When data is captured or transmitted, it is timestamped so it can be reconstructed – or combined with other data – in the correct order. This is critical in systems that coordinate large volumes of data across multiple sources, such as telecoms networks or high-frequency trading, where thousands of transactions occur automatically every second.
Industries like finance and telecoms must meet strict regulatory requirements around maintaining accurate, traceable and resilient time in order to manage their data. To do so, many have historically relied heavily on satellite-based time signals. But there is a growing demand for complementary terrestrial timing to add extra resilience.
UK SME Hoptroff built its business on distributing UTC-traceable time signals that allow customers to synchronise their systems with confidence. As demand grew in finance and beyond, Hoptroff required a more diverse and resilient timing foundation. At the same time, it recognised it would need to help its customers overcome the challenges of integrating multiple time sources into their distributed digital infrastructure, and maintain synchronisation across in-house, cloud and hybrid environments.
Through a series of Innovate UK-funded projects, set up through the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, Hoptroff worked with NPL to access NPLTime®, a resilient, terrestrial and UTC-traceable timing signal delivered via NPL’s service nodes. This provided Hoptroff with a trusted national reference against which it could test and evolve its timing services.
Using these signals, Hoptroff developed and validated multi-source timing architectures that combine GNSS, terrestrial and cloud-delivered signals. Innovate UK funding allowed Hoptroff to dedicate specialist resources to this R&D, while NPL’s time signals and expertise ensured results were traceable to nationally trusted UTC.
In one project, Hoptroff explored distributing accurate time into cloud environments such as AWS and Azure, where many businesses run applications that require timestamps for auditing, coordination and compliance, but where local hardware clocks cannot be deployed. Cloud timing is particularly challenging because virtual machines may be moved, hibernated or restarted at any moment, and users have no control over the underlying hardware. The project focused on maintaining reliable synchronisation in these dynamic environments.
Other projects explored delivering time signals into networks that manage data sharing for autonomous vehicles and counter-unmanned aerial systems - both technically challenging areas, and new sectors for Hoptroff.
The Innovate UK projects ultimately led to an ongoing commercial agreement for Hoptroff to access NPLTime® via NPL’s service nodes in Reading and East London. This provides the SME with a resilient, GNSS-complementary and UTC-traceable source of time that Hoptroff now incorporates into its own network, significantly improving resilience for its customers.
Access to NPL’s terrestrial signal strengthens Hoptroff’s timing backbone for its core market of highly regulated financial institutions, adding an authenticated, non-satellite source of time. This enables reliable operation in scenarios where GNSS is restricted, unreliable or unavailable, meeting growing demand from regulated sectors for independent and assured timing.
The projects themselves enabled Hoptroff to extend accurate time delivery into new environments, including cloud platforms, remote facilities, transport systems and data centres. “These projects enabled R&D to disseminate time signals to a wide range of users, taking our business beyond financial services,” says Richard Hoptroff, Founder and Chief Time Officer of Hoptroff.
The addition of resilient terrestrial timing even opened engagement with the US Department of Transportation, leading to a contract to test Hoptroff’s technology for transport applications.
Finally, the project positions Hoptroff as one of the first UK companies to commercialise the National Timing Centre (NTC) model at scale. By combining NPL’s resilient national timing core with commercial dissemination to end users, Hoptroff is demonstrating how the NTC can directly support UK innovation and economic growth.
For further information about NPLTime® and how to access resilient timing signals from a trusted source for industry confidence:
The partnership with NPL – and the national-lab traceability it provides – is key to delivering a service our customers trust. Trust is the most important thing in our business, and it underpins our ability to grow resilient timing services across finance, data centres, telecoms and emerging industries – markets worth many millions to us in the long term. Trusted time means trusted data for our customers.
Richard Hoptroff, CTO - Hoptroff