Top five trends for assured PNT in 2026

GNSS has become a single point of failure for sectors such as finance, telecoms, defense and power grids. Spoofing, jamming and space weather now routinely disrupt signal accuracy, exposing operators to real operational and security risks. In response, the DHS Resilient PNT Conformance Framework, the NIST PNT Profile and new IEEE standards are pushing networks toward stronger timing resilience. That’s why 2026 marks the point where assured PNT shifts from specialist deployments to a core design requirement.

Here are the five trends that will shape assured PNT:

1) GNSS authentication goes mainstream

GNSS signals are vulnerable to spoofing and meaconing, creating risks for critical infrastructure. In 2025, Galileo’s OSNMA authentication moved from concept to deployment, and Oscilloquartz became the first vendor to integrate OSNMA into its timing portfolio. This cryptographic layer ensures operators can trust satellite data before it enters the network, reducing exposure to timing attacks.

Prediction: GNSS authentication will become a default requirement in 2026, with our grandmasters leading adoption through OSNMA-enabled receivers and Syncjack™ integrity monitoring.

2) Terrestrial and LEO timing layers become standard

GNSS alone is no longer enough. Operators are adding terrestrial and low-Earth-orbit (LEO) timing sources to maintain resilience indoors and in GNSS-denied environments. Services like Iridium® Satellite Time and Location (STL), together with fiber-based timing and other complementary signals, are emerging as key alternatives, delivering secure timing over diverse paths. We’ve already validated STL integration in our aPNT+™ architecture, and we’re designing solutions to incorporate additional terrestrial and 5G-based timing services as they emerge.

Prediction: Multi-source timing will become a baseline expectation in 2026, with our solutions fusing GNSS, STL and terrestrial sources for zero-trust timing continuity.

3) Optical cesium holdover scales up

Extended holdover is critical when GNSS fails for days or weeks. Our optical cesium clocks deliver industry-leading stability, and recent portfolio expansions introduced lower-cost variants and short-term stability upgrades. These innovations make ePRTC-class resilience accessible to more operators, ensuring timing continuity for 5G, defense and utilities.

Prediction: Optical cesium will move beyond niche deployments to widespread adoption in 2026, with Oscilloquartz clocks anchoring national networks and Tier-1 operator deployments.

4) White Rabbit precision gains traction

Ultra-precise timing is no longer limited to labs. White Rabbit, an extension of IEEE 1588, enables sub-nanosecond synchronization across fiber networks. We now offer White Rabbit as a license-based software feature on our grandmasters, eliminating the need for dedicated hardware. This capability is vital for finance, AI-driven data centers and scientific networks.

Prediction: White Rabbit will become a standard option for high-accuracy environments in 2026, with Oscilloquartz timing platforms delivering scalable precision timing without hardware complexity.

5) Sovereign time systems gain momentum

Governments and Tier-1 operators are investing in sovereign timing infrastructures to maintain UTC traceability even during GNSS outages. Our Time Scale System combines atomic clocks, GNSS comparators and fiber timing to create national-scale resilience. These systems ensure compliance, security and independence from single-source vulnerabilities.

Prediction: Sovereign time initiatives will accelerate globally in 2026, with Oscilloquartz enabling countries to build robust, GNSS-resilient timing ecosystems.

Why 2026 will be the tipping point for assured PNT

Operators across telecom, utilities, finance and defense increasingly understand that timing resilience is mission-critical. As networks become more distributed and services depend on precise synchronization, assured PNT moves from specialist capability to strategic necessity. These five trends show where the industry is heading and why 2026 will be the year layered resilience becomes standard practice.

Want to learn more about how Oscilloquartz delivers assured PNT with OSNMA authentication, multi-source timing, optical cesium and White Rabbit precision? Connect with our experts today or visit www.oscilloquartz.com.