Operators appear as concerned as ever over timing and synchronization issues associated with 5G, despite technological progress and roll out of 3GPP standards. This partly reflects the field of 5G timing still being in a state of flux or development, with further enhancements over duplex communication and timing coming with the next 3GPP Release 18, and beyond. The main point is that both absolute timing and relative synchronization have become much more critical under 5G, driven by three fundamental developments. The first is the widespread deployment of Time Division Duplex (TDD) in addition to FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) for 5G communications, requiring more accurate synchronization to avoid self-interference. Secondly, the RAN has been disaggregated to prepare the ground for Open…