PNT Is the UK’s Quiet Dependency — and Its Resilience Can No Longer Be Assumed

By any measure, Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) is one of the UK’s most critical yet least visible national dependencies. It underpins how we move people and goods, synchronise telecommunications, trade in financial markets, manage energy networks, and support national security. Yet for all its importance, PNT resilience remains uneven and fragmented, perhaps because it is often poorly understood.

That gap in understanding is no longer sustainable.

Today, NLA International Ltd launches the SPARK Report (Supporting the UK Public Sector in PNT Awareness, Research and Knowledge), a major new study designed to improve clarity in the UK’s PNT landscape and to support more resilient, informed decision-making across government and industry.

Funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) through its Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP), and supported by the UK Space Agency (UKSA), SPARK reflects a growing recognition that PNT resilience is not a niche technical concern, but a matter of national infrastructure resilience.

SPARK describes the broad technology landscape for non-specialists — including policymakers, infrastructure owners, and procurement teams.

The report maps the full spectrum of PNT technologies relevant to the UK, from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and terrestrial alternatives, to advanced sensor fusion, next-generation systems, and emerging quantum approaches.

The report is published in two parts. SPARK Part 1 examines existing and emerging PNT services and how they are used across sectors. SPARK Part 2 provides a global comparative review of Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS), highlighting how accuracy, integrity, and resilience are being enhanced internationally — and what this means for UK users.

Together, they place the UK’s PNT choices in a global context, while remaining firmly grounded in domestic needs and constraints.

The SPARK Report is not an endpoint. It is a reference point — intended to inform strategy and policy, guide investment, and support practical action. As pressures on national infrastructure continue to grow, our focus on understanding PNT dependencies and resilience must sharpen.

Read the SPARK Report: https://nlai.blue/page-2025/our-latest-reports/