Vitesse Semiconductor: Precise Timing for Base Stations in the Evolution of LTE

As mobile networks are evolving to support new wireless technologies such as LTE and LTE-Advanced, as well as the associated higher data consumption bandwidth requirements of mobile devices and users, the existing mobile access network is struggling to keep up. As a consequence, there are three primary technologies that need to evolve. First, are the base stations and their radio technology. Second, is the ability to deliver dramatically more bandwidth at lower cost per bit to these new base stations. Finally, is distribution of the timing to the base stations that is so fundamental to the operation of the radios. This paper will discuss the former two at a high level in the next few paragraphs before focusing on network timing in more detail.