The OIF PLL Working Group is guided by requirements developed by the Physical Layer User Working Group.

Physical and Link Layer Working Group Chair

David Stauffer, Kandou Bus, S.A.
Chair Term Ends: January 2026

PLL Working Group –
Energy Efficient Interfaces (EEI) Vice Chair

Jeff Hutchins, Ranovus

PLL Working Group – Optical Vice Chair

Karl Gass, CDL

PLL Working Group – Protocol Vice Chair

Tom Huber, Nokia

PLL Working Group –

Management Co-Vice Chair

Ian Alderdice, Ciena

PLL Working Group –
Management Co-Vice Chair

Gary Nicholl, Cisco

PLL Working Group –
Electrical Vice Chair

Yi Tang, Cisco

Physical Layer User Group Working Group Charter

The OIF Physical Layer User Group Working Group develops requirements and guidelines for components, modules, subsystems and communication links used in networking equipment thus providing common direction to the PLL vendor community as well as the other OIF working groups.

Specifically, the Physical Layer User Group Working Group output will include:
– project proposals
– value propositions for specified work
– internetworking, interoperability and validation requirements
– key performance requirements
– delineation of issues with the installed base or Greenfield applications
– operational and manufacturing implications
– input to other standards bodies and forums as needed

The OIF Physical Layer User Group Working Group is open to all OIF members, but only network equipment/system vendors will have the right to vote within the Working Group.

Physical Layer User Group Working Group Chair

Jeffery Maki, Juniper Networks
Chair term ends: November 2024