ADVA aPNT+ platform defends critical network infrastructure from cyber threats

ADVA announced that it has responded to calls from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to protect critical infrastructure from the growing danger of GNSS vulnerabilities and cyber threats to positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services with the launch of its aPNT+ platform.

This scalable solution meets all the latest guidelines for resilient PNT and is the industry’s most complete offering. It provides end-to-end control and timing network visibility for the most robust protection available against the catastrophic risks that PNT disruption poses to national security and essential assets such as power grids.

“Cyber threats are at an all-time high. At the same time, the infrastructure that our economies and lives depend on has never been more reliant on weak and highly vulnerable satellite signals. That’s why the US DHS and NIST are driving for PNT services to be more resilient and for network operators to implement strategies to counteract the vulnerabilities of GPS and other GNSS systems, including in-network PTP timing feeds.

“Our trusted aPNT+ platform is the definitive response. Being open and scalable, it offers an end-to-end range of cost-effective solutions and the industry’s most comprehensive features for augmented resilience, robustness and cybersecurity,” said Gil Biran, general manager, Oscilloquartz, ADVA. “For industries and governments, timing is now a critical service in need of urgent protection. Our aPNT+ platform will be the cornerstone of the most effective defense in depth strategies.”

Governments worldwide have issued guidelines to protect businesses and society from disruption to PNT services, including US Executive Order 13905, which was followed by the DHS Resilient PNT Conformance Framework and NIST Cybersecurity Framework for PNT Profile. The guidelines urge operators to swiftly implement technologies and measures to safeguard vital infrastructure.

Based on these, ADVA has integrated an intelligent and scalable aPNT platform into its product portfolio. Even without GPS or GNSS timing, the solution provides an intelligent, end-to-end self-recovery system designed around a threefold framework. Integrating sophisticated multi-layer detection, multi-source backup and multi-level fault-tolerant mitigation, it delivers the highest levels of resilience, robustness and cybersecurity.

This is a new standard for assured PNT services, integrating not only the DHS framework’s four levels of PNT resilience but also providing enhanced level four resilience, the highest level for trusted PNT services assurance.

“Our aPNT+ platform will be invaluable for any critical infrastructure with a crucial dependence on PNT services. With our wide-ranging product portfolio, it offers all the building blocks to create an end-to-end solution, including advanced cesium clocks, our extensive family of PTP grandmasters from core to miniature, and our innovative sync assurance application,” said Nino De Falcis, senior director, business development, Oscilloquartz, ADVA.

“From transportation to national defense, from energy to finance, today’s industries need to take action against the enormous risk to lives and livelihoods that reliance on PNT represents. Now there’s a new trusted way to prevent, respond and recover PNT services against disruption with our comprehensive aPNT+ solution.”