APX-SYNC100 5G Network Synchronization System

APX-SYNC100 5G Network Synchronization System

Product Overview

The APEX APX-SYNC100 is a 5G network synchronization system. It combines a GNSS reference, PTP over Ethernet and NTP into one platform, then adds the physical timing and frequency outputs that radio, transport and transmission equipment still need at the site.

5G puts a harder requirement on the network than the generations before it. Time division duplex radio needs phase alignment between neighbouring cells, not just frequency, and that phase has to survive several hops of packet transport. One site therefore has to be able to distribute packet based time to the transport nodes and a physical reference to the equipment that sits beside them, from a single traceable source. The APX-SYNC100 is built as that source.

The platform takes its reference from GPS and BeiDou and serves the network through PTP and NTP, while 1PPS, 10MHz and time code outputs cover legacy and non-packet equipment in the same cabinet. Interface and profile settings are configured for the project before shipment and recorded, so the site can be reproduced, and the unit reports reference and synchronisation status to the management system.

It is used at radio access and transport sites, in mobile core and edge locations, in data centres that distribute time for transaction or log alignment, and in power and industrial networks where the same platform approach applies.

Key Features

• One platform combining GNSS reference, PTP and NTP synchronisation
  
• GNSS reference from GPS and BeiDou
  
• PTP over Ethernet for transport nodes that need packet based time and phase
  
• NTP and SNTP service for servers, controllers and management systems
  
• 1PPS, 10MHz and time code outputs for equipment that expects a physical reference
  
• Interface and profile configuration set for the project before shipment
  
• Reference priority and automatic switching between available sources
  
• Status and alarm reporting to the element management system
  
• Suitable for radio access, transport, core, edge and data centre sites
  
• Optional redundant power supply and a second reference input
  
• Antenna, cable and surge protection supplied as one matched set
  
• RoHS compliant, supplied with a test report and a 3 year warranty
  

Technical Specifications

Applications

Radio Access and Transport Sites

Provides one traceable reference for base station and transport equipment that would otherwise each hold their own, keeping phase behaviour predictable across the access network.

Data Centres and Edge Locations

Aligns servers, storage and network equipment used for transaction records, log correlation and measured service intervals from a single source.

Power and Industrial Networks

Applies the same platform approach where protection, control and supervisory systems need a common time base across a wide area.

Deployment and Selection Notes

Start from the network, not from the box. Draw the site: which equipment needs packet time, which needs a physical reference, and which needs only frequency. The APX-SYNC100 is configured to that list, and the same drawing is used again at every similar site, which is how synchronisation is kept consistent across a rollout.

Plan the reference chain before the install. The GNSS antenna should have the clearest view available, a short low loss cable and surge protection at the entry, and where a second source exists (a PTP master from the core network, for example) use the reference priority settings so the site falls back in the order you intend rather than in the order the equipment happens to pick.

For mixed projects, the rest of the range covers the individual pieces: GNSS / NTP network time servers where only NTP is needed, PTP grandmaster clocks and PTP boundary and slave clocks where phase must be distributed further into the transport path, timing modules for equipment that has to embed synchronisation rather than feed it, and synchronisation systems for multi site deployments.

Compatibility

The APX-SYNC100 is configured against the site's equipment list, and it serves packet time to transport and management networks while feeding physical references to equipment that does not use packet time. Tell us the equipment, the signals each device needs and whether a second reference source exists, and we confirm the interfaces, the profiles and the antenna set in one document.

Related Products

• GNSS / NTP Network Time Servers
  
• PTP Grandmaster Clocks
  
• PTP Boundary & Slave Clocks
  
• Synchronization Systems
  

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 5G need more than a frequency reference?

Time division duplex radio works only if neighbouring cells share a phase reference, and that phase has to be carried across packet transport. Frequency synchronisation alone is not enough for that.

Does the system serve NTP as well as PTP?

Yes. PTP covers transport nodes that need packet based time and phase, and NTP and SNTP serve servers, controllers and management systems.

What if the satellite reference is lost?

The system switches to the next reference in the priority list, whether that is a second input source or the local holdover. Reference status and alarms are reported to the management system.

Can configuration be reproduced across many sites?

Yes. Interfaces and profiles are set for the project before shipment and recorded, so every similar site is configured the same way and later replacements match.

Why Choose Apex

• One reference platform for a site instead of separate sources for packet time and physical signals.
  
• Interfaces, profiles and antenna set confirmed with you before the order is released.
  
• Configuration recorded per project so rollout sites stay identical.
  
• Reference priority and alarm reporting so fallback behaviour is visible, not guessed.
  
• Backed by a 3 year warranty and technical support on sync planning and topology.