Silicon Labs Acquires Qulsar IEEE 1588 Software and Module Assets

Silicon Labs has acquired all of its IEEE 1588 precision time synchronization protocol (PTP) software and module assets from Qulsar, a leading provider of PTP grandmasters, gateways, and other system-based time synchronization solutions. The acquired assets include all Qulsar modules (PTP grandmasters, gateways, boundary clocks, and slave clocks) as well as IEEE 1588 servo and protocol stack software, development tools, and board support packages (BSPs) for a wide range of applications including small cell communications, optical transport, smart grid, automotive, and 5G wireless infrastructure.

"Silicon Labs and Qulsar share a common vision of developing simplified solutions that make it easier to adopt IEEE 1588 for a wide variety of infrastructure applications," said James Wilson, general manager of timing products at Silicon Labs. "Adding Qulsar's software and module products to our 1588 network synchronizer portfolio enables us to address this fast-growing market opportunity by delivering a complete, carrier-grade, turnkey timing solution that simplifies 1588 integration and accelerates time to market."

IEEE 1588 provides precise network time synchronization for 5G infrastructure by distributing time across packet networks. Adopting 1588 solutions helps eliminate the cost, reliability and obstruction issues associated with GPS time synchronization and enables new 5G services to provide higher bandwidth connections while minimizing interference between multiple base stations.

“Combining Qulsar’s 1588 hardware and software solutions with Silicon Labs’ physical layer timing products will enable Silicon Labs to accelerate product innovation and deliver highly integrated, easy-to-use precision timing solutions for a wide range of applications,” said Rajen Datta, president and CEO of Qulsar. “Qulsar remains committed to the IEEE 1588 and precision time synchronization markets. We look forward to collaborating with Silicon Labs as the centerpiece of our business model to focus on delivering advanced system-level time synchronization and real-time sensor fusion solutions for the emerging mobile infrastructure, automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) markets.”

Silicon Labs is a leading provider of timing solutions for infrastructure applications, offering a diverse portfolio of crystal oscillators and voltage-controlled crystal oscillators (XO/VCXO), clock generators, clock buffers, jitter attenuators, and network synchronizers. Adding Qulsar software to this portfolio enables Silicon Labs to address cost-sensitive, software-only PTP applications with a standards-compliant solution. Qulsar modules make it easy to add IEEE 1588 to designs by tightly integrating PTP software and hardware in a complete, ready-to-use timing solution.