Oscilloquartz unveils high-capacity grandmaster clock

Nov. 10, 2014
Oscilloquartz, a subsidiary of ADVA Optical Networking (FSE: ADV), has launched the OSA 5335 modular Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Grandmaster. This is the first product of its kind to feature a modular design and extreme scalability at the same time, the company asserts.
As networks changed from synchronous to asynchronous, operators had to find another way to provide timing information. PTP was designed to maintain accuracy as a timing message traverses routers on its way to its intended destination (see “Timing is everything”).

Oscilloquartz, a subsidiary of ADVA Optical Networking (FSE: ADV), has launched the OSA 5335 modular Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Grandmaster. This is the first product of its kind to feature a modular design and extreme scalability at the same time, the company asserts.
As networks changed from synchronous to asynchronous, operators had to find another way to provide timing information. PTP was designed to maintain accuracy as a timing message traverses routers on its way to its intended destination (see "Timing is everything").

The OSA 5335 can support from 128 to over 3,000 remote PTP clients at 128 packets per second (PPS) – something that has never been achieved before, the company claims. This new class of product will prove critical for mobile network operators (MNOs) that are deploying LTE-FDD networks today and are seeking to migrate to LTE-TDD and LTE-Advanced in the most cost-effective and scalable way possible.

Fully compliant with IEEE 1588v2 standards and the latest versions of ITU-T Precision Time Protocol (PTP) profiles, the OSA 5335 will be launched at the International Telecom Sync Forum (ITSF) 2014 and is commercially available now.

"What we've achieved with the OSA 5335 isn't simply an upgrade or an enhancement… it's an entirely new approach," said Gil Biran, general manager, Oscilloquartz. "By introducing a modular design to grandmaster clocks, we're showing the industry that there's a better way to deliver precise and reliable frequency, phase, and time-of-day information."

The OSA 5335 has been designed for the distribution of frequency, phase, and time synchronization over packet transport networks. It provides software license based high-client capacity and a broad range of redundancy options. Oscilloquartz asserts the OSA 5335's modular design ensures that it can be configured to a MNO's requirements, including the use of two global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), supporting local variations such as GPS and GLONASS. Delivery of such precise synchronization enables MNOs to meet Stratum 1 requirements without the need to install and manage external receivers or Cesium reference clock sources, the company adds. The associated reduction in provisioning, operations, and maintenance needs are significant, both from a cost and labor perspective, the vendor asserts.

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