Protempis

What Protempis does

Protempis, LLC designs and sells precision time, frequency, and synchronization hardware and supporting software for critical network infrastructure. The company is the corporate successor to Trimble's Timing and Frequency division, was rebranded as Protempis in the 2022–2026 period, and now operates as a privately held subsidiary of Precisional LLC from its headquarters in Lisle, Illinois. It markets more than 40 years of accumulated GNSS engineering experience and an installed base described as "tens of thousands" of receivers with a stated MTBF of well over 1,000,000 hours.

The core technology stack is built on GNSS signal reception combined with the proprietary FreqOut™ architecture, which the company positions as a lower-cost alternative to rubidium-based atomic clocks for delivering precise frequency output. Product lines include GNSS antennas, GNSS receivers, GNSS-disciplined clocks (including the Mini-T GG embedded module), the Thunderbolt™ family of grandmaster clocks (Thunderbolt GM200 for substation/industrial use and Thunderbolt GM330 targeted at private 4G/5G, O-RAN, and small cell deployments), an Integrated Timing Switch, and Smart GNSS Antennas. Communication between devices uses IEEE 1588 PTP and NTP/SNTP protocols, and products are hardened for substation and other harsh-environment deployments.

Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based, multi-year enterprise hardware contracts, supplemented by recurring annual software support and maintenance contracts and by custom solution / professional services engagements. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with a "Book Demo" call to action, supported by content marketing (ProTips blog, whitepapers, product videos), industry events, and select technology partnerships (notably with Cradlepoint for private 5G). Target customers span telecom infrastructure, data centers, financial trading, power utilities and SmartGrid, healthcare, aerospace and government, industrial automation, digital broadcast, satellite communications, and research institutions. The company maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Name

Protempis

Legal name

Protempis, LLC

Website

https://protempis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Protempis designs and sells GNSS-based precision timing hardware, including disciplined clocks, PTP grandmaster clocks, and GNSS antennas, for telecom, data center, financial, power, aerospace, healthcare, and industrial networks requiring sub-microsecond synchronization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Products: Sale of precision timing hardware including GNSS receivers, antennas, grandmaster clocks, and integrated timing switches. Products are sold with optional support and maintenance services.
2. Support and Maintenance Services: Annual software support and maintenance services including updates, upgrades, and technical support for hardware and software products.
3. Custom Solutions: Custom product development and integration services for specialized timing requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Protempis designs, manufactures and sells precision timing and synchronization hardware products — including GNSS antennas, GNSS receivers, GNSS-disciplined clocks, integrated timing switches, PTP/NTP packet timing solutions and grandmaster clocks (e.g., Thunderbolt GM330, GM200) — that capture, generate and distribute precise time, frequency and synchronization signals for critical infrastructure such as telecom, data center, financial, utility, industrial automation, aerospace and government networks. Offerings are paired with optional software support/maintenance subscriptions and custom engineering services for specialized timing deployments.

Product overview

Protempis offers a comprehensive portfolio of time and frequency products for precise network synchronization. The product line centers on GNSS-based timing solutions including GNSS antennas, GNSS receivers, and disciplined clocks (such as the Thunderbolt GM200 and Mini-T GG), complemented by network-based packet timing solutions using PTP (IEEE 1588) and NTP protocols (including the Thunderbolt GM330 Grandmaster Clock). Additional offerings include integrated timing switches, smart GNSS antennas, and custom solutions. Products serve diverse industries including telecommunications, power utilities, financial infrastructure, data centers, and industrial automation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thunderbolt: Product line of GNSS disciplined clocks and PTP grandmaster clocks including Thunderbolt GM330 and GM200 models.

Products and services

• Thunderbolt GM330 PTP Grandmaster Clock PTP Grandmaster Clock designed for private 4G/5G, O-RAN, small cell, and other communication networks requiring phase synchronization, leveraging IEEE 1588 PTP and Protempis FreqOut architecture for telecom-grade timing.
• Thunderbolt GM200 Grandmaster and Boundary Clock Versatile grandmaster and boundary clock supporting both PTP and SNTP/NTP, engineered for power substation deployments and industrial automation applications where hardened, reliable timing is required.
• GNSS Disciplined Clocks GNSS-disciplined clocks that use GPS/GNSS signals to discipline local oscillators, delivering highly stable frequency and time output for network synchronization applications.
• GNSS Receivers Timing receivers that process GNSS satellite signals to provide precise time and frequency references used in network synchronization and timing infrastructure.
• GNSS Antennas GPS/GNSS antennas for receiving satellite timing signals that feed Protempis timing and synchronization products across infrastructure deployments.
• Smart GNSS Antennas Advanced GNSS antennas with built-in intelligence and integrated processing for improved timing performance and monitoring in synchronization deployments.
• Integrated Timing Switch Timing switches that aggregate and distribute precise timing signals across network infrastructure, supporting deployment of synchronized services.
• Packet Timing Solutions Network-based timing solutions using PTP (IEEE 1588) and NTP protocols for synchronizing distributed systems across enterprise and service-provider networks.
• Mini-T GG Multi-GNSS Disciplined Clock Multi-GNSS Disciplined Clock embedded module for integration into customer systems, providing precise time and frequency output from multi-constellation GNSS satellites.
• Thunderbolt E Starter Kit Evaluation kit including the components needed to run the Thunderbolt E Disciplined Clock, enabling customers to assess Protempis disciplined clock performance.
• Custom Timing Solutions Tailored timing and synchronization engineering services and products designed to meet specific customer time and frequency requirements for specialized deployments.
• Annual Software Support and Maintenance Recurring annual software support and maintenance services including updates, upgrades and technical support for Protempis hardware and software products.

Quantifiable outcome

• MTBF of well over 1,000,000 hours
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CradlepointcoreTechnology or IntegrationCradlepoint and Protempis provide access points with precise timing and synchronization for private 5G networks. Protempis' time and PTP sync technology enhances Cradlepoint's network solutions by boosting performance, precision, accuracy, and stability. The combined solution is fast to deploy with integrated functionality including redundancy and uninterrupted system updates.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tekron International: Tekron designs PTP/NTP grandmaster and boundary clocks specifically for power utilities and telecom, overlapping directly with Protempis' SmartGrid and telecom synchronization product lines.
• Oscilloquartz (ADVA Optical Networking): ADVA's Oscilloquartz division delivers PTP grandmaster clocks and timing-over-packet solutions for mobile, power, and finance networks. Closely comparable to Protempis on technology (PTP IEEE 1588, GNSS-disciplined oscillators) and target verticals.
• Meinberg Funkuhren: German specialist in PTP/NTP grandmaster clocks, GNSS receivers, and time synchronization solutions. Competes head-to-head with Protempis in telecom, power utility, and broadcast timing deployments, with a similarly focused product portfolio.
• Brandywine Communications: Specialty provider of precision time and frequency products including PTP grandmaster clocks and time code generators for military, aerospace, and industrial customers. Overlaps with Protempis in mission-critical timing applications, particularly in aerospace and government.

Broad incumbents

• Cisco (SyncE / timing solutions): Cisco integrates SyncE and timing support across its routing and switching portfolio for service provider and enterprise networks. While not a standalone timing vendor, its scale and bundling power can displace dedicated grandmaster solutions like Protempis' in large carrier accounts.
• Trimble Inc. Former parent of the Timing & Frequency division from which Protempis was carved out. While Trimble's remaining business focuses on broader GNSS positioning and construction/agri markets, its brand still anchors customer recall and creates both a credibility halo and a potential channel overlap risk for Protempis.
• Microchip Technology (Symmetricom / Spectracom): Microchip acquired Symmetricom and Spectracom, making it the largest incumbent in precision time and frequency. Directly competes with Protempis across PTP grandmaster clocks, NTP servers, and timing modules for telecom, power, and defense — but offers a much broader semiconductor and embedded portfolio.
• Safran Electronics & Defense (Orolia): Safran (via Orolia) provides atomic clocks (rubidium, cesium), GNSS timing, and resilient PNT solutions. Competes with Protempis in defense, aerospace, and critical infrastructure timing, and offers higher-end holdover/resilient timing products that pressure the upper end of Protempis' portfolio.

Emerging players

• Calnex Solutions: Calnex focuses on network timing synchronization testing and assurance rather than timing hardware itself. It is comparable as a PTP/timing ecosystem participant and increasingly partners with — and competes for budget against — grandmaster vendors like Protempis.
• Jackson Labs Technologies: Niche provider of GNSS-disciplined oscillators, rubidium replacements, and resilient timing modules. Targets defense and telecom customers with comparable core technology and price-performance positioning to Protempis' FreqOut™-based offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/80778747/admin

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Protempis