They say timing is everything. For data center operators, that’s always been true.

Proper and precise timing and synchronization are fundamental to the efficient and accurate exchange of information between data centers and across geographies. Imprecise timing can lead to data corruption, poor user experience, and even regulatory and legal violations. For example, inaccurate time stamping is in direct conflict with many countries’ financial trading laws.

Resilience and security are equally important. The data center industry is a favorite target among hackers, who can easily spoof a GPS signal and provide users with false transaction information that can cause significant damage. To fortify against cybercrime, data center operators must do everything possible to ensure the timing and location of the transactions that occur within and between their facilities.

Traditionally, data centers have relied on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems like the US-operated GPS, other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as Europe’s Galileo, or terrestrial options for their timing and resiliency needs. While these are major PNT sources, they also have drawbacks. GPS and GNSS signals, for example, cannot penetrate the thick walls of many data centers and lack advanced cryptography, making them susceptible to signal interference, jamming, and hackers’ spoofing techniques. Meanwhile, terrestrial transmitters or fiber optics might not be available in remote or rural environments where many data centers are located.

Therefore, operators must consider implementing complementary technology that provides dependable backup when traditional PNT signals are degraded, denied, or deceived. Satellite Time and Location (STL) services are an ideal option.

The benefits of STL for data centers

STL is a PNT system, but it can reach places where solutions like GPS/GNSS and others are unable to penetrate. For instance, STL provides a signal that’s up to 1,000 times stronger than GPS, allowing transmissions to reach indoors. Its signal strength makes it less susceptible to jamming and eliminates the need for an outdoor antenna, which can be impractical to install.

Unlike GPS, STL signals are cryptographically protected. They’re more difficult to spoof or mislead, which helps ensure that timing-based operations are trustworthy, accurate, and true. Signals are also traceable to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and can be used in conjunction with a Primary Reference Clock (PRC) to make sure that all transactions are timed correctly.

STL also works in areas where terrestrial PNT systems cannot. Terrestrial systems are typically found in urban areas, but STL signals are geographically agnostic and can serve data centers in cities, suburbs, and in remote locations.

The role the level of orbit plays in precise timing and reliable communications

The level of orbit is another differentiator between typical PNT systems and STL. Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite constellations that provide GPS/GNSS signals usually orbit the planet at an altitude of up to 22,000 kilometers. Conversely, STL systems operate on a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) path, orbiting the planet at a much closer altitude of just 780 kilometers.

The difference in distance is important for maintaining accurate timing and faster and more reliable communications. First, the shorter distance increases signal strength, allowing signals to pass into places that GPS cannot reach. Second, closer proximity to the Earth means a shorter time for signals to reach their destination, making for speedier transmissions.

The speed at which LEO satellites travel is also a key point. Relative to a user on the ground, LEO satellites travel from horizon to horizon in about six to eight minutes, compared to MEO satellites which may take six to eight hours. This faster speed helps improve availability in occluded environments and helps mitigate certain error sources, such as multipath signal interference that can occur when GPS signals arrive at receivers through different pathways.

Finally, LEO satellites are less susceptible to space events that can disrupt positioning and timing. Their low orbit protects them from disturbances like solar storms or surface charging, effectively shielding them from unforeseen factors that could impact data center operations.

A complement to GPS

None of this is meant to imply that data center operators should only consider using STL for PNT. After all, relying on any single technology would still result in a single point of failure. Furthermore, PNT-dependent systems have a broad range of performance requirements and operational characteristics that no one system can hope to satisfy.

Rather, an effective PNT approach should include multiple technologies, including GPS/GNSS and STL. For example, operators can elect to use GPS as their primary signal source and STL as a backup in case GPS isn’t available. Or they could choose to make STL their primary option and GPS or another GNSS-class system as support.

Indeed, a complementary approach is what the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommends. In its PNT Conformance Framework, the DHS wrote that “higher levels of resilience will need to draw on multiple sources” and urged critical infrastructure purveyors to implement “resilience through diversity.”

Data centers are certainly one of the country’s most important forms of critical infrastructure. As such, operators must consider bolstering their PNT efforts with STL. It’s a complementary, highly effective, and readily available technology that supports accurate and secure positioning and timing when other PNT solutions are either compromised or unavailable.