The member companies of the OPEN Alliance take advantage of the scalability and flexibility of Ethernet to allow for cost-effective communication networks in vehicles with reduced complexity.

An Ethernet-based communication network is also a key infrastructure element for future customer functions like autonomous driving and the connected car.

In collaboration with Broadcom, BMW customized the BroadR-Reach Ethernet technology to meet automotive EMC requirements over a single unshielded twisted pair cable.

However, today, the OPEN Alliance supports and enables the deployment of automotive Ethernet-based communication independent of the cabling used.

In November 2011 the companies C&S, UNH-IOL, Harman, Hyundai, Freescale and Jaguar Land Rover joined the OPEN Alliance SIG.

It includes BMW, Broadcom Limited, Continental, Daimler AG, General Motors Co, HARMAN, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), NXP, Realtek Semiconductor Corp, Renault SA, Renesas, Robert Bosch GmbH, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars.

To facilitate the development of compatible 100BASE-T1 products by semiconductor manufacturers, TC1 is responsible for creating, reviewing and clarifying the specification for all members.

TC3 collected requirements and validated the technical proposals made available from the IEEE 802.3bp task force, leading to the release of the 1000BASE-T1 standard.

The focus of TC4 was: Gap Identification To make Ethernet-based communication in automotive attractive, an overview on how to manage the entire protocol implementation is needed.

Within the work packages the group analyzes existing xMII standards to identify gaps and incompatibilities in regards to automotive networks.

1000BASE-T1 Ethernet Channel & Components The physical layer for 1000BASE-T1 is a complementary technology to 100BASE-T1, enabling flexible and scalable automotive data networks.

As of 2023 it is co-chaired by BMW - Oliver Creighton and Ford - John Moore Companies/Members wanting to implement the non-OPEN Alliance specifications 100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-RH, have to obtain the respective licenses based on the IEEE IPR Policy.