Orolia
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Precision timing and frequency devices |
| Predecessor | Spectracom Corporation |
| Founded | 1972 in Rochester, New York, United States |
| Headquarters | Rochester , United States |
| Products | WWVB Receiver-Comparator, WWVB frequency and time references, GPS timing solutions (Ageless, NetClock), KSI bus-level timing products |
| Parent | Safran (Navigation & Timing division) |
Orolia, Inc.—previously known as Spectracom Corporation—was an international producer specializing in precision timing and frequency devices, as well as network-oriented equipment catering to a variety of sectors.
Established in Rochester, New York, in 1972, Spectracom’s first product was a WWVB Receiver-Comparator designed to calibrate oscillators with traceability to national standards. Its early product lineup featured WWVB frequency and time references that provided atomic clock precision at a reduced cost. These were extensively utilized in critical communication infrastructures such as two-way police radio simulcast systems and master clocks ensuring accurate time stamping at emergency call centers (for instance, 9-1-1 public safety answering points). With the introduction of publicly accessible GPS signals during the 1990s, Spectracom incorporated GPS receivers into its timing solutions, branding these under Ageless and NetClock—the latter becoming a prominent name in network time servers and master clock devices.
In 2005, Spectracom broadened its portfolio by acquiring the KSI series of bus-level timing products—these are plug-in cards that deliver high-precision timing through GPS or IRIG timecode for specialized applications.
After being acquired by the Orolia Group in 2007, Spectracom became part of Orolia’s Timing, Test & Measurement business unit. The Spectracom brand was subsequently extended to other Orolia acquisitions including Temex Sync (France, 2007), Rapco Electronics (UK, 2008), and Pendulum Instruments (Sweden, 2009).
In 2022, Orolia itself was purchased by Safran, and now operates within Safran’s Navigation & Timing division.
Impact of WWVB signal modifications on early models
In 2012, the NIST implemented updates to the WWVB broadcast signal used for synchronization in earlier Spectracom products. While newer models retained compatibility, Spectracom identified certain older units—unsupported since 2005—that stopped functioning correctly as a result of these changes:
| Model | Product Description |
|---|---|
| 8160 | Frequency Standard Receiver/Oscillator |
| 8161 | Frequency Standard Receiver/Oscillator |
| 8163 | WWVB Receiver/Phase Comparator |
| 8164 | Ageless Master Oscillator |
| 8165 | Ageless Master Oscillator |
| 8170 | Synchronized Clock |
| 8171 | Synchronized Clock |
| 8182 | NetClock/2 Master Clock |