Commercially introduced in 1980, Ethernet is a network technology of computers for Local Area Networks and Metropolitan Area Networks. The first ethernet standard introduced in 1983 was IEEE 802.3. In order to meet higher bit rate transmission requirements, Ethernet standards have also been updated. Competing wired transmission technologies such as FDDI, Token Ring and ARCNET etc have given their way to the progress of Ethernet.

Ethernet has diversified to keep pace with the mobile transmission technologies and introduced the popular Wi-Fi technology standardized in IEEE 802.11. Wi-Fi, which is a wireless technoloogy is the primary alternative for Local Area Networks, which is a wired technology. Ethernet standards have many wiring and signalling variants of the OSI physical layer in use with Ethernet. Earlier Ethernet standards specified Coaxial cables as shared medium that were replaced with twisted copper pair cables and later fiber optic cables. Data transmission rates have also been updated from 3 Mbps to the current 100 Gpbs. Standardization work for 400 Gbps for commercial introduction on 2017 is underway.

The below table summarizes the Ethernet standards;