Opnt Holding B.v.

Stichting Vu-vumc

Jeroen Cornelis Jean Koelemeij

James Moscoe Johnson, Jr

Roeland Johannus Marie Wilhelm Nuijts

Disclosed are methods, devices and systems for generating accurate timestamps for wireless communications signals that can be used to correct the clocks of base stations for wireless communications systems. A radio signal timestamping unit (RSTU) receives a wireless signal including timing information broadcast by a base station. The RSTU includes a local clock that is in communication with a high-precision time source and provides high-accuracy timing information to one or more base stations to maintain accurate clock synchronization among the plurality of base stations. The timing synchronization information can be determined at least in part based on the propagation delay of the wireless signals received at the RSTU.

Synchronizing clocks in a wireless system

Distribution of reference frequency and timing information in a network involves determining latency between a first and second node from time delay between transmission of a reference frequency and timing signal and reception of an optical return timing signal in response. In a network with pairs of first and second optical fibers in optical fiber connections between network nodes, for transmission of optical data signals separately in mutually opposite directions between the network nodes respectively, provisions are made to transmit the reference frequency and timing signal and the resulting optical return signal via the same fiber, one in the same direction as the unidirectional data signal over that fiber and the other upstream. Repeaters between the nodes may be modified to pass such signals upstream and downstream. In an embodiment wherein the network provides for an optical supervisory channel, the optical filters for combining the optical supervisory channel signal with the unidirectional data signal and separating the optical supervisory channel signal from the unidirectional data signal are used to combine and separate the reference frequency and timing signal and to pass the optical return timing signal. For this purpose, further optical filters may be added outside the main optical data channel to combine and separate the reference frequency and timing signal and the optical supervisory channel and to pass the optical return signal back to the filter that separates the optical supervisory channel signal from the data signal.

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Amstelveen, Netherlands

Jeroen Cornelis Jean Koelemeij