TimeProvider supports 10GbE network transfers
Microchip expands its carrier-grade time and synchronisation portfolio with the TimeProvider 4100 family. It adds 10GbE support to solve network deployment, reliability and scalability challenges, says Microchip.
Additions to the portfolio include the TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0 and are designed to address one of the biggest 5G network deployment challenges of synchronising higher volumes of more densely packed basestations. Another challenge is keeping services operating through global navigation satellite system (GNSS) lapses due to vulnerabilities such as jamming, spoofing or loss of signal, explains the company.
The TimeProvider release adds 10Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) support, a boundary clock operation mode that lowers operational costs, and other enhancements to improve how timing flows are distributed from multiple sources to a network’s basestations and other endpoints.
The TimeProvider 4100’s gateway clock operation mode is extended with Microchip’s High-Performance Boundary Clock (HP-BC) operation mode. This enables it to support the latest high-accuracy ITU-T Class C & D boundary clock standards which dictate extremely accurate time transfer over optical networks so operators can use dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology rather than dedicated fibre. An optional expansion module for the TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0 accommodates escalating bandwidth requirements of next-generation network devices by providing 10GbE interfaces. Expanded monitoring functions enable service providers to understand how time and phase performance is affected by network elements.
Another enhancement is increased capacity of the PTP client to 790 to provide the scalability critical for deployments in mobile network aggregation layers and new DOCSIS 3.1 Remote-PHY cable architectures, adds Microchip.
For service providers that need to deploy more compact PTP 1588 v2 Grandmasters to fewer basestations closer to the network’s edge, Microchip is also introducing 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.
There are three IGM 3.0 additions, each delivering precise time and phase as well as new capabilities enabled by IGM Plus hardware models with enhanced oscillators and GNSS receivers. The new oscillator options extend time-keeping holdover performance while the enhanced receiver speeds satellite signal acquisition and improves security by accessing more GNSS constellations simultaneously. The receiver upgrade option supports GPS, Galileo (Europe), QZSS (Japan) and GLONASS, and is Beidou-ready. The IGM 3.0 software includes higher PTP capacity to 60 clients in addition to IPv6 support for traffic and management flows.
Both TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.0 and IGM Release 3.0 are managed with TimePictra, the centralised and unified management platform for the company’s broad family of precise timing systems.
Microchip’s TimeProvider 4100 2.0 and IGM 3.0 1588v2 PTP Grandmasters are available now. The TimeProvider 4100 2.0 expansion module and three IGM Plus models with enhanced features can be ordered separately. Customers with a valid annual maintenance and support agreement can load software options and upgrades for TimeProvider 4100 2.0 onto existing hardware models.
Microchip also offers 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.
TimeProvider 4100 2.0 with 10GbE expansion module has been selected by SK Telecom in Korea to deliver 5G services in the Seoul metropolitan area and Chungcheong province.
