Image: CoPilot AI
What’s new: The UK government has contracted for development of a Resilient PNT Standard. The entity doing the work is a spin off of the Royal Institute of Navigation.
Why it’s important: Standards are essential because words mean things. It is very difficult turning words like “resilience” into hardware and software. Agreements on definitions are standards against which systems and equipments can be measured. They are absolutely essential for communications, compliance, compatibility, interoperability, certification, etc.
What else to know:
- The project scope and definition is admittedly a bit vague at this point. RIN CEO Ramsey Faragher says in a LinkedIn post “The first job of our standards committee will be to agree on its scope and aims, but my inception point for the standard is that it will concentrate on safety critical applications within all Critical National Infrastructure, and will likely focus on the correct use of radio-based sources of PNT.” – A good start IOHO.
- Interestingly, there is more to come. Also from Ramsey’s post “This project is also part of a larger programme of activity led by the UK Government, and more information on this will be announced in due course.”
- The UK project, or at least this contract, is scheduled to end 30 July 2029.
- Since 2021 the U.S. has had a standard for resilient PNT user equipment underway with IEEE’s P1952. A number of reps from different receiver manufacturers are on the development committee. We have heard that work has progressed slowly at times. Its six year term is set to expire 31 December 2027.
Award
Development of New National PNT Resilience Standards
- Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
UK5: Transparency notice – Procurement Act 2023 – view information about notice types
Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-090922
Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-077a5b
Published 25 September 2026, 11:39am
https://rin.org.uk/page/RPNT_Standards
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090922-2026#supplier_0
Description
The Development of New National PNT Resilience Standards project is a three-year programme (FY 2026/27-2028/29) to design, develop and publish the UK’s first formal standard for resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT)
