Expands the IEEE grandmaster catalog®-1588 from Microchip and offers accuracy of less than a nanosecond
Operators of critical infrastructure such as 5G telecommunications, power supply and transportation need to continually update their networks with technology that provides higher processing speeds and highly accurate time sources that do not depend on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellite constellations. such as GPS, GALILEO and QZSS. To provide network operators with a terrestrial alternative for highly accurate time distribution, Microchip Technology today announces the new TimeProvider® 4500 grandmaster, a timing hardware platform that provides high-speed network interfaces up to 25 Gbps and offers timing accuracy with sub-nanosecond accuracy.
The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster supports very high capacity PTP (Precision Time Protocol) transactions. This innovative hardware platform brings the greatest scalability of IEEE-1588 to thousands of customers. At points in the network where range and capacity must be balanced, for example in 5G C-band networks, it is essential to cover thousands of gNodeBs from a single grandmaster. Depending on the location, the grandmaster could cover a few thousand or a large number of gNodeB base stations. As a result, operators can deploy networks of any size economically and flexibly.
The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster offers the flexibility to connect to multiple generations of network elements, helping protect operators' infrastructure investments. The TimeProvider 4500 watch is the first grandmaster 1588 capable of reaching 25 Gbps. A customer can connect the TimeProvider 4500 clock to multiple network devices over 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or 25 Gbps network links. High-speed bandwidth is critical as network elements need to be upgraded to accommodate equipment requiring a minimum of 10 Gbps and in some cases up to 100 Gbps.
The extremely high accuracy of the TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster is even more important as operators seek to deploy alternative solutions to GNSS.
A terrestrial option is often seen as an attractive solution that can take advantage of existing optical networks in order to avoid dependence on GNSS, thus providing a cost-effective way to transfer highly accurate time over long distances. The need for long-distance transfers translates into the demand for increasingly greater accuracy at the source and for regenerating the timing signal.
The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster features new hardware enhancements, including the latest generation of digital synthesizer and PolarFire FPGA SoC.® from Microchip. These improvements to the platform allow the system to have an accuracy of the order of picoseconds.
“Microchip continues to develop new and innovative time and frequency solutions for critical infrastructure. “We designed the TimeProvider 4500 clock to deliver more accurate synchronization in existing optical network environments without the need for expensive upgrades or dark fiber,” said Randy Brudzinski, vice president of Microchip's Time and Frequency Systems business unit. “This solution is also the first grandmaster with high-speed data processing up to 25 Gbps that allows it to be connected to the newest elements of the network.”
The advanced TimeProvider 4500 clock hardware platform supports all the features of the TimeProvider 4100 clock to ensure that operators who install the new product can also benefit from their investments in the TimeProvider 4100 series. The TP4500 adds new functions to those of the TP4100 thanks to its improved hardware platform.
The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster is integrated with the TimePictra synchronization management solution®, which allows operators to monitor and track issues and threats in real time with visibility across their entire network. Other key features of the TimePictra platform are its comprehensive FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security) management functions; geographic topology and domain navigation; personalization of user preferences; and the intuitive web-based graphical user interface to facilitate management, among others.
The TimeProvider 4500 is the latest addition to Microchip's portfolio of PTP (Precision Time Protocol) IEEE-1588 grandmaster clocks, providing the highest levels of performance and value on the market. These field-proven solutions meet the requirements from both low-density indoor applications to high-capacity 5G network synchronization.
