Calnex Solutions, demonstrated test features for the IEEE 1588v2 technology at the Workshop on Synchronization in Telecommunication Systems (WSTS) forum in Boulder, Colorado.

IEEE 1588v2 (or the Precision Time Protocol, PTP) is a key enabler for the migration of Mobile Backhaul networks to more economical and efficient Packet technologies. Service providers are forced to migrate to these Packet technologies as the demand for bandwidth from mobile devices soars with the increased popularity of applications such as YouTube and devices such as Apple’s iPhone.

Major equipment vendors, such as Nokia Siemens Networks have recently announced support for this technology in their mobile network equipment. This equipment has to be validated for performance. Pat Diamond, Director of Engineering at Semtech, a leading provider of 1588v2 solutions said “a test solution like the Paragon enables mobile operators to migrate to packet-based backhaul networks with confidence.”

The Calnex Paragon stress-tests network equipment prior to deployment. It is able to capture Packet Delay Variation (PDV) profiles from real networks over long periods and replay these in the lab during testing. A vital element of this is the ability to do this to the accuracy of nanoseconds, which allows the equipment to be validated to the accuracy required by real-world, real-time services.

Tommy Cook, Calnex CEO said “having shipped and tested Circuit Emulation, our customers have also asked for features to validate the 1588v2 technology. Our engineering team has developed these features quickly based on the significant market interest and demand. Equipment manufacturers and Service Providers can now validate their 1588v2 equipment under real-network conditions before they are deployed and carry critical customer traffic”.