TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
A basestation of a telecommunications network is able to acquire timing information by sending a single time request message over a computer network to a time server, with the time request message specifying a number of time response messages, said number being greater than one. Based on the received specified number of time response messages from the time server, the basestation is able to calibrate an internal oscillator.
1 . A method of acquiring time references in a basestation of a telecommunications network, the basestation being further connected to a computer network comprising one or more time servers, the method comprising:
sending a time request message to a time server, said time request message specifying a number of time response messages, said number being greater than one; and
receiving said specified number of time response messages from the time server at the basestation.
2 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said time request message is sent from said basestation.
3 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said telecommunications network further comprises a management system, and wherein said time request message is sent from said management system.
4 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said number of time response messages is transmitted with a first time interval between consecutive time response messages of said number of time response messages.
5 . A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said time request message further specifies the length of the first time interval.
6 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting again said number of time response messages from the time server to the basestation, the time between the first transmission and the second transmission defining a second time interval.
7 . A method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said time request message further specifies the length of said second time interval.
8 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said time request message is an adaptation of a standard message.
9 . A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the standard message is a NTP request datagram.
10 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said time request message is an adaptation of a NTP request datagram, and wherein said number of time response messages is specified in the Reference Clock ID field of the NTP request datagram.
11 . A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said time request message is an adaptation of a NTP request datagram, and wherein said first time interval is specified in the Reference Clock ID field of the NTP request datagram.
12 . A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said time request message is an adaptation of a NTP request datagram, and wherein said second time interval is specified in the Reference Clock ID field of the NTP request datagram.
13 . A method as claimed in claim 1 , the method further comprising:
within the basestation, using said time response messages to calibrate an internal oscillator.
14 . A basestation, for use in a telecommunications network, the basestation being adapted to send a time request message to a time server, said time request message specifying a number of time response messages, said number being greater than one; and being further adapted to receive said specified number of time response messages from the time server at the basestation.
15 . A basestation as claimed in claim 14 , being further adapted to calibrate an internal oscillator based on the received time response messages.
16 . A time server, for use in a telecommunications network, the time server being adapted to receive a single time request message specifying a number of time response messages, said number being greater than one; and being adapted to send said specified number of time response messages.
17 . A time server as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said time response messages are transmitted with a first time interval between consecutive time response messages of said number of time response messages.
18 . A time server as claimed in claim 17 , wherein said time request message further specifies the length of the first time interval.
19 . A time server as claimed in claim 16 , being further adapted to transmit again said specified number of time response messages after a second time interval.
20 . A time server as claimed in claim 19 , wherein said time request message further specifies the length of the second time interval.
21 . A time server as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said time request message is an adaptation of a standard message.
22 . A time server as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the standard message is a NTP request datagram.