STAYING IN SYNC: PACKET-BASED SYNCHRONISATION FOR EMERGING NETWORKS AND SERVICES

Modem telecommunications networks and many applications in industrial automation and manufacturing, power systems and smart grids, instrumentation and measurement, and high-speed financial trading systems require high-accuracy timing and synchronisation references. The quality of services delivered, equipment functionality and reliability all depend on the availability of precise timing and synchronisation sources. Many of these applications have stringent requirements about clock synchronisation accuracy (sub-microsecond level) and availability. The delivery of accurate synchronisation over packet networks, for example, to mobile base stations, is one of the major challenges facing mobile network operators.