Positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) powers much of the modern world — yet remains invisible. Until it snaps
If you’ve used a navigation system, you’ve likely noticed that it pulls information across three dimensions — position, navigation, and time. It tells you where an object is, if it’s moving or static, and the exact time when those attributes apply. This is called positioning, navigation, and timing or PNT.
From telecommunication to transportation, energy to agriculture, most modern industries rely on this technology for their day to day operations. PNT services work through satellite constellations that gather information and stream down data to GPS-enabled devices, such smartphones, global positioning systems (GPSs), weather apps, and so on.
Building blocks
PNT consists of three core concepts — positioning, which is the process of determining the exact location of an object; navigation or tracking and controlling the movement of the object; and time synchronization or the ability to acquire the precise time.
The satellites that pick up data about the location of objects or users make one half of the technology. The other half is made up of ground-based systems that are developed to work in conjunction with the satellites to fill gaps in coverage.
Here’s how it works. Satellite signals are inherently weak and vulnerable to interceptions, which means the technology must work in tandem with complementary technologies for higher accuracy, resiliency, and service continuity.
These include ground stations and augmentation systems that enhance the accuracy and reliability of the satellite data; navigation systems that track objects’ speed, coordinates, and orientation, and atomic clocks for syncing the time signals, allowing receivers to correctly determine the location of the object at any given time.
Applications in real world
PNT services are ubiquitous in our modern-day life. It is used to synchronize telephone calls, provide commuters directions from one place to another, timestamp financial transactions, and so on. Here are some prime PNT use cases that we see today.
- PNT primarily powers the navigation systems in cars, railways, aircrafts, drones, and ships. These systems use PNT services to transmit location data, logistics, and communication, ensuring safe navigation.
- Telecom is another essential sector that relies heavily on PNT. The service is used to sync up network signals with fixed base stations to establish connectivity.
- The agriculture industry is increasingly adopting PNT technologies like GPS and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to enable smart farming. Smart farming, at its heart, relies on centimeter-level precision, which only PNT systems can deliver. In recent years, it has elevated farming practices with automated and accurate data on weather conditions, machinery, and soil quality, leading to improved yield, reduced waste, and enhanced weather resilience of crops.
- PNT also forms the backbone of military communication and defense guidance. At the Precision Navigation and Timing Conference in Sydney, Lieutenant General Susan Coyle of the Australian Defense Force, rightly said, “PNT isn’t a subsystem. It is the invisible connective tissue that allows our joint, integrated, all-domain force to function. Without assured PNT, tempo slows, precision degrades and synchronisation fails,” while underlining the importance of ecosystem security.
- The PNT technology also plays an outsize role in optimizing infrastructure and resource management in smart cities. The technology has found heavy use in city planning, infrastructure monitoring, usage optimization of power and water, among other things.
- A critical utility in finance, PNT ensures precision through time-stamping that is required to trace, sync, and secure high-speed transactions and records. The time precision is essential for ensuring protection and compliance in financial systems.
Resilient PNT for economic and national security
Traditional PNT systems like GPS and GNSS do not work very well indoors — and are vulnerable to spoofing and jamming. Bad actors have used interference to carry out small manipulations like disabling equipment or appliances, to big ones like disrupting global transportation or seizing control of defense systems in war zones.
In recent years, rising cases of GPS interference have heightened concerns about the safety of critical infrastructure, driving a push for resilient PNT architectures and systems that are designed to withstand, mitigate, and recover from jamming and spoofing incidents. These systems will play a central role in ensuring security of critical infrastructure across aviation, defense, and finance.
The industry is joined in its efforts by organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security that have released frameworks to protect critical infrastructure from PNT interference. Side by side, the EU Agency for the Space Programme as well as several industry bodies are advocating for adoption of protective technologies and responsible use of PNT to safeguard the ecosystem.
During the Trump administration’s first term, an executive order issued in 2020 warned against the possible risks from PNT disruption.
It said, “the disruption or manipulation of these services has the potential to adversely affect the national and economic security of the United States. To strengthen national resilience, the Federal Government must foster the responsible use of PNT services by critical infrastructure owners and operators.”
Now considered an integral piece of the Golden Dome project, securing the PNT ecosystem has become a federal priority. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson, Brendan Carr, in a recent notice, urged stakeholders to develop new and resilient PNT solutions to up-level protection.
Conclusion
Today, PNT underpins critical infrastructures from emergency response to power grid operations. Future-proofing it must be made a priority to safeguard against potential compromises. As Dana Goward, founder of the charity called Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, says, the world will plunge into chaos if the GPS system has a blackout. The ripples will be felt across all areas, but transportation will be the first to get. And the first shockwaves will be felt through increased traffic jams and accidents.
