17-05-2019 | Microchip Technology | Subs & Systems
Microchip, via its Microsemi subsidiary, has added to its PTP PackeTime portfolio, including the TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0. The additions offer solutions to one of the biggest 5G network deployment challenges of synchronising higher volumes of more densely packed base stations. Another challenge is keeping services running through GNSS lapses due to vulnerabilities such as jamming, spoofing or loss of signal.
The release adds 10 GE support, a Boundary Clock operation mode that decreases operational costs, and other enhancements to advance how timing flows are distributed from various sources to a network’s base stations and other endpoints. TimeProvider, with its 10 GE expansion module, has been chosen by SK Telecom in Korea for its excellent delivery of 5G services in the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong province.
Extending the device's Gateway Clock operation mode with the company's HP-BC operation mode allows it to support the latest high-accuracy ITU-T Class C and D boundary clock standards. These standards dictate extremely accurate time transfer over optical networks so operators can use DWDM technology rather than dedicated fibre. Release 2.0 accommodates escalating bandwidth demands of next-generation network devices through an optional expansion module that offers 10 GE interfaces. Expanded monitoring functions allow service providers to realise how time and phase performance is affected by network elements. PTP client capacity has been extended to 790 to offer the scalability that is critical for deployments in mobile network aggregation layers and new DOCSIS 3.1 Remote-PHY cable architectures.
For service providers that want to deploy more compact PTP 1588 v2 Grandmasters to fewer base stations closer to the network’s edge, the company is also offering Release 3.0 to its Integrated GNSS Master (IGM) family. IGM 3.0 combines an IEEE-1588v2 PTP Grandmaster with a GNSS receiver and antenna to simplify indoor or outdoor installations.
The company also provides a variety of support services spanning hardware and software repair, maintenance, updates and upgrades, as well as options for adding new capabilities through hardware modules and licensed software.
