Not since The Police has Synchronicity been this sexy. The coming together of two seemingly unrelated events such as Ethernet and timing, while not new, is profoundly necessary to make widespread Ethernet mobile backhaul a reality.
There are a number of possible solutions out there. And, like most tech hurdles, there are more than one ways to skin this cat. What generally creates the tipping point is simple: market buy-in. Enough people say, “yes,” and a mass market solution is born.
It is against this backdrop that Symmetricom’s 1588v2 deployment announcement is important. That carriers are deploying 1588v2 is not news. The fact that Symmetricom has deployed the technology in 150 networks worldwide argues that the IEEE’s take on synchronizing Ethernet is gaining the traction needed to put the industry on the same page with respect to Ethernet timing for backhaul.
LTE doesn’t become ubiquitous until it can be efficiently and effectively backhauled. This makes Ethernet backhaul a must-have. It can be done many ways, and, to be fair, a number of solutions will find traction. Nevertheless, today’s news indicates that carriers are beginning to coalesce around 1588v2 is a good sign; if only because it indicates that the industry is making a choice.
What do you think on the SyncE vs 1588v2 debate? Feel free to comment below.