IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP) Announces Formation of the IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance


PISCATAWAY, NJ--(Marketwire - September 28, 2010) -  The IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance, an IEEE Conformity Assessment Program, has been launched to advocate and certify IEEE 1588™-2008 implementations. The IEEE 1588™-2008, the "Standard for a Precision Clock Synchronization Protocol for Networked Measurement and Control Systems," is becoming pervasive in the marketplace, ranging from applications in the telecommunications world to Smart Grid applications to manufacturing to digital audio and video broadcasting.

The initial focus of the IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance will be telecommunications applications such as mobile backhaul. A second track will focus on certifying the conformance of power applications, and the alliance is seeking participation and input in that activity from across the power industry.

Founding Board Members of the IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance include Alcatel-Lucent, Anue Systems, Brilliant Telecommunications, Calnex Solutions, Huawei Technologies, Iometrix, and Symmetricom. Additional Founding Members include Accedian Networks, Chronos Technology, and Ericsson.

This group of industry leaders is currently developing a test and certification program that contributes to reliable, high-quality application performance. The program is managed by ICAP with testing processes and implementation executed by Iometrix with support from all of the Founding Members.

The Alliance is establishing an outstanding constituency of technical experts in the domain of synchronization to review and recommend the technical documents that will serve as the basis of the certification.

"As we see our customers moving aggressively to an all-IP and Ethernet-centric infrastructure model, retaining and enhancing crucial synchronization and timing capabilities is a firm requirement for mobile base station backhaul over IP and circuit emulation applications," said Marcus K. Weldon, corporate CTO, Alcatel-Lucent. "Therefore, we strongly support this initiative that will help expedite this industry networking transformation, via the certification of standards-compliant timing solutions."

"It is clear that IEEE 1588™ will be a critical technology for the implementation of the All Packet Network. With mass deployments starting in some parts of the world and just around the corner in others, interoperability and conformance to standards is critical to ensure a fast, smooth rollout," noted Tommy Cook, CEO of Calnex Solutions. "The IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance will provide a pivotal role in achieving the goals of interoperability and conformance to IEEE 1588™."

"There is broad consensus in the telecommunications industry that the rollout of IEEE 1588™ implementations in environments such as mobile backhaul can significantly benefit from a well governed and universally recognized conformance testing process," said Bob Mandeville, president of Iometrix, and acting chairman of the IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance. "We are delighted to collaborate with the IEEE Conformity Assessment Program to bring our widely recognized experience in certification testing to the service of the rapidly growing packet-timing community."

To learn more about the IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance, including how to join or how to participate in the formation of its new track on certifying power applications, please visit IEEE1588conformityalliance.org.

About ICAP
ICAP is focused on bridging IEEE standards development with the conformity assessment activities that accelerate market acceptance and enablement of new products and technologies. IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO) operates ICAP to support standards developed by the IEEE Standards Association. IEEE-ISTO, a federation of programs, is a membership organization that helps technology industry groups form, function and succeed.

Contact Information:

Media Contacts
ICAP/IEEE 1588 Conformity Alliance
Alpesh Shah
Alpesh.Shah@IEEE.org
+1 732 570 0526

IEEE-ISTO
Michelle Hunt
Senior Program Manager/Marketing, IEEE-ISTO
Michelle.Hunt@IEEE-ISTO.org
+1 732 981-3434