• Ullas Kumar - Telecom Systems Engineer, Rakon

The advanced requirements of 5G cellular communication is demanding tight phase synchronization requirements from the base station processing element to the radio element. The virtual radio access network concept of 5G is revolutionizing the way mobile networks are architected. The network connecting these elements is time sensitive and special network elements are to be deployed to meet the stringent synchronization and delay time requirements.

This paper looks at the synchronization aspects of individual elements and specifically considers the reference clocks that may be used in the elements. Even with the multiple synchronization sources available at the nodes, the reference clocks are to be carefully chosen to support the type of sources and any specific performance requirements. The paper also discusses the impact of the performance of specific sources on clock output requirements.