Industry’s First Grandmaster to Provide High-Speed Network Interfaces up to 25 Gbps
In critical infrastructure sectors like 5G telecommunications, power utilities, and transportation, continuous network upgrades demand technologies capable of handling higher processing speeds and providing incredibly precise time references independent of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations such as GPS, Galileo, and QZSS. Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) meets this demand with the launch of the TimeProvider® 4500 grandmaster, a hardware-based timekeeping platform offering high-speed network interfaces up to 25 Gbps and delivering time accuracy to less than one nanosecond.
The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster boasts support for very-high-capacity Precision Time Protocol (PTP) transactions, enabling unprecedented scalability for thousands of clients under the IEEE-1588 standard. In network environments, especially in C-band 5G deployments where range and capacity are crucial, the ability to serve numerous gNodeB base stations from a single grandmaster is paramount. This ensures cost-effective and flexible deployments for operators, regardless of scale.
First to Support 25 Gbps Connectivity
Flexibility is key with the TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster, offering compatibility with various generations of network elements, thereby preserving operators’ infrastructure investments. It is the first 1588 grandmaster to support 25 Gbps connectivity, allowing customers to link it with network devices utilising 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or 25 Gbps network links. With network element upgrades increasingly requiring bandwidths of at least 10 Gbps, and in some instances up to 100 Gbps, high-speed connectivity is essential.
The unparalleled time accuracy of the TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster is crucial as operators seek alternatives to GNSS. Terrestrial options, leveraging existing optical network deployments, offer a cost-effective means of transferring highly accurate time over long distances, reducing reliance on GNSS. This necessity for long-distance transfers underscores the demand for ever-increasing accuracy at the source and regeneration of the time signal.
Achieving Picosecond Level Time Accuracy
Featuring new hardware assist enhancements such as the latest digital synthesiser and Microchip’s PolarFire® SoC FPGA, the TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster achieves picosecond-level time accuracy.
Randy Brudzinski, Vice President of Microchip’s Frequency and Time Systems Business Unit, stated, “Microchip remains committed to developing innovative time and frequency solutions for critical infrastructure. The TimeProvider 4500 clock is designed to deliver tighter timing accuracy in existing optical network environments without the need for costly upgrades or dedicated dark fibre. It represents the first grandmaster with high-speed data processing up to 25 Gbps, facilitating connectivity with the latest network elements in deployments.”
Seamless Integration with TimeProvider 4100
The advanced hardware platform of the TimeProvider 4500 clock ensures seamless integration with the TimeProvider 4100 clock, allowing operators to leverage their investments in the TimeProvider 4100 series while gaining additional capabilities offered by the TP4500.
Integrated with the TimePictra® synchronisation management solution, the TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster enables operators to monitor real-time troubles and threats across their entire network. Key features of the TimePictra platform include Fault, Configuration, Accounting (Inventory), Performance, and Security (FCAPS) management functions, geographical topology and domain navigation, user preference dashboard customisation, intuitive web GUI for easy management, and more.
Industry Leading Performance
The TimeProvider 4500 series joins Microchip’s portfolio of IEEE-1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clocks, offering industry-leading performance and value, scaling from low-density indoor applications to high-capacity 5G network timing requirements.
Pricing and Availability: The TimeProvider 4500 grandmaster is now available for purchase. Contact our team for more information and pricing.
