The NPL has released its upgraded Network Time Protocol (NTP) service – a big step towards strengthening the UK’s national timing infrastructure.
The new NTP guidance is part of the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, a major project from NPL to establish the UK’s first nationally distributed timing infrastructure. The NTC programme supports innovation across technologies including 5G and 6G communications, smart cities, satellite navigation and autonomous systems.
NTP works by allowing computers to synchronise their internal clocks with a trusted external source, ensuring accurate timestamping of digital events, from sending emails to saving files. Without regular synchronisation computer clocks can drift significantly, leading to errors and vulnerabilities in time-sensitive systems.
NTP was originally developed in the 1980s and has evolved into a robust protocol used by most operating systems and networks across many industry sectors. NPL’s updated guidance outlines best practices for implementing NTP securely and reliably, including the use of authentication and hardware timestamping for improved accuracy.
NPL previously operated two independent NTP servers and now operates five servers from three different locations in the UK, which helps to enhance resiliency. These servers are synchronised to atomic clocks at NPL and are classified as stratum 1 servers which are directly linked to primary reference sources offering a robust, ground-based alternative to satellite signals. The new secure NTP service is being delivered using the resilient infrastructure of the existing NPLTime® service. NPLTime® has been providing a commercial service to the finance and other sectors for the past seven years.
“Precise and resilient timekeeping is fundamental to the UK’s digital infrastructure,” said Dr Leon Lobo, head of the NTC, “This updated service reflects our commitment to supporting the reliability and security of essential systems we depend on, technological innovation and economic growth.”
The project was funded by the UK Government’s Integrated Security Fund and delivered in collaboration with the National Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Office at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Find more information on NPL’s updated NTP service and the National Timing Centre programme.