Spirent Communications, now integrated with Keysight Technologies, has announced a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to improve resilience in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems used in the UK's Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
Supported by ESA's Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP), the initiative aims to assess and enhance the effectiveness of PNT systems. A 2023 report estimated that a seven-day GNSS disruption could cost the UK economy £7.6 billion, highlighting the importance of resilient PNT frameworks for CNI, which relies heavily on satellite-based PNT data.
Mark Holbrow, Vice President of Engineering at Spirent Positioning, stated that organisations require tools to measure and track PNT resilience, enabling CNI operators to benchmark and improve their systems over time.
The initiative has three main components:
- Spirent PNT Alliance: A collaboration among enterprises, academic institutions, and governmental bodies to develop resilience services for CNI.
- PNT Shopfront: A showcase of solutions that support resilient PNT adoption and assist with regulatory compliance.
- PNT Resiliency Health Check: Independent evaluations of GNSS equipment focusing on performance, resilience, and security metrics.
The Spirent PNT Alliance will include the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) and other partners to support the development of a robust PNT ecosystem in the UK. Annual PNT Health Check assessments aim to help organisations identify vulnerabilities, benchmark resilience, and track improvements systematically.
Dr. Ramsey Faragher of RIN noted that intentional and malicious disruptions to GNSS are increasingly common, emphasising the importance of resilience testing for CNI. Thorough testing allows operators to verify system resilience and mitigate potential threats.
UK sectors including finance, energy, and telecommunications are expected to benefit from this framework, which addresses vulnerabilities such as GNSS jamming and spoofing. The initiative also positions the UK to provide PNT resilience testing services internationally.
