GPS World

Tag: network timing

  • Türk Telekom claims first 5G network without GNSS timing

    Türk Telekom claims first 5G network without GNSS timing

    From left: Yusuf Kıraç, Türk Telekom chief technology officer, and Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson. (Photo: Türk Telekom)
    From left: Yusuf Kıraç, Türk Telekom chief technology officer, and Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson. (Photo: Türk Telekom)

    Türk Telekom is using specialized GPS/GNSS-independent technology to provide critical time and frequency synchronization in its 5G network.

    The technology  — developed by Türk Telekom engineers with Net Insight — is expected to significantly reduce synchronization investment costs and increase service continuity in 5G. The companies did not reveal the details of their technology.

    Türk Telekom, the pioneer of digital transformation in Türkiye, continues its efforts to shape the future with 5G and new generation technologies. Türk Telekom became the first operator in the world to implement the “Time Synchronization Transmission Solution,” implemented in cooperation with Net Insight, one of the world’s leading technology companies, on its network. This solution, which is the patented technology developed by Türk Telekom and Net Insight, will provide strategic superiority in network technologies.

    Minimum end-to-end deviation throughout Turkey

    The testing process of the GPS/GNSS-independent stable synchronization service for 5G has been successfully completed. Türk Telekom, which has installed the system at 20 locations in Turkey, will have a central synchronization network with high time accuracy, and will be able to offer synchronization service to 5G base stations.

    While the highest time deviation value for 5G is 1,500 nanoseconds, the deviation value was measured at 5–45 nanoseconds in two different regions of Türkiye, according to the first data obtained from the Türk Telekom live network. The values revealed that sensitive time and synchronization information can be carried from Edirne to Hakkari, the entire length of Türkiye, with minimum deviation regardless of network equipment.

    Solution to increase efficiency and save resources

    “We became the first operator to implement the next-generation synchronization solution, developed together with Net Insight and leveraging patents of Turkish engineers, which is critical for 5G and beyond technologies on the live network,” said Yusuf Kıraç, Türk Telekom chief technology officer. “We see a significant potential in the global market for this innovative solution that will reduce costs and increase service continuity for mobile operators and all industries with critical time synchronization requirements.

    “We can meet all these needs with this solution, which has a time deviation far below 1,500 nanosecond required for the synchronization need of 5G,” Kıraç continued. “We are proud to develop new satellite-independent solutions for operators and standardization organizations in the world.”

    “We believe that this solution, which is operated on the Türk Telekom network for the first time in the world, will break new ground in 5G and have a high and significant market potential on a global scale,” said Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson.

    Important step for 5G and beyond

    The new-generation time synchronization solution, which is not depending on GPS/GNSS satellites, offers unique advantages for transmitting phase and time synchronization over the network without the need to replace or update existing network equipment. With this technology, a fundamental solution to GPS/GNSS satellites’ signal interruptions and service losses — one of the biggest needs of operators who have switched to 5G — will be met, the companies said.

    At the same time, the synchronization needs of 6G technologies — planned to begin global standardization studies in 2025 — will be met with the same solution.

    The patented technology will be produced and marketed all over the world and will provide solutions for sectors such as telecommunications, energy and finance.

  • GatesAir introduces GNSS timing and signal reference generator

    GatesAir introduces GNSS timing and signal reference generator

    New Maxiva GNSS-PTP solution for broadcast and telecom facilities seamlessly connects to second-generation GNSS and other timing sources

    GatesAir-LogoGatesAir, specialist in television and radio technology, will soon ship a new timing and signal reference solution for broadcast and telecom facilities, the Maxiva GNSS-PTP.

    GatesAir is demonstrating the Maxiva GNSS-PTP at the National Association of Broadcasters 2022 NAB Show, taking place April 23-26 in Las Vegas.

    The new Maxiva GNSS-PTP is a standalone one-rack-unit solution with a sophisticated switching algorithm that assures high-precision 10 MHz and 1 PPS reference signals to mission-critical components in the signal chain, including transmitters, networking and studio equipment.

    Each GNSS-PTP device feeds up to twelve 10 MHz and 1 PPS references in the technology infrastructure, removing the need to integrate a standalone timing source in each component. This substantially reduces equipment costs and installation timelines while providing a single, yet highly redundant, point of failure for engineers.

    Precise timing and frequency generation is assured because of the product’s high level of redundancy, according to GatesAir. The product design includes redundant AC power supplies with built-in battery backup for always-on protection, and diverse timing sources including redundant GNSS receivers.

    The GNSS receivers include OCXO temperature control to prevent frequency changes, and support GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS.

    Timing sources also include a hardware-based precision time protocol (PTP) module and an external 10 MHz and 1 PPS reference. Built-in switching control logic ensures reliability and flexibility for selecting the highest priority source as a reference at all times.

    Support for PTP v2  adds further reliability and flexibility for customers. Available as a modular option, users can prioritize PTP as a facility’s primary source, or configure PTP as a backup to one of the GNSS receivers. The PTP module can function as a master or slave and, as with the unit’s GNSS receivers, provide reliable timing and frequency reference to 12 external devices.

    “GatesAir has strong experience in the area of timing and synchronization for video, audio and telecom networks, and the Maxiva GNSS-PTP represents a major step forward in timing reliability, network redundancy and cost reduction,” said Keyur Parikh, Vice President of Engineering, GatesAir. “Our Intraplex SynchroCast solutions have long provided timing and frequency reference generation to synchronize SFN networks, and the GNSS-PTP product builds upon that capability to provide precision timing to broadcast and telecom networks. Our customers can rest assured that they have a proven solution that will work in any broadcast studio, RF plant and telco facility worldwide with the rock-solid reliability they expect from GatesAir.”

    GatesAir has further simplified the user experience with an integrated web interface that allows users to easily and flexibly select frequency bands for each GNSS constellation and configure timing source selection in automatic and manual modes. The user interface also offers useful visual aids, including detailed tracking maps and tables, satellite status and signal quality.