PTP Portfolios Enable Fast Conversion To Ethernet Backhaul

Nov 20, 2008 1:17 PM, MD&D News Staff

Symmetricom Inc. now offers IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) client portfolios with three PTP client options, allowing network equipment manufacturers and service providers to seamlessly migrate TDM-based (time-division multiplexed) backhaul networks to more cost-effective Ethernet backhaul. The TimeProvider 500 PTP Translator was announced in June, and the PTP Client Module and PTP Soft Client round out what the company says is among the most comprehensive PTP client portfolios available.

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Aimed at carriers, the TimeProvider 500 Translator is an external “client-in-a-box” solution that offers a cost-effective, immediate migration path to Ehernet backhaul with IEEE 1588 PTP. For network equipment manufacturers, the Client Module is a board implementation that allows rapid integration into base transceiver stations. This allows vendors to plug-and-play the IEEE 1588 PTP technology into existing equipment, eliminating the need to upgrade entire systems and reducing risks. Also for manufacturers, the embedded Soft Client provides a very low-cost and flexible option, since network designers can integrate the software-based client into their own designs.

The TimeProvider 500 Translator is actively engaged in lab trials with numerous network service providers and is shipping in limited quantities. The PTP Client Module and PTP Soft Client are scheduled to ship in early 2009. On the server side, the TimeProvider 5000 IEEE 1588v2 carrier-class grandmaster clock, which was announced earlier this year, is expected to ship by the end of 2008.