PNO declares that its SPE connector is ‘a step into the future’
31 January 2025 
PNO – the Profinet User Organisation – has submitted a design for a Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) plug connector for international standardisation. It describes the development as “an important milestone that takes miniaturisation a decisive step forward”. It will bring “clarity, certainty, and unambiguity” to this topic, it adds.
For years, the widespread adoption of SPE has been held up by competing, incompatible designs for connectors from different groups of manufacturers. One group, called the SPE Industrial Partner Network, is supported by Harting, TE Connectivity, Murrelektronik and Softing, among others. The second group, called the SPE System Alliance, includes Phoenix Contact, Weidmüller, Sick and Wieland among its supporters.
PNO – part of the PI (Profibus & Profinet International) umbrella organisation – believes that its new design for a harmonised SPE connector with a uniform pin connector pattern is “a step into the future” that will pave the way for a universal SPE standard. Its design offers a standardised mating face for applications inside control cabinets, in the field, as well as for hybrid installations.
PI says that “many” manufacturers have announced plans to start implementing the new design the near future. It is expected to take around a year before the standardisation is complete and connectors conforming to the new standard start to reach the market.
PI adds that standardisation work on other levels of SPE communication – such as a power concept – is under way, allowing a consistent SPE system to be achieved across all layers. It will be possible to implement these designs for all SPE applications through the use of international standards, even at higher speeds and independently of Profinet over SPE.
