Quality Time for Duke Energy with ViaLite GPS Links

Energy companies need to guarantee the reliability of their mission-critical I.T. systems and networks, and these need highly accurate timing and synchronization signals for them to function. For this reason, Duke Energy is now using fiber optic links from ViaLite to distribute its GPS-derived timing signals. 

The state-of-the-art R.F. over fiber (RFoF) links have the significant advantage that the signals can be sent over extremely long distances to inaccessible locations without suffering from the attenuation present with coaxial cables. 

The GNSS/GPS links support a range of international standards for GPS and timing signals and are designed to be extremely low noise, as GPS signals are often very low intensity when they arrive at the rooftop antenna. 

The equipment now in use includes three 1U rack chassis units, each with the capacity to house three card slots, allowing up to six channels per rack. The supplied GPS Link Tx and Rx chassis cards can operate from 1 m to as far as 50 km. 

“ViaLite’s ability to consistently provide electro-optical devices with state-of-the-art performance, superior quality, and high reliability is second to none,” said Craig Somach, ViaLite’s Director of Sales. 

Duke Energy said, “ViaLite’s equipment worked perfectly as designed and was very easy to deploy thanks to its plug-and-play installation.” 

Duke Energy is a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., one of America’s largest energy companies, serving 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. It employs 28,000 people and collectively owns 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity.