According to Xilinx, by integrating timing functions into its field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the solution offers cost savings. The solution is implemented using a Xilinx Virtex or Spartan FPGA and is delivered in the form of two Intellectual Property (IP) cores, NGNTime and FemtoTime. The cores are interoperable with the industry’s standard Network Timing Protocol (NTP) and provide a migration path for Version 2 of IEEE 1588 or Precision Time Protocol (PTP), which reduces the technology risk.
The company claims that the solution provides accurate timing from ingress to egress points across an entire network to support applications such as wireless base stations, femtocell access points, IPTV routers/switches and mobile backhaul.
The build-out of IP-based telecom and wireless networks is creating tremendous demand for accurate and programmable timing solutions, said Amit Dhir, director of infrastructure vertical markets at Xilinx. Through our collaboration with Brilliant Telecommunications, we have developed a versatile and customizable platform for network timing solutions to meet this market demand.
Accurate timing is a fundamental requirement in today’s next-generation network environment to maximize bandwidth utilization and maintain subscribers QoS, said Dr. Charles Barry, president and chief executive at Brilliant Telecommunications. Through our collaboration with Xilinx, a fully customizable timing solution is available to equipment vendors.
In October 2007, Xilinx and Brilliant participated at the IEEE 1588 PTP plug-fest on precision clock synchronization for measurement, control and communication (ISPCS) in Vienna, Austria. The plug-fest provided an opportunity to test and demonstrate device and system interoperability of this solution and resolve the compatibility issues.
In September 2007, Brilliant Telecommunications joined Xilinx Alliance Program to enable marketing of its products and technology that are based on Xilinx FPGAs.
Source: ComputerWire daily updates
