Vodafone has paired with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to complete a set of trials that look at the future of network timekeeping.

The carrier partnered with NPL to test fiber-based alternatives to GNSS-based time in their network timing infrastructure.

The need for precise time delivery has led the telecoms industry to implement the use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for accurate timing.

While there are alternatives to GNSS, telcos have tended to use these satellite constellations to signal time.

However, Vodafone notes that as 5G networks continue to be rolled out and as the industry prepares for 6G, there’s a need for a range of diversified timing signal sources.

The telco is the first in the UK to test the performance of a fiber-based terrestrial NMI-provided time source.

“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,” said Andrea Donà, chief network officer, VodafoneThree.

“By testing a terrestrial timing solution we’re helping to ensure that our £11 billion ($14.86bn) investment delivers a network that is not only faster and more reliable, but also more secure and resilient for our customers.”

NPL has been operating the UK’s national time scale, UTC(NPL), for the past 30 years and has been disseminating NPLTime, an end-to-end fiber-based timing service that has been supporting the finance sector with regulatory compliance, for the past eight years.

Vodafone notes that its partnership with NPL “will develop a telecom version of the NPLTime service that meets stringent ITU standards for signal accuracy, stability, resilience, and traceability.”

The carrier adds that the service “will deliver a terrestrial reference signal that is traceable to UTC(NPL) and can maintain accuracy within 40ns.”

The telco has high hopes for the new service, noting that by the end of the trial, it expects the new service to meet the accuracy requirements of most sectors in the UK and offer the potential for telecommunications operators to extend the reach of a UK sovereign time source to other industries.

Vodafone adds that it intends to replicate the same telecom timing infrastructure across all Vodafone markets.

“Accurate and resilient timing is fundamental to the UK’s digital infrastructure. This partnership with Vodafone showcases how UK innovation can deliver secure and resilient timing solutions. By leveraging NPL’s expertise in time dissemination, we are helping the telecoms sector to strengthen the foundations for future technologies,” said Pete Thompson, CEO, NPL.

DCD previously talked to NPL about its timing service. Read it here