The Importance of Time
Precise and traceable time is critical for numerous industries – from banks and high-frequency traders to broadcast and telecommunications. With NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse, you can meet the requirements set out in regulations such as Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiiFID II), and eliminate any risks associated with GNSS as a time source.
This service is being monitored and maintained 24/7 up to the point of network entry, therefore, making time directly traceable and certified to UTC at the point of provision. It delivers time, accurate to within one microsecond of UTC, allowing you to have full confidence in data timing with certifiable accuracy.
How NPLTime Certified®at Telehouse works
Unlike more traditional methods, NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse at Telehouse eliminates the need to rely on public internet or GPS antennas for time synchronisation.
Telehouse London Docklands customers can connect their rack directly to the NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse through a fibre cable to accept the time signal. This makes it much more secure and resilient, with fibre optic links eliminating vulnerabilities to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
Accuracy
The time service is delivered with a one microsecond SLA to UTC, ensuring synchronisation with all other users.
Security
Fibre optic links eliminate GNSS jamming, spoofing, urban canyon effects and solar storms to ensure resilience and security.
Availability
The solution is available to any sector, anywhere in the world where there is optical fiber.
Traceability
NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse is continuously monitored and maintained 24/7 up to the point of entry to your network.
NPLTime Certified® FAQs:
What is NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse?
NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse is a precise, reliable, and secure time service developed in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s National Measurement Institute. It provides a time signal accurate to within one microsecond of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), ensuring traceable and certified time synchronization for businesses. Telehouse is currently the only colocation provider in the UK offering direct access to NPLTime Certified® on-site, giving clients an unparalleled advantage in secure and accurate time services
How does NPLTime Certified® differ from traditional time synchronization methods?
Unlike traditional methods that rely on public internet or GPS antennas, NPLTime Certified® delivers time over dedicated fibre optic links. This eliminates vulnerabilities associated with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as jamming and spoofing, threats that have been increasingly observed in recent geopolitical events (e.g. GPS signal disruption recently in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region). By removing reliance on satellite-based timing, NPLTime Certified® offers a more secure, resilient, and tamper-resistant solution for organisations where time integrity is critical.
Who can benefit from using NPLTime Certified® at Telehouse?
While the service is particularly beneficial for the financial sector, especially for compliance with regulations like MiFID II, it also serves other industries. Broadcast media, gaming, content providers, IT, and cybersecurity sectors can leverage accurate time stamping for improved synchronization and enhanced security infrastructure. In addition to finance, sectors such as telecommunications, broadcast media, gaming, content delivery, cybersecurity, and Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) benefit from the assured accuracy and resilience of the service.
Is the NPLTime Certified® service dependent on GNSS signals?
No, the NPLTime Certified® infrastructure is completely independent of GNSS signals. The time source is the UK’s national time scale, UTC(NPL), disseminated over dark fibre links to service nodes, eliminating risks associated with GNSS vulnerabilities.
What level of accuracy does NPLTime Certified® provide?
The service delivers time accurate to within one microsecond of UTC. This high level of precision ensures confidence in data timing and supports compliance with stringent regulatory requirements.
How is the NPLTime Certified® service monitored and maintained?
The service is continuously monitored and maintained 24/7 by NPL and Telehouse, ensuring the time signal remains traceable and certified to UTC up to the point it is delivered to the customer's designated service demarcation (e.g. meet-me room or patch panel).
What infrastructure is required to connect to NPL Time Certified® at Telehouse?
Telehouse London Docklands customers can connect their rack directly to the NPLTime Certified® service feed through a fibre cable to accept the time signal. This is a passive optical feed, requiring no additional rack power, and eliminates the need for public internet or GPS antennas — enhancing both security and resilience.
How does NPLTime Certified® support regulatory compliance?
The service provides traceable and certified time synchronization, which is crucial for industries like finance that are subject to regulations such as MiFID II. With growing interest from regulators such as OFCom in sectors beyond finance, NPLTime Certified® helps ensure compliance with evolving industry standards by delivering time accurate to within one microsecond of UTC.
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