NPL collaborates with Vodafone on terrestrial timing

4 minute read

NPL and Vodafone have successfully completed a set of trials using the NPLTime® service as an alternative to GPS-timing signals.  

Requirements for precise time delivery have driven the telecoms sector toward the increased use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for accurate timing. There are various alternatives to GNSS, each with their own capabilities, but GNSS has become the default mechanism for most sectors to access timing signals.    

As the telecommunications industry rolls out 5G networks and prepares for 6G, it’s important there is a range of diversified timing signal sources that are resilient and secure. All major telecommunications providers in the UK and Europe share this requirement. In the UK, VodafoneThree* is the first Mobile Network Operator (MNO) to test the performance of a terrestrial NMI-provided time source as an alternative to GNSS-based time in their network timing infrastructure. 

Vodafone is accelerating 5G coverage and improving data service performance across Europe and emerging markets by deploying 5G Standalone (SA) networks, launching enterprise-grade slicing services, and 5G Advanced programmes. Vodafone is positioning itself as a future-ready connectivity platform for both consumers and industries, making it a must to protect the 5G network and future networks. Vodafone is actively reducing reliance on GNSS (GPS) for time synchronisation for the VodafoneThree network in the UK and other Vodafone markets around Europe in collaboration with European Metrology Institutes. 

The partnership will support the reliability and resilience of VodafoneThree’s £11bn network investment programme to create the UK’s best network, reaching 99% 5G SA population coverage by 2030, and 99.96% by 2034.  

For the past 30 years, NPL has been operating the UK’s national time scale, UTC(NPL), and for the past 8 years it has been disseminating NPLTime®, an end-to-end fibre-based timing service that has been supporting the finance sector with regulatory compliance. 

The partnership between NPL and Vodafone will develop a telecom version of the NPLTime® service that meets stringent ITU standards for signal accuracy, stability, resilience and traceability. More specifically, the new service will deliver a terrestrial reference signal that is traceable to UTC(NPL) and can maintain accuracy within 40 ns.    

At the end of the trial, the new service will 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 intends to replicate the same telecom timing infrastructure across all Vodafone markets. The partnership builds on the UK government’s efforts to increase resilience for Positioning, Navigation and Time (PNT) for the UK’s digital infrastructure as well as on NPL’s role in delivering the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme. 

Dr Peter Thompson, CBE, CEO of NPL said: “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.” 

Speaking about the partnership, Andrea Donà, Chief Network Officer at VodafoneThree, said: "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." 

28 Apr 2026