NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 12 -- The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) P802.3ae (10 Gigabit Ethernet) Task Force has approved the current draft of the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard to go to sponsor ballot, which it called a milestone in the long-term ratification effort. Brad Booth, editor-in-chief of the P802.3ae task force and strategic marketing manager for Intel's LAN access division, said the task force remains on schedule to complete the standard in the first half of next year. "Customers are very excited about 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology and products," added Bruce Tolley, vice president for the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance and Manager of Emerging Technologies for Cisco Systems. "Many Ethernet companies have shipped or are about to ship 10 Gigabit Ethernet modules for switches, routers and other devices for enterprise and service provider customers. These customers are deploying 10 Gigabit solutions in local and metro networks."