VodafoneThree builds UK alternative to GPS timing for 5G
Key Points
- VodafoneThree is the first UK mobile network operator to trial a terrestrial alternative to GPS timing, partnering with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) on a sovereign timing source for its 5G network.
- The trials use NPLTime, a fibre-based service accurate to within 40 nanoseconds and traceable to the UK national time scale UTC(NPL), meeting International Telecommunication Union standards.
- The partnership supports VodafoneThree's £11bn network build, which will reach 99% 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030 and 99.96% by 2034.
- VodafoneThree plans to replicate the terrestrial timing infrastructure across all Vodafone European markets, reducing telecoms reliance on satellite-based timing that is vulnerable to jamming and spoofing.
- The work builds on UK government efforts to strengthen Position, Navigation and Time (PNT) resilience and on NPL's delivery of the National Timing Centre programme.
VodafoneThree has become the first UK mobile network operator to trial a terrestrial timing signal as an alternative to GPS.
This comes as part of a partnership with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to develop a sovereign timing source for its £11 billion 5G network.
The trials use NPLTime, a fibre-based service that delivers a reference signal traceable to UTC(NPL) and accurate to within 40 nanoseconds, meeting International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standards for accuracy, stability, resilience and traceability.
Mobile networks rely on precise timing to coordinate data traffic, and the telecoms industry has defaulted to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GPS for this function.
As VodafoneThree rolls out 5G Standalone and prepares for 6G, the operator is reducing its dependence on satellite-based timing in favour of a UK-controlled alternative that is harder to jam, spoof or disrupt.
NPL has operated the UK’s national time scale, UTC(NPL), for the past 30 years and has been distributing NPLTime to the finance sector for the past eight years to support regulatory compliance.
The new partnership adapts NPLTime for telecoms, with the goal of meeting accuracy requirements across most UK sectors and extending the service to industries beyond mobile networks.
The trial supports VodafoneThree’s network build programme, which will reach 99% 5G Standalone population coverage by 2030 and 99.96% by 2034.
VodafoneThree is the only UK operator with a fully funded and regulated network plan, and the company said it intends to replicate the terrestrial timing infrastructure across all Vodafone markets in Europe.
Pete Thompson, CEO of NPL, said the partnership shows how UK innovation can deliver secure and resilient timing solutions, strengthening the foundations for future technologies.
Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said the work marks a significant step in reducing over-reliance on GPS-based timing.
“Our work with the National Physical Laboratory marks a significant step in reducing over reliance on GPS-based timing and strengthening the foundations of our future-ready 5G Standalone network.
“By testing a terrestrial timing solution we’re helping to ensure that our £11 billion investment delivers a network that is not only faster and more reliable, but also more secure and resilient for our customers.”
The partnership builds on the UK government’s work to increase resilience for Position, Navigation and Time (PNT) across the country’s digital infrastructure, and on NPL’s role delivering the National Timing Centre programme.
