Britain’s government unveiled a $196 million (about 155 million pounds) investment Wednesday to protect the nation’s positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services from growing threats including deliberate jamming, spoofing and natural disruptions, reinforcing the UK’s determination to lead global efforts in resilient PNT technology.

The funding will establish independent backup systems that ensure essential services — from smartphone navigation to financial trading timestamps — remain operational even if satellite signals are lost or compromised. Government studies estimate a single day without PNT could cost the British economy up to $1.77 billion, a risk made starkly evident by GPS interference incidents linked to conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

In a statement from Science Minister Lord Vallance released at the Royal Institute of Navigation’s annual seminar, he declared: “Having resilient and enduring access to PNT services is a critical part of life in today’s world, and a major plank in the UK’s national security. The funding we are announcing today will ultimately help protect Britain from the risks posed to PNT, from both accidental outages and hostile acts, safeguarding everyone’s wealth and wellbeing.”

Of the total, $90 million will create the UK’s National Enhanced Long-Range Navigation (eLoran) system, delivering a powerful, ground-based alternative to GNSS across land, sea and air. Another $86 million will expand the National Timing Centre program, distributing ultra-precise clocks nationwide to support 5G networks, autonomous vehicles and satellite communications.

Additional allocations include $16 million for a world-first real-time GNSS interference monitoring network and $4 million for research into space-based timing systems that do not rely on traditional GPS. The package builds on recent UK agreements with the United States and France to strengthen international PNT resilience.

Industry groups welcomed the move, with the Royal Institute of Navigation and UKSpace praising Britain’s proactive commitment to maintaining technological sovereignty and safeguarding an invisible utility that underpins daily life and national security.