POST Luxembourg picks ADVA to protect against GNSS attacks

POST Luxembourg is using ADVA's optical cesium atomic clock to protect its GNSS-based synchronization network from jamming and spoofing attacks.

The nation's leading provider of ICT and telecommunications services uses Oscilloquartz aPNT technology to meet synchronization requirements of 5G and time-sensitive cloud applications for business customers. With its high availability and unsurpassed holdover properties, the optical cesium atomic clock meets even the most stringent accuracy and stability requirements of the most demanding telecommunications applications.

The solution was easily integrated into POST Luxembourg's existing network management system and is configured and monitored by the ADVA Ensemble Controller with Sync Director.

“With this solution, we are achieving a new level of precision, stability, reliability and holdover in our synchronization network. This is an important step to meet the tighter timing requirements of innovative applications. ADVA's optical cesium atomic clock enables us to support our business customers in efficiently implementing their digital transformation. With the new solution, we are well prepared for the next phase of expanding our 5G mobile network,” said Pierre Scholtes, Head Telecom Network at POST Luxembourg. “Over the last few years we have developed a very close relationship with the ADVA team. When it came to preparing our timing infrastructure for future requirements,

With ADVA's coreSync OSA 3350 ePRC+ ™ solution , POST Luxembourg can meet and even exceed the most stringent requirements for frequency, phase and time precision and stability. The solution is used centrally in the synchronization network and offers an optimal backup for the satellite-based timing and thus perfect protection against jamming and spoofing attacks on the GNSS network.

The coreSync OSA 3350 ePRC+ ™is the first commercial optical cesium atomic clock specifically designed for ePRC applications, exceeding the very high stability and availability requirements. It offers improved holdover properties compared to the magnetic cesium atomic clocks previously used. In an ePRTC (Enhanced Primary Reference Clock) configuration together with an Oscilloquartz grandmaster that can use multiple synchronization sources, a holdover stability of better than 35ns is achieved during a period of more than 14 days. This is significantly more stable than the requirement of the ITU ePRTC specification, which allows a time offset of 70ns from UTC over a 14-day period.

“With our optical cesium atomic clock, POST Luxembourg can, for the first time, achieve an even longer holdover and protect its synchronization network even better. For customers in the Benelux region, this opens the door to many new applications that require very high reliability as well as very low latency,” commented Hartmut Mueller-Leitloff, SVP Sales, EMEA at ADVA. “The combination of satellite-supported synchronization with ultra-stable atomic clocks offers optimal protection against GNSS weaknesses and offers the precision and availability required for the most demanding requirements. POST Luxembourg is once again at the forefront of innovation in Europe and can thus significantly exceed customer expectations.”