Symmetricom

Symmetricom

Symmetricom was a leading US-based manufacturer of precision timing and frequency synchronization equipment, producing atomic frequency standards, GPS-disciplined oscillators, and network time servers for telecommunications, defense, and scientific applications. The company's instruments provided the stable time and frequency references required by synchronous digital networks, mobile base stations, data centers, and calibration laboratories. Symmetricom was acquired by Microsemi Corporation in 2013, and its product lines are now maintained under the Microchip Technology portfolio.

Symmetricom is particularly recognized for its rubidium and cesium atomic frequency standards, which deliver highly stable reference frequencies for laboratory calibration, telecom network synchronization, and precision test instrumentation. These holdover-capable references maintain accuracy independently of GPS signal availability.

Key Product Lines

• Rubidium Frequency Standards — compact atomic oscillators delivering high short-term and long-term frequency stability for lab and field applications
• Cesium Frequency Standards — primary frequency references for national metrology and standards laboratories
• GPS-Disciplined Oscillators (GPSDO) — timing receivers that discipline high-stability oscillators to GPS for traceable time and frequency output
• Network Time Servers — NTP/PTP grandmaster clocks for telecommunications network synchronization and enterprise timing infrastructure

Industries Served

Symmetricom equipment has been widely deployed in telecommunications network synchronization, military and government timing systems, national metrology institutes, broadcast facilities, financial trading networks requiring precise timestamping, and R&D laboratories demanding traceable frequency references.