Preliminary experimental results for the development of the new Italian synchronization network

In the development of SDH transport network, the availability, within each network node, of synchronization reference signals satisfying stringent stability requirements is fundamental for the operation of synchronous equipment at the desired quality level. Hence, it becomes necessary to implement a new advanced synchronization network able to filter and distribute high quality timing reference. In order to correctly design such a synchronization network it is useful, preliminarily, to characterize the timing performance of both presently used synchronization networks and timing units of existing digital equipment. In this paper, results of measurements carried out on digital exchanges of the Italian network, SDH equipment clocks and stand-alone synchronization units are reported and discussed. Moreover, PDH link ability to transport timing reference has been investigated in order to verify the possibility of utilizing such links for the transport of timing signals of the new synchronization network