What is the specified standard for Gigabit Ethernet over copper wire?

The specified standard for Gigabit Ethernet over copper wire is 1000BASE-T. This standard supports data rates of up to 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) over twisted-pair cabling, specifically using Category 5e or Category 6 cables. It operates on all four pairs of wires in the cable to achieve the necessary bandwidth, allowing for effective and efficient transmission of data in networking environments.

In contrast, FastEthernet typically refers to standards like 100BASE-TX, which operates at 100 Mbps, making it significantly slower than Gigabit Ethernet. The 10GBASE-T standard, on the other hand, enables 10 Gbps transmission but is not considered Gigabit Ethernet, as it exceeds the 1 Gbps rate. Similarly, 100BASE-TX is designed for 100 Mbps connections and does not meet the specifications needed for Gigabit Ethernet.

Thus, 1000BASE-T is the correct designation for the Gigabit Ethernet standard over copper wiring, aligning perfectly with the requirements for high-speed Ethernet networking.