5G moved from FDD to TDD to improve spectrum efficiency. That move resulted in new timing issues to keep networks in sync.
Timing module extends the life of legacy network equipment
Microchip Technology announces the new TimeProvider XT Extension System, a fan-out shelf used with redundant TimeProvider 4100 grandmasters to migrate legacy BITS/SSU equipment to a modular and resilient architecture. The TimeProvider XT provides operators with a clear path to replace existing SONET/SDH frequency synchronization equipment while adding timing and phase, essential for 5G networks. As…
What are 5G’s, the different types, and how are they used?
5G is much more than cell phones. IoT devices, medical devices, and industrial devices can connect to networks using technologies such as TDD, network slicing, and beamforming. 5G New Radio (NR) made its long-awaited commercial debut in late 2018. Offering significantly faster speeds and greater capacity compared to 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G NR…
Our 2024 Communications Handbook is here
EE World announces its 2024 5G, Wireless, & Wireline Communications Handbook in digital form. It’s that time again. EE World’s 2024 5G, Wireless, & Wireline Communications Handbook is here. The 41-page e-book contains ten technical articles plus an editorial. This year, we cover: Network timing, mmWaves (two articles), Power amplifiers (three articles), test & measurement…
Build a 5G Open RAN test lab with open-source software tools
Open-source software provides network components that you can use to simulate 5G network functions from the network core to the radio. Developing and deploying a laboratory infrastructure to support testing 5G and open radio-access network (Open RAN) systems can present a daunting and complex task. Prior to Open RAN, this task was only possible by…
Flexible PTP profiles ease the transition to 5G
5G brought architecture changes that require synchronization. Depending on the location and network site, those timing requirements require different PTP profiles and PTP capacity.
GPS at 50: Now what?
EE World interviewed Microchip’s David Chandler and Duke Buckner on the status and future of GPS, a technology we rely on for location tracking and network timing. Ethernet isn’t the only ubiquitous technology invented in 1973. GPS, the network of satellites that provide location and timing information, was also born that year. GPS has come…
Why O-RAN sync monitoring needs AI/ML
As Open RAN deployments gather pace and accurate timing, synchronization has emerged as a critical step toward consistent performance. It is a complex task, with devices requiring time synchronization to UTC reference via IEEE PTP/SyncE-based boundary clocks, slave clocks, PRTC clocks with GNSS receivers, as well as accurate, real-time monitoring in support of customer SLAs.…
EE World’s 2023 communications handbook is here
Our 2023 5G, Wired, & Wireless Handbook is now available in ebook form. Download your copy today. It started on a cold January day with an editorial call. A month later, the abstracts came in. After another month, the manuscripts came in. Then came the editing and some back-and-forth with the authors. Next, it was…
How IEEE 1588 synchronizes 5G Open RAN
The three units that comprise Open RAN 5G networks need precise timing to properly interoperate. Standards dictate what is needed, but it’s up to design engineers to properly implement timing circuits. 5G networks, with their promise of increased bandwidth and improved responsiveness, impose new challenges on equipment designers and network architects. One such challenge comes…