The Centre has commissioned a demonstration network using White Rabbit precision timing technology to distribute secure, tamper-resistant national time signals. According to reports from Business Standard, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the network at the Regional Reference Standard Laboratory (RRSL) in Bengaluru on Saturday. The joint project involves the Department of Consumer Affairs, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). As reported by NDTV Profit, the Union government stated that the network aims to cut India's reliance on foreign timing sources for critical infrastructure.
The system disseminates Indian Standard Time traceable to the national time-keeping authority UTC (NPLI) using Precision Time Protocol-based White Rabbit technology. As reported by Business Standard, this technology offers highly accurate synchronisation for critical sectors including banking, telecommunications, power grids, transportation, and digital governance. The ministry completed a verification test of secure time transmission between the Bengaluru laboratory and NSE's Chennai facility. According to NDTV Profit, the ministry confirmed that this high-precision synchronisation is essential for sectors requiring precise timing coordination.
Minister Joshi emphasized that a trusted, indigenous national time source represents a critical piece of digital infrastructure that will bolster consumer protection, support fair trade, strengthen cyber resilience and improve reliability of financial markets, telecommunications and power systems. According to NDTV Profit, Joshi had earlier visited ISRO's Bengaluru headquarters on July 16 to review progress on the wider Indian Standard Time Dissemination Project, which falls under the government's 'One Nation, One Time' initiative. The project reflects the government's push for technological self-reliance under its 'Viksit Bharat' development vision.
The ministry has collaborated with CSIR-NPL, ISRO, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), National Stock Exchange (NSE) and state-run telecoms operator BSNL for the project. As reported by Business Standard, Nidhi Khare, secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, stated that the initiative, combined with ongoing reforms to legal metrology rules, would strengthen consumer confidence, ease business operations and support India's digital transformation. The project aims to reduce India's dependence on foreign timing sources and position the country among leaders in precision time dissemination.
