This paper presents the coding scheme and the timing recovery method of an interface for high-speed cell-based networks. The synchronization technique used in this interface is based on the functionality resulting from combining functions of the fiber channel with the basic features of pure asynchronous transfer mode. The main advantage of this interface is its implementability at high transmission rates, since most of its functions, like cell delineation and cell header error detection and correction, are performed at byte-level by using a pseudoframing structure. The paper presents the basic principles of this interface, the analytic formulas for calculating its mean synchronization time under various traffic conditions and describes how the various parameters affect the method's performance. q