Ultra-accurate timing solutions
Time distribution, or the act of synchronising a network of clocks over one or more buildings using a master clock, is an essential infrastructure to our digital world. For example, the global financial sector depends on ultra-accurate time distribution to monitor trading networks and to ensure that all co-located trading participants have fair and equal access to the trading network. Providing this time distribution are initiatives like the EU-funded WORLDTIMING II project, which uses optical fibres to distribute ultra-accurate and traceable timing based on Galileo System Time (GST). As all global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – including Galileo, GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou – rely on measuring the time of arrival of radio signals propagation, each has its own time reference from which all elements of the space, control, and user segments are time synchronised. For Europe’s Galileo GNSS programme, that time reference is GST. “The WORLDTIMING II project extends the Galileo surface segment by using telecom operators’ existing optical fibre lines so the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and national metrology institutes (NMIs) can provide Time as a Service (TaaS) to key financial facilities around the world,” says project researcher Dr Trinidad García. “Additionally, we provide a backup solution for Galileo GNSS receivers that is resilient and secure against jamming and spoofing attacks.” A white rabbit that’s never late The WORLDTIMING II solutions are based on the White Rabbit Precision Time Protocol (WR PTP). “WR PTP is an innovative technology capable of providing an unprecedented level of precision,” explains García. “From a technical perspective, the long-distance WR PTP solution for ultra-accurate time distribution is the most important technical outcome of our project.” According to García, WR PTP has already achieved sub-nanosecond synchronisation values with 100 ps jitter in a versatile and interoperable way and with the ability to adapt to multiple network infrastructures. Thanks to this level of synchronisations, financial markets are better able to comply with such transparency regulations as the EU’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II. “The number of stock exchanges piloting our long-distance solution has tripled, with Deutsche Börse having fully implemented the White Rabbit solution,” says García. WR PTP is based on the White Rabbit project, an initiative carried out by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, and other industrial and academic partners with the aim of achieving the accuracy levels required by the most ambitious physics experiments – including WORLDTIMING II. “As such, WORLDTIMING II is a clear example of technology transfer within the European space,” adds García. A global leader in timing solutions Seven Solutions, the project’s lead partner and the company charged with marketing the WORLDTIMING II solutions, has already contracted with distributors in North America, Europe, and Asia. “Thanks to the support received from the EU, we were able to open new branches and penetrate the important Asian and North American markets,” says García. “We are very proud of the fact that an SME from the south of Europe has been able to become a global leader in ultra-accurate timing solutions.”
Keywords
WORLDTIMING II, time distribution, Galileo System Time, GST, global navigation satellite systems, GNSS, Galileo, Time as a Service, TaaS, White Rabbit Precision Time Protocol, WR PTP
