Previously it had been acceptable that networking devices,
acceptable that networking devices
like the communications on the links themselves,
continue to use energy at the same rate,
regardless of the level of usage.
The standard for EEE defines the signaling necessary for energy savings during periods where no data is sent on the interface, but does not define how the energy is saved, nor mandate a level of savings. This approach allows for a staged rollout of systems with minimal changes that are compatible with future developments that extend the energy savings.