Are your GNSS systems ready for solar maximum? Here’s how to strengthen resilience against solar weather

Are your GNSS systems ready for solar maximum? Here's how to strengthen resilience against solar weather

There's a risk to GNSS systems that many might overlook - not from jamming, spoofing or criminal groups, but from the sun itself. As we approach the solar maximum in 2025, the peak of the sun's 11-year cycle, the sun will release increased amounts of charged plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These powerful solar events can disturb the ionosphere, where GNSS signals travel, causing interference that affects industries reliant on precise positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) data. Sectors like telecommunications, finance, defense and transportation, which depend on GNSS for critical operations, face heightened vulnerabilities. As solar flare activity intensifies, it's crucial for PNT-reliant infrastructure to prepare for these space weather threats.

How solar weather affects GNSS

CMEs create disturbances in the ionosphere, the atmospheric layer through which GNSS signals pass. These disturbances cause delays or degradations in signal accuracy, particularly for single-band receivers. Industries that rely on GNSS for ultra-precise timing - such as 5G networks, which require synchronization within 40 nanoseconds to ensure continuous operation, or financial services, which depend on accurate time-stamping - are especially at risk during these solar events.

Solar activity will continue to surge, possibly until 2026, making it crucial to upgrade your infrastructure before disruptions occur.Boosting resilience with multi-band GNSS receivers

While solar flares affect GNSS signals across all frequency bands, multi-band receivers offer a solution by correcting ionospheric delays. These delays occur when charged particles from CMEs interfere with GNSS signals, but multi-band technology can measure and compensate for these disruptions by accessing multiple satellite frequencies, such as L1, L2 and L5. Oscilloquartz multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS receivers are designed to mitigate these risks, ensuring continuous and reliable service during heightened solar activity. In addition to addressing solar weather, our assured PNT (aPNT+™) technology detects and blocks jamming and spoofing attempts, providing multi-layer protection for critical infrastructure.

Resilient timing for critical infrastructure

Today's critical infrastructure, including 5G, requires precise synchronization for time-sensitive applications like time division duplexing. To meet these demands, the PTP grandmaster clock must provide PRTC-B level performance, maintaining accuracy within 40 nanoseconds of UTC. This often requires a multi-band GNSS receiver to ensure resilience against interference.

Act now to strengthen your GNSS systems

Solar activity will continue to surge, possibly until 2026, making it crucial to upgrade your infrastructure before disruptions occur. It's also worth remembering that CMEs can affect GNSS signal quality at any time, regardless of solar maximum. Keeping informed about space weather and planning your backup strategies is crucial. Consider upgrading to multi-band receivers to protect your systems as we head toward solar maximum.

For more information on how to enhance the resilience of your GNSS-dependent systems, explore our Oscilloquartz aPNT+™ portfolio.