Project establishes innovative test framework to help UK operators, providers and suppliers adopt best practice and benchmark success
Spirent Communications, now part of Keysight Technologies, has partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead an initiative aimed at increasing the resilience of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems used in critical national infrastructure. Under the initiative, Spirent and partners will deliver a comprehensive test framework to drive measurable resilience in PNT systems for users, operators and providers of critical infrastructure in the United Kingdom.
Supported by Element 2 of ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP), the initiative is designed to raise awareness and improve resilient PNT test and assessment by providing a pathway to assess, validate and rate PNT equipment and services used in critical national infrastructure. The 2023 UK government report The Economic Impact on the UK of a Disruption to GNSS estimates a seven-day GNSS outage could cost the UK economy £7.6 billion. Critical infrastructure is heavily dependent on satellite-based PNT systems and data.
“For years, organizations have been wrestling with a fundamental challenge: they know PNT resilience matters, but they do not have a clear way to measure it or benchmark their progress,” explained Mark Holbrow, vice president of Engineering and Product Development at Spirent Positioning. “This new initiative changes that by building the tools and frameworks that let critical national infrastructure operators quantify resilience, track it, and improve it over time, and we’re proud that ESA has entrusted Spirent to lead this exciting three-year project.”
The Resiliency in Critical National Infrastructure will support the UK government’s resilient PNT strategy by enabling access to rigorous, quantitative test evidence and operational insights that help evaluate and validate PNT systems across essential sectors. It will comprise three core components:
Spirent PNT Alliance brings together companies, academic research partners, and PNT professional and government bodies to identify, develop and cater resilience services for critical infrastructure. It will include the Royal Institute of Navigation and other strategic partners to complement their activities and help build a resilient PNT ecosystem in the UK by commercializing best practices and connecting infrastructure operators with new technologies and test approaches.
PNT Shopfront showcases solutions that aid the adoption of resilient PNT and help to assure regulatory compliance for critical PNT dependencies.
PNT Resiliency Health Check will enable independent appraisal of GNSS equipment capability against general performance, resilience and security criteria. Annual health check assessments will help organizations understand their dependencies, identify vulnerabilities, and track improvements over time, with a technical framework that scores resilience against standard benchmarks to create a pathway toward industry-wide test methodologies.
“Intentional and malicious disruptions to GNSS are now a daily occurrence, and are pervasive in the aviation and maritime sector,” said Ramsey Faragher, director of the institute. “The Royal Institute of Navigation is focused on raising awareness to these issues and in promoting the needs for improved resilience against such disruptions, especially within Critical National Infrastructure. Our Best Practice Guidelines emphasize the criticality of thorough testing in order to verify resilience and to help protect against both existing and future attack vectors. The UK is well placed to take a lead in this area, and well placed to inspire other nations to follow suit. We are really pleased to see initiatives like these from our corporate partners, and we look forward to supporting them.”
The UK Royal Institute of Navigation has released a special report on GNSS-interference and its impact on the maritime sector.
Impacts of GNSS Interference on Maritime Safety is a special report by the RIN Maritime GNSS Interference Working Group on the impacts of GNSS Interference. Survey data was compiled from more than 100 sector experts and 300 vessel captains, supported by interviews with dozens of people involved in the operations and supply chain of vessels that regularly encounter GNSS interference.
GNSS interference refers to anything that disrupts a ship’s satellite-based positioning signals, usually caused by jamming and spoofing.
In 2025, at least two collisions and groundings were reported in mainstream media linked to GNSS interference in regions such as the Baltics, Straits of Hormuz and the Red Sea. With hundreds of vessels being affected daily, the RIN report details for the first time the scale of the problem on modern digital vessels, where GNSS jamming and spoofing present a significant cybersecurity vulnerability and urgent risks to maritime safety.
Survey data exposes the vulnerability of critically important systems such as Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS) and other SOLAS-mandated equipment that rely on satellite positioning and timing.
“The report has highlighted serious safety concerns and has underlined the fact that these issues are rooted in significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and are not just disruptions to navigation,” said Ramsey Faragher, director of the RIN.
Operating within regions of known GNSS interference carries serious safety-of-life and liability implications, as key systems are expected to fail or malfunction with high probability in these conditions. The report also highlights unnecessary dependencies between GNSS receivers and a range of onboard electronics — including radar, radios (VHF/MF/HF), Navtex, speed logs, ship clocks and satellite communications — many of which do not require GNSS data for their primary function, creating avoidable points of failure and compounding operational risk.
“The issue of GNSS interference must be taken seriously. It cannot be overcome by traditional navigation techniques when GNSS receivers are ‘baked in’ to modern ships’ critical systems, including safety systems,” said Ivana-Maria Carrioni-Burnett, maritime captain and chair of the RIN Maritime Navigation Group. “These are no longer isolated incidents and pose a real risk to life: people, property and the environment. We must do more to safeguard our seas today and the shipping of tomorrow.”
“Despite measures to improve resistance to jamming, spoofing and other harassment measures, the threat is real and growing,” said Retired Commodore James Taylor OBE and fellow of the RIN advises. “And this threat is not only to positioning and navigation; it is to every part of every transport and navigation means and to every part of national infrastructure where timing is derived from space-based timing signals.”
The Royal Institute of Navigation will continue to work with report partners (GLA, IALA, Nautical Institute and others) and regulatory bodies to provide expert guidance to mitigate these issues, and to establish industry-wide adoption of solutions to this problem. RIN thanks National PNT Office for its support.
Tokyo-based satellite company ArkEdge Space Inc. has signed letters of intent with three international organizations to develop a PNT satellite network in low-Earth orbit (LEO).
The agreements with TrustPoint Inc., the Royal Institute of Navigation in the United Kingdom and FrontierSI aim to strengthen satellite-based PNT capabilities for civil, commercial and security applications.
The collaboration represents an early phase in ArkEdge Space’s effort to build international partnerships for PNT infrastructure. The company, which designs and operates small satellite constellations, said the project will focus on improving resilience of positioning and timing systems that support critical infrastructure.
The partners plan to examine policy frameworks and national PNT strategies as the project moves into a demonstration phase. ArkEdge Space said it will expand its network of international partners to support the development of space-based positioning systems.
“By working together, this collaboration represents an important step as we accelerate the development of resilient, trusted PNT capabilities that support critical infrastructure and informed decision-making worldwide,” ArkEdge Space CEO Takayoshi Fukuyo said.
In recent years, hostile actors have jammed or spoofed PNT services, demonstrating potential threats to key services. PNT can also be affected by natural events like solar flares from the sun.
The £155 million funding was announced Wednesday by Science Minister Lord Vallance at the Royal Institute of Navigation’s annual PNT Leadership Seminar, which brings together researchers, innovators and business leaders from across the sector.
The investment includes initial work to provide PNT that is independent of signals from satellites, making it harder to jam or spoof; PNT resilience at the National Physical Laboratory; and a new system to proactively monitor for threats to the UK’s PNT services.
The £155 million funding consists of:
£71 million to begin work on a UK National Enhanced Long-Range Navigation (eLoran) program, providing PNT across land, air and sea independent of signals from satellites, and hard to jam or spoof.
£68 million for further development of the National Timing Centre (NTC) program. The NTC is being delivered by the National Physical Laboratory to develop the UK’s first nationally distributed time infrastructure. As well as boosting resilience, it could help with innovative new uses of technologies like 5G, satellite communications, and self-driving vehicles.
£13 million for work on a UK GNSS interference monitoring program, to deliver a world-leading capability for the UK to monitor and react to threats to PNT signals, like jamming and spoofing.
£3 million for the Space-Based Time Transfer R&D program. This will develop the technology required to deliver global timing systems independent of GPS and other GNSS.
“Having resilient and enduring access to Position, Navigation and Timing Services is a critical part of life in today’s world, and a major plank in the UK’s national security,” Vallance said. “So many of the things we take for granted every day, from using our phones to planning a journey, simply couldn’t happen without it. The UK is a leader in this field, but in an uncertain world we cannot be complacent. The funding we are announcing today will ultimately help protect Britain from the risks posed to PNT, from both accidental outages and hostile acts, safeguarding everyone’s wealth and wellbeing.”
“Strengthening the UK’s PNT capabilities will give direction to our growing PNT industry, supporting the wider economy and national renewal, whilst cementing the UK’s position as a global PNT leader,” Vallance said.
Today’s news comes after a substantial year of progress for UK PNT. The government agreed to closer work with both the US and France around PNT resilience, as part of September’s UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal and July’s UK-France Summit.
DSIT published a Call for Evidence on PNT growth in June, seeking views on the PNT market and R&D landscape in the UK, as well as the barriers to market entry, commercialisation, and user adoption. We will publish a summary of our findings later this year.
The Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) Maritime Working Group is investigating GNSS jamming and spoofing in the maritime sector, starting with a survey. The survey is “aimed at anyone in the maritime sector who has experienced GNSS interference and who can provide us with further information on the impact that it is having,” the group stated.
Interference have been pervasive for years now in areas such as the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. In the Strait of Hormuz alone, almost 1,000 ships per day experience GNSS interference, impacting crew safety and the security of their cargo. Collisions and groundings are a very real threat, with the Frontier Eagle and MSC Antonia accidents being the most recent examples.
The RIN will be producing a report similar to the September 2024 OPSGROUP report that focused on GPS spoofing in the aviation sector.
RNT Foundation President Dana A. Goward was in London last week for a PNT Leadership Seminar. Here is his report.
In March 2021 the United Kingdom’s government told parliament that a national positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) strategy was to be published imminently.
Yet, in addition to the normal duties of running the world’s sixth largest economy, the last 20 months have been busy for the UK government: evolving issues with Brexit, more COVID, three prime ministers, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, financial crises… Small wonder that publishing a strategy to address a “not-right-now” concern hasn’t come to the top of the pile.
Royal Institute of Navigation Leadership Seminar
Yet PNT resilience is an incredibly important issue requiring long-term solutions. As a “learned society,” the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) has a duty to bring together professional expertise and educate the public on such important topics.
On Nov. 1, the RIN convened a UK PNT Leadership Seminar with “the UK’s leaders in government, industry, academia and key user communities.” Its goals were to not only highlight the economic benefits of resilient PNT leadership for the UK, but also to “develop a view of approaches, priorities and next steps.”
Attendees expressed a wide variety of concerns. These ranged from difficulties growing and retaining talent in the field, to a lack of understanding among the public and government about the essentiality of PNT to virtually every aspect of modern life.
There was general agreement that establishing a coherent and resilient PNT program in Britain would have dual benefits.
First, it would help protect the nation’s economy and national security. Malicious and natural threats to space-based PNT mean that complementary systems are needed to mitigate outages. A government sponsored study in 2017 estimated losses exceeding £5B during a five-day outage. The study’s authors conceded at the event that longer outages would realize much larger per day losses as infrastructure and systems increasingly suffered.
Action to mitigate disruption of space-based PNT was especially important for the UK, according to the concept paper, because “the sectors where the UK has the most value at risk from a loss of GNSS-provided PNT are precisely the sectors that lack adequate resilient backup options.”
Image: London Economics report
Economic Benefits of Resilience
Secondly, British PNT resilience would also have great positive benefit to the economy, especially if the UK established itself as a leader in the field. A concept paper prepared for the seminar by London Economics found that the value chain for the UK would include research and development, provision of PNT infrastructure, PNT module manufacturing, system integration,and application development.
Among the UK stakeholders most likely to benefit, according to the paper, were companies and institutions that were part of the value chain, along with user communities, government and the public overall.
Attendees and the London Economics concept paper agreed that consistent and focused government leadership was essential. Government must create the conditions and confidence to stimulate the whole ecosystem to deliver resilience and the associated economic benefits. In fact, the paper envisioned the government as an “anchor customer” for resilient PNT providers and device manufacturers. This idea echoed that expressed by representatives of PNT providers in the United States earlier this year. The need for government to protect itself with resilient PNT (thus becoming an anchor customer) was a primary theme during a PNT roundtable held by the U.S. Department of Transportation in August.
Getting Government’s Attention
Finding a way to communicate the importance of PNT and UK government leadership in a way that would generate action was another theme from seminar attendees. One panel member despaired the problem was “Little Susie hasn’t died yet.” It is hard to get government’s attention without a disaster of some sort. Another attendee suggested creating a video to increase public awareness thereby causing government to take notice and act.
Finding a high-profile champion was also discussed. An attendee told a story about a member of the royal family’s interest in quantum technologies, how that led to meetings with government, and establishment of the UK’s £1B quantum tech program. While several indicated this isn’t really a path RIN could use, a combination of personal connections or celebrity with the ability to “tell the story” can be very helpful.
Parliament also Concerned
Just three days after the RIN event, the UK government’s leadership of resilient PNT efforts was also formally criticized by Parliament.
It described PNT services as “key enablers of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors that underpin our national security and defence interests as well as a wide range of other economic activities…”
After reviewing testimony received by the committee the report made several important findings.
Regarding GPS and Galileo:
“The reliance on foreign systems is concerning due to the potential for the UK to be blocked from using them in the future. Reliance on space-based systems is also not advisable as these can be disrupted through jamming attacks or adverse space weather. The loss of PNT services would be detrimental to the UK, with power distribution, financial transactions, and transport systems all seriously affected, and the UK’s national security put at severe risk.”
Commenting on the UK government’s efforts with OneWeb:
“We are concerned that the Government seems to be progressing towards plans to use OneWeb’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to provide PNT services in the future, despite suggestions from experts that there are many technical issues…”
And the Science and Technology Committee is not alone in Parliament being concerned with the nation’s lack of progress on PNT. In its October 2022 report “Defence Space: through adversity to the stars” the House of Commons Defence Committee said:
“Given the vital need for a resilient PNT network both for defence and for other aspects of critical national infrastructure we are deeply concerned by the complacent attitude towards PNT within government, and by the seemingly low priority which the MOD [Ministry of Defense] attaches to this work. Government must publish the conclusions of the SBPP and should set out a clear timetable for producing and taking forward the UK’s PNT strategy in its response to this report.”
‘Move PNT in Government above the Department Level’
Expressing the utmost frustration, last week’s report from the Science and Technology Committee recommended reassigning responsibility for PNT to a higher level of government than where it is positioned now.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is the ministry currently responsible for publishing and implementing the long-delayed PNT Strategy.
The committee said that this long delay is evidence the ministry is “…refusing to commit to the critical action that needs to be taken.”
It also said:
“…we believe the responsibility for PNT should lie outside of any one department. The Government should establish the National Security Adviser (NSA) as having overall responsibility for the UK’s access to secure PNT capabilities. The NSA should ensure that the importance of developing secure PNT systems is understood throughout Government and take responsibility for developing a programme and budget for the work that needs to be carried out.”
UK Cross-Government PNT Office
For now, there is no evidence the UK government will adopt Parliament’s recommendation to move responsibility for PNT to the National Security Adviser.
However, BEIS has created a cross-government PNT effort to address the nation’s needs. Attendees at the RIN seminar reported that the team is staffed with representatives from several departments, including the MOD.
Seminar attendees said that PNT is getting to be MOD’s highest space-based priority. While not in a position to lead, Defence was strongly supporting cross-government efforts.
The Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) has issued a call for papers for the Navigation 2021 conference.
The conference, which as of now will be held virtually Nov. 15-18, 2021, will bring together experts from industry, research institutions, government agencies and investors whose primary goal is to work together for a more navigable world, RIN said. Conference themes will include PNT systems and technology, robust PNT, PNT applications, animal and human navigation, and navigation in society.
The November 2021 event will unite two established conferences: the International Navigation Conference and the European Navigation Conference.
RIN is accepting papers in the following categories:
Peer-reviewed: Abstracts and, if accepted, papers will be peer reviewed and published to be indexed and searchable. Presentations will be invited in a parallel technical session at the conference.
Presentation: Abstracts will be reviewed and, if accepted, submitters will be invited to present their work in a parallel session at the conference.
Poster: Abstracts will be reviewed and, if accepted, posters will be displayed in the exhibition hall. RIN plans to encourage delegate interaction through poster presentations during the networking sessions.
The best peer-reviewed papers will be invited to submit for consideration to be published in the Journal of Navigation, RIN added.
Navigation 2021 will take place as a virtual conference. According to RIN, it will review the situation in 2021 and if possible run an in-person element to compliment the conference.
The 1,174 page set of reports are comprehensive and document the first phase of what is intended as a multi-phase effort.
Graphic: RIN and RNTF
The webinar will present how maritime positioning requirements were systematically developed; an assessment of current and future positioning systems to deliver the required performance and integrity; rigorous gap analysis, showing where performance falls short, as well as options to solve these issues; and a roadmap of steps needed to take — and by whom — toward maritime resilient positioning.
Webinar speakers will include Jonathan Turner of the MarRINav project team, Alan Grant of the Royal Institute of Navigation and Dana Goward of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.
“Diverse teams bring diverse ideas to the table, and that’s the best way to progress.”
So said Professor Sheila Rowan, the UK government’s chief scientific advisor to Scotland, opening the Royal Institute of Navigation’s 2019 International Navigation Conference. Professor Rowan’s comments set the scene perfectly. Success in navigation is no longer about just getting a fix, or even an accurate fix. To succeed as a system or application provider, diversity and collaboration are key, whether it be multiple disciplines and the skills that go with them, or a mix of ages, beliefs and backgrounds. So, what were some key messages to emerge from four days of working together?
John Pottle opens the 2019 International Navigation Conference sponsored by the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN). (Photo: RIN)
More practical help for non-experts wanting to improve resilience in positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) is needed. The top request from delegates at the pre-conference short course was for more detailed and specific information on threats to PNT. Of particular interest were how to measure the impacts and test the merits of various mitigation approaches. In other words: how to assess risk? How to decide what steps to take?
User acceptance and regulatory/legal structures for driverless vehicles are greater challenges than the positioning and communications technology. In the UK and across Europe, projects are under way to evaluate good practices for so-called “beyond line of sight” drone flights. For driverless cars, while huge strides have been taken to enable secure and resilient absolute and relative positioning, much remains to be done. Practical issues were highlighted, such as over-cautious vehicles and a tendency for driverless cars to make occupants feel more travel sick. So work needs to be done to avoid a stressfully slow and sickly experience.
Skills and knowledge are changing — and education/training needs to, too. A major developed-world problem is that the experts with experience who have seen generation after generation of technology evolution are now in their later careers or retired. Because of the wealth of knowledge vested in these individuals — we can all think of some, I’m sure — organizations have tended to over-rely on them. A key theme of the conference closing plenary was that the community wants to do more to collaborate — that word again — to define training needs and figure out how to deliver the skills that are needed today and tomorrow.
The next couple of years bring fewer, bigger navigation conferences in Europe. The European Navigation Conference (ENC) 2020 takes place in Dresden, May 11–14, organized by the German Institute of Navigation, DGON. ENC2021 will be combined with the triennial global congress of the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN), Nov. 15–18, 2021, in Edinburgh, organized by the Royal Institute of Navigation.
Please save the dates — joining these events is rewarding and stimulating as we work together toward a more navigable world.
John Pottle is director of the Royal Institute of Navigation.
UPDATE: The search was called off on Tuesday afternoon. Additional information is available in this Evening Standard article.
David Last (Photo: @harriethallphoto via Dana Goward)
Just before 13:00 GMT on Nov. 25, a private plane piloted by David Last, former president of the Royal Institute of Navigation, disappeared from radar and hit the sea approximately two miles off the coast of Wales.
On-going search and rescue efforts have recovered pieces of wreckage and personal effects.
“Last was one of the most respected and well-loved figures in the worldwide positioning, navigation, and timing community. His loss creates a hole that cannot be filled,” said Dana Goward, president of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation. “David was a close personal friend. Our grieving will not be brief.”
According to BBC News, the search for the missing plane and its pilot off the Welsh coast resumed on Nov. 26. North Wales Police said the light aircraft was flying from Caernarfon Airport to the Great Orme, Llandudno, and back on Monday when it disappeared. There were no other passengers and officers were supporting the missing pilot’s family.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the search has resumed around Puffin Island, near Penmon, Anglesey. A plane carrying a sonar technology camera is searching the area as well as a lifeboat, helicopter and coastguard teams on foot.
David Last was a U.K. consultant engineer specializing in radio navigation and communications systems, professor emeritus at the University of Bangor, Wales, and past president of the Royal Institute of Navigation.
He also was a member of the expert panel and co-author of the January 2018 Blackett Report.
The Royal Institute of Navigation: International Navigation Conference will take place Nov. 18-21 at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in Edinburgh, U.K.
Navigation and Societal Benefits: From Animals to Autonomy
The International Navigation Conference (INC) offers a unique format, with keynotes morning and afternoon each day, to set the scene for the more in-depth session papers.
Resilient position and precise time are enabling the modern world. INC enables sharing of knowledge and experience to maximize the potential and positive impact of the industry.
Plus:
Pre-INC Training Seminar: Securing Positioning and Timing
On Monday, Nov. 18, RIN is offering a one-day short course to build understanding of satellite navigation vulnerabilities and threats, plus steps to toughen and augment systems.
At INC, technology, system and application experts meet with cognitive neuroscientists, human factors, legal, ethical and regulatory experts. Participants feed insights from RIN’s world-leading animal navigation forum and conference, offering insights, perspective and contacts to improve attendees impact and effectiveness.
INC creates value by bringing disciplines together to share knowledge, perspectives and insights. The RIN strives to make INC an enriching experience for all delegates, with a program designed to include plenty of time for networking, including social events on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
RIN aims for each delegate to leave INC with new insights, ideas and contacts.
Session Themes
Autonomy and Innovations in Robotics
Animal Navigation
Resilient PNT
Neuroscience and Cognition
Human Factors and Wayfinding
Innovation: Integrated Sensors and Indoor Navigation
Innovation: Artificial Intelligence
Innovative Navigation Solutions
User Sector Updates: CNI and Maritime
Scottish-led Innovation in Positioning, Navigation and Timing
Drone Regulation and Protection
UK Space and GNSS
For more information, including the programme and keynote speakers, visit the event website.
John Pottle, director of the Royal Institute of Navigation, announced the release of the organization’s Resilient PNT Portal.
“It’s widely understood that satellite navigation has vulnerabilities,” Pottle said. “What is less well understood is how to assess risks and what steps to take to achieve a robust solution, appropriate to the application.
“This resource portal for resilient positioning, navigation and timing brings together key information — background context, risk assessment approaches, data on actual reported events, and guidance on mitigation strategies. The various standards and best practices notes for different sectors have also been included.”
The portal, available at https://rin.org.uk/page/ResilientPNT, has sections devoted to vulnerabilities and impacts, risk assessment, disruptions and reported problems, guidelines and standards, and general guidance.
“Our aim is to enable improved knowledge and thereby build expertise and understanding, in line with the Royal Institute of Navigation’s core objectives,” Pottle said.
The page includes a feedback form to make suggestions or ask questions. Users can also use the form to register for email updates as new information is added.
“We have ideas to improve and add to this resource through 2019 — for example, we are currently working on a white paper discussing various practical steps to mitigate common vulnerabilities,” Pottle said.
He added that the organization welcomes feedback and that there is a feedback link on the website.
