Net. Time Ω

Net.Time Ω (Omega) is a PTP/NTP over PRP clock allows for multiple configurations to meet the timing demands of any industry, including data centres, stock exchange, broadcast, IoT, power utilities, or air traffic control. The result is always a reliable and fault-tolerant solution to loss of reference, network outages and power failures. Simultaneously Net.Time ω simplifies the migration to PTP without abandoning investments in NTP, IRIG-B or BITS, facilitating on this way the integration, interaction/translation of all types of signals, profiles or protocols.

Net.Time is a PTP / NTP appliance that can be configured as Master, Boundary and Slave clock to distribute a large variety of timing signals including PTP, NTP, SyncE, ToD, IRIG-B, PPS, T1, E1 and MHz. Net.Time is equipped with an atomic Rubidium oscillator to satisfy the highest time accuracy in the event of hold-over, OCXO is also a valuable option to maintain an excellent time stability in locked mode. Net.Time is very flexible indeed, as it accepts multiple clock references to discipline the internal circuits. GNSS is the default and the most obvious reference but signals such as PTP, NTP, SyncE, ToD and IRIG-B can also be used as main reference inputs and can be activated in a hierarchical way.

Net.Time is conceived as a new-generation clock intended to facilitate the transition from to the new PTP networks. With this purpose in mind Net.Time offers seamless translation between SNTP and PTP presenting a wide variety of inputs / outputs for primary or backup time references.

• PTP /NTP over PRP clock for mission critical applications
• PRP native (DAN-P clock) no Red box required
• Supports and translates PTP Telecom and Power profiles
• Designed to integrate heterogenius networks
• OCXO / Rubidium are available for internal oscillator
• Multiple in/out signals PTP, NTP, SyncE, 1PPS, E1, T1, MHz, Mb/s
• PTP-to-all, NTP-to-PTP, IRIG-B-to-PTP protocol translation
• Facilitates the coexistence of legacy and new protocols

Applications

Power Substations

Smart grid automation requires extremely precise time accuracy --and stability as well-- for tasks such as peak-hour billing, virtual power generators, or outage management. It is also necessary for the automatic protection of high voltage lines that are permanently supervised, when a substations detects an event, it is timestamped and transmitted to ensure correct operation.

Fig 2. Time flexibility means that any in/out combination is possible.

Wireless WAN

Wireless operators require accurate phase and time alignment at the backhaul of the wireless in order to increase the density of terminals reducing cells size. Timing is also necessary for reusing the frequencies, to control the hand-over, logging the events and many more new services that are boosting the mobile business. Net.Time in telecom networks is deployed at the edges and generally configured as a boundary clock to provide a high level of accuracy and protection with signals such as PTP, SyncE, PPS, T1/E1 and MHz.

Fig 4. New 5G networks are very demanding on frequency and phase requirement.

New wireless deployments have stronger requirements at synchronization plane in order to reduce the size of the cells reusing more often available frequencies and, very important, wireless terminals have to share up/downstream channels to improve the efficiency by using phase information.

Air Traffic Control

Time is a key resource in Navigation Systems to ensure the proper functioning. Inherited signals such as IRIG-B, NTP and TDM are still in use but progressively are being replaced by PTP time-stamping systems to provide a unique, accurate and consistent synchronization based on Net.Time equipped with atomic oscillators disciplined by GNSS and distributed throughout the territory, air traffic control centres and airports.

Fig 5. Air traffic control includes a combination of new and legacy timing signals.

Timing is a key resource to ensure the correct operation of the Air Navigation Systems. Legacy signal --such as IRIG B, NTP and TDM-- are still on use but are being progressively substituted by PTP time stamping to provide a unique, accurate and coherent synchronization signals based on atomic clocks disciplined by GNSS and distributed across the IP network to the whole territory.

Finance Institutions

Fig 6. Financial institutions are committed to register operations with time-stamps.

Financial services rely on powerful transport layer capable to provide high speed, availability, security and reliability. At the timing side, NTP and GNSS has been la widely used to synchronize nodes, transactions, and to log time-stamped events in a chronological sequence. Nevertheless today are in the migration pace to PTP that will improve the quality and functionalities of this service.

Fig 7. Timing is also a key requirement in any industry.