Symmetricom, Inc., a worldwide leader in precise time and frequency products and services, announced an upgraded TimeProvider edge clock system that increases network performance for services such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) and voice over IP (VoIP). Symmetricom's precise clock and timing distributor now features integrated Global Positioning System (GPS), making it a standalone primary reference source (PRS) and eliminating the need for small and remote central office customers to purchase or use separate PRS equipment. Also added to the TimeProvider is a rubidium option on the input-output-clock (IOC) card providing a quality level exceeding industry holdover requirements.

"The proliferation of high speed data, IPTV, broadband multimedia, 2.5/3G wireless, and circuit-to-packet convergence is rapidly driving the need for high quality sync outside the network core and into metro and access offices," said Gurdip Jande, senior vice president of TSD marketing of Symmetricom. "The TimeProvider, with its small footprint, remote manageability and clock plus timing features make it a great fit for these applications."

TimeProvider is designed specifically for small offices and will pace the flow of information through the network, increasing network performance for services such as IPTV and VoIP and supporting the carriers' DSL broadband expansion. The level of timing precision is determined by the application requirement. Services such as circuit emulation used to transport real-time applications over a next-generation network require precise sync, while other services such as surfing the web require less rigidly controlled sync.

The recently upgraded TimeProvider will act as both the timing signal generator and as a reference signal distributor pacing the flow of these applications. Utilizing the new GPS feature, the TimeProvider can serve as a standalone PRS, generating a stratum-1 quality time and frequency signal to the network and the addition of Rubidium oscillators will extend the holdover signal in the case of a GPS outage. TimeProvider is now available for immediate delivery and is being shipped to customers.