The UK government has announced a £180 million investment in timing technology designed to protect critical services and digital infrastructure.

Technology developed through the National Timing Centre (NTC) will help keep services such as phone networks and bank transactions up and running.

The government said these services currently rely heavily on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), which transmit ultra-accurate timing signals from space but are vulnerable to disruption from attacks, jamming and technical malfunctions.

Recent incidents during the war in Ukraine have demonstrated how satellite signals can be deliberately disrupted, with jamming attacks repeatedly interfering with civilian aircraft and other critical services.

Officials estimate that a 24-hour outage could cost the UK economy around £1.4 billion.

The new system will distribute a more resilient timing signal free over the air, via the internet and through fibre networks.

The government said the NTC will support vital digital infrastructure if existing systems fail.

The funding will also help build British expertise in precision timing, ensuring the UK has the skills needed to maintain secure and reliable timekeeping.

“Accurate timekeeping is about more than just keeping the clocks ticking. It is fundamental to keeping the country running – from banking and staying in touch with friends and family through to our emergency services having the information they need,” said science minister Lord Vallance. “The systems we rely on today are increasingly vulnerable to disruption, which is why we’re acting now to strengthen the infrastructure we rely on every day.”

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