The current geopolitical landscape is affecting the way we use the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), like the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS disruptions and outages are becoming a recurrent phenomenon, with GNSS jamming turning into a key practice of electronic warfare. Europe is experiencing a dramatic rise in GPS/GNSS-related targeting. Examples include the Norwegian Communication Authority’s reporting that in 2024, there were almost daily disturbances to its GPS navigation. In addition, according to Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, during the first two months of 2024, it received 985 GPS outages compared with 1,371 for the whole of 2023. This phenomenon showcases that GNSS jamming poses risks to global navigation and the safety of aviation, shipping, and other transport networks and causes significant financial damage.
According to a report by London Economics, the economic loss for the UK due to a GNSS outage for seven days has been estimated at £7,644m or about £1.4 billion in a 24-hour outage. Applications in emergency services, maritime, and road transportation account for 87.6% of the total economic loss.
The precise time imperative for critical infrastructure networks
The GNSS technology was initially developed for navigation but is now widely leveraged by critical national services to provide highly accurate time synchronization. Sectors that rely on this type of time synchronization include telecommunications, financial services, power grids, broadcast networks, national security and defense systems, emergency services and other critical national, security, and safety systems and operations that require precise time for coordination and synchronization.
In telecoms, mobile 5G and 6G networks depend on accurate timing for synchronization. In 4G the less stringent frequency synchronization was generally sufficient, but newer generations are based more on TDD (Time Division Duplex) frequency bands and use new advanced network techniques, requiring time synchronization to work.
Synchronization is also crucial for power networks. Power grids require precise timing to effectively synchronize electricity generation and distribution. GNSS ensures the seamless operation of different grid components. With the transition to renewable energy sources and digital power stations, we expect an increased need for precise time. Finally, emergency services, military operations, and national security efforts also often integrate GNSS timing with communication systems, especially in collaboration with 5G networks.
A new path to precise timing
Traditional network-based synchronization solutions require significant and complex infrastructure upgrades, dramatically increasing CAPEX. In the case of 5G networks, these traditional solutions bump up 5G rollout costs quite significantly. In contrast, the new GNSS-independent synchronization models decouple the synchronization functionality from the hardware, establishing a synchronization overlay across the existing IP infrastructure without requiring PTP IEEE1588 hardware support in intermediary nodes. This allows the efficient transmission of precise time from central time reference sites to the RAN nodes without increasing costs. As a result, CAPEX is reduced, expediting the deployment of 5G networks across urban and rural areas.
These enhancements in GNSS-independent synchronization enable the development of a secure and highly available 5G infrastructure. They also provide the foundations for key advanced business services that unlock monetization for 5G technology.
Specifically, network functions like Massive MIMO, Carrier Aggregation (CA), and Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) enhance network performance, while applications like network slicing and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) will enable new services. Underpinned by precise timing, network slicing, in particular, enables the creation of multiple well-orchestrated virtual networks on top of a shared physical network. Network slicing delivers greater flexibility in the use and allocation of network resources while ensuring the network slices meet stringent performance requirements. These new 5G functions and applications empowered by accurate time synchronization enable the rise of new 5G use cases and revenue streams for mobile operators.
5G Monetization is also possible by offering the synchronization itself directly to enterprise customers, since accurate timing is used by many industries, from industry 4.0 and media production to financial services etc. By delivering precise timing synchronization over the 5G air interface and offering Time-as-a-Service to customers within e.g. manufacturing, they can benefit from time sync without having to rely on GNSS.
Harnessing the potential of precise time
While it’s hard to predict what the future holds, geopolitical uncertainty seems to remain the norm for the foreseeable future. GPS jamming will continue to pose significant risks, with national and industry players looking to safeguard and future-proof their critical infrastructure networks to ensure they are better positioned to deal with these challenges.
In this complex global landscape, technological innovation stands as a critical ally for mobile operators, governments, and regulators. GNSS-independent synchronization technology delivers the benefits of precise time without the vulnerabilities and costs that compromise GPS-powered solutions. In times when ensuring the safety and efficiency of national networks at lower CAPEX and OPEX is more important than ever. Time synchronization can truly revolutionize the critical services of the future.
