ADVA Optical Networking has added an IEEE 1588v2 mini-Grandmaster (miniGM) clock and Boundary Clock functionality to its FSP 150 family of mobile backhaul products. The new capabilities ensure precise frequency and time synchronization at the network edge and is specifically designed to support the large-scale rollout of small cells for LTE-Advanced and radio access networks operating in unpaired spectrum.
ADVA said the deployment of the miniGM as close as possible to the cell site enables the utilization of existing networks for backhaul services connecting LTE-Advanced radio access networks and supporting unpaired spectrum operation. Since GPS is considered being not reliable enough when used as an exclusive clock source, the PTP fallback capability significantly enhances the stability of the synchronization architecture compared to a traditional GPS-only solution.
“As mobile operators gradually introduce LTE-Advanced, they’re finding network synchronization increasingly complex,” said Christoph Glingener, CTO, ADVA Optical Networking. “This is all due to the necessary rollout of interference coordination and radio spectrum control techniques. Base station clocks now need to operate in phase within tolerances of less than a micro-second. This is a considerable challenge. But by deploying the miniGM functionality at the edge of the backhaul network and introducing our Syncjack™ timing assurance technology, mobile operators and their mobile backhaul service providers can meet these synchronization demands while improving their customer’s quality of experience.”
