Driving Innovation in 5G synchronization – How Net Insight and Tรผrk Telekom revolutionize the 5G Rollout

5G is transforming markets, industries, and ultimately lives - leveling the playing field for more operators to jump on the 5G innovation speed train will open up more opportunities for everyone.

The 5G rollout dominates corporate agendas, with all industries anticipating the innovation, new use cases, and business models that the connectivity revolution will drive. However, telecom operators worldwide feel the pressure to get their infrastructure ready for the new โ€˜5G eraโ€™ as soon as possible.


Time synchronization is a critical requirement for 5G. A lack of accurate time synchronization can be devastating for the operation of 5G leading to interference with other operator services and wider network and security problems.ย In a previous article, we explored the various approaches to 5G synchronization, the challenges and vulnerabilities that come with them, and why the new Precision TimeNet proposition can revolutionize how mobile operators can meet the stringent requirements for 5G synchronization and get ahead of the curve.

In this article, we will take a real-world example of one of Net Insightโ€™s partners, Tรผrk Telekom. We will discuss how weโ€™re working together to develop an innovative solution that overcomes any hurdles associated with 5G synchronization. Our solution, Precision TimeNet, empowers telecom operators to harness the power of 5G without additional CAPEX and OPEX by bringing time synchronization to 5G RANs over existing transport network infrastructure.

The time synchronization challenges faced by a big telecoms operator

Tรผrk Telekom is the first integrated telecommunication operator in Tรผrkiye, with over 180 years of history. The company delivers a wide service network and product range in consumer and corporate services, unifying mobile, internet, landline, and TV products and services under the single โ€˜Tรผrk Telekomโ€™ brand. As of June this year, Tรผrk Telekom operates 17.1 million fixed access lines, 14.6 million broadband, 24.6 million mobile, and 2.9 million TV subscribers across all 81 Turkish cities.

As part of the 5G/DSS rollout process Tรผrk Telekom executed an extensive inspection of the existing network and identified a critical challenge. The recommended PTP synchronization standard for telecom profiles requires hardware and/or software upgrades to meet the high demands for 5G, and vendors solutions might not always be compatible with each other.

Tรผrk Telekom experienced the impact of GPS/GNSS dependence and how it can cause 5G services to be affected. In addition, the cost and complexity of rolling out and operating a large-scale nationwide PTP network are significant.ย As a result, the operator decided that its 5G network must be independent of GPS or other GNSS solutions. Tรผrk Telekom opted for the potential to reduce cost and accelerate national 5G rollouts with the Time Transfer solution.

The operator teamed up with Net Insight to combine expertise in 5G and time synchronization and jointly develop Precision TimeNet, an overlay time synchronization solution. Precision TimeNet enables mobile operators to distribute time over an existing underlying IP network without being forced to do costly forklift upgrades for enabling PTP, while meeting increasing regulatory requirements on GNSS independence.

Partnering to drive innovation

Net Insight has a long history of delivering proven synchronization solutions to the media industry, which has had strict reliability and time synchronization requirements for single-frequency digital TV networks. The further development of Time Transfer resulted in Precision TimeNet (PTN), with built-in mechanisms to distribute time across existing networks.

Precision TimeNet is an overlay synchronization technique combining cutting-edge technology, decades of proven expertise, and robust hardware ready for rapid field deployment within any 4G/4.5G/DSS/5G and emerging 6G networks. Tรผrk Telekom has performed extensive network trials and PTN is now used in live 5G operation in existing IP/MPLS and DWDM networks. The Precision TimeNet solution is set up as an overlay network solution enabling the distribution of time in Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s network architecture.

The sync information is transported within standard VPN connections between Precision Time Nodes and without utilizing any PTP support in intermediary nodes. This results in significant cost savings as intermediary nodes within MPLS and DWDM do not require upgrades.ย The PTN solution is designed to work alongside any routing stack and requires no changes to the existing network design, thus preventing vendor lock-in to ensure flexible and rapid deployment. In addition, the overlay PTN also provides operational advantages. Previous costly and large-scale PTP hardware upgrades are no longer necessary for Tรผrk Telekom.

In Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s case, the overlay solution has not only solved the criticality of functional and reliable synchronization but also secured operational efficiency through extensive synchronization telemetry, visualization, and data-driven troubleshooting and optimization.

Therefore, Tรผrk Telekom can continually improve its networks in a better and more operatively reliable way.ย In addition, Tรผrk Telekom is future-proofed as it is now well prepared to meet existing and future synchronization requirements, imposed, for instance, by new 5G RAN features such as Carrier Aggregation (CA), Fronthaul (FH) and Massive MIMO, while being flexible in choosing technology and vendors in future network extensions. In addition, the PTN solution is fully interoperable with and complements existing GNSS and PTP market alternatives.

Demonstrating success

Tรผrk Telekom is currently in the phase of rolling out the PTN network and is now operational in all Turkish regions. Measurements with live 5G radio have been performed and the results have proven the capabilities of the overlay solution of accurately distributing time across Tรผrk Telekomโ€™s national network.

The cooperation between Tรผrk Telekom and Net Insight creates great possibilities to utilize extensive experiences from the fixed and mobile networks covering all of Tรผrkiye in the development of the synchronization solution. Being the first operator to use this technology, Tรผrk Telekom has the advantage of early evaluation and feedback from an actual large nationwide synchronization network. Both Tรผrk Telekom and Net Insight have the intention to share their experiences in international standardization.

This innovative technology will be able to be leveraged beyond telecom by other sectors such as energy and finance while providing time information with much more precision than the actual current needs of 5G, independent of GPS and cost-effectively.

As weโ€™re entering the 5G era, leveraging innovation to remove critical challenges like time synchronization has both economic and social impact.

5G is transforming markets, industries, and ultimately lives –ย leveling the playing field for more operators to jump on the 5G innovation speed train will open up more opportunities for everyone.

Related Magazine Content

Organizations globally are tapping into the vast potential of the Operational IoT market, from transforming weather monitoring in remote mines to ensuring safe drinking water in African communities. The real game-changer is the integration of reliable, cost-effective satellite connections, predicted to rise to tens of millions by 2030. These connections make it possible to transmit data periodically rather than in real-time, reducing costs and meeting the specific needs of industries like agriculture, shipping, and environmental monitoring. The challenge for Systems Integrators (SIs) is to ensure their Satellite IoT deployments are not only technologically viable but also commercially successful. Ensuring robust satellite coverage, cost-effective deployment, and prolonged battery life are essential to this business case. Forward-thinking SIs have already started their journeys, optimizing Satellite IoT solutions, proving its business worth, and preparing for large-scale deployments.
The emergence of 5G New Radio NTN is set to revolutionize the satellite communication market by bridging the gap between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Offering improved speeds, lower latency, and enhanced reliability, 5G NR unlocks new transformative use cases from smart cities to augmented reality. With 5G NR’s potential to beam signals from space, satellite communication will gain a competitive edge, providing powerful, seamless connectivity globally. Additionally, the unification of 5G standardization for both types of technologies promises heightened interoperability, allowing users to switch between networks effortlessly. This synergy presents a lucrative opportunity for businesses in both sectors, even as technical challenges persist.

Download Magazine

With Subscription
Whitepaper
Explore the collaboration between Purdue Research Foundation, Purdue University, Ericsson, and Saab at the Aviation Innovation Hub. Discover how private 5G networks, real-time analytics, and sustainable innovations are shaping the "Airport of the Future" for a smarter, safer, and greener aviation industry....
Whitepaper
Explore how Generative AI is transforming telecom infrastructure by solving critical industry challenges like massive data management, network optimization, and personalized customer experiences. This whitepaper offers in-depth insights into AI and Gen AI's role in boosting operational efficiency while ensuring security and regulatory compliance. Telecom operators can harness these AI-driven...
Supermicro and Nvidia Logo
Article & Insights
This article explores the deployment of 5G NR Transparent Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), detailing the architecture's advantages and challenges. It highlights how this "bent-pipe" NTN approach integrates ground-based gNodeB components with NGSO satellite constellations to expand global connectivity. Key challenges like moving beam management, interference mitigation, and latency are discussed, underscoring...

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Partner Events

Latest Videos

Partner Courses

The Mpirical Complete 5G Package includes the entire 5G training catalogue that Mpirical currently offers. Throughout the duration of the...
This learning path has been designed for participants with a technical background to gain a detailed understanding of the architecture...
This learning path has been designed for participants with a technical background to develop a complete picture of the 5G...
NetX is an app that sits within the Mpirical LearningZone. It has been developed as a visual aid for telecoms...
This learning path has been designed for participants with a semi technical background to gain a greater appreciation of the...
Scroll to Top

MWC Media Partner

Engage Decision-Makers at MWC 25, Barcelona

With High-Impact Engaging Magazine Article, Blog, Executive Interview, or Whitepaper Content.