BANKING, FINANCIAL SERVICES & TRADING INDUSTRY
The Sertel PreciseSync-SMC-300 GPS NTP Time Server and PreciseSync-GMC-300 PTP Grandmaster Clock keep core banking platforms, trading engines, ATM networks and payment gateways synchronised to a single, satellite-traceable UTC reference. Every log, every order record and every settlement confirmation carries the same time, so disputes close faster, audits clear sooner and regulators always see a coherent picture.
<15 ns
GNSS-LOCK TIMING ACCURACY
<100 ns
PTP ACCURACY TO UTC
<1 µs
NTP TIMESTAMP AT THE SERVER
THE HIDDEN COST OF UNSYNCHRONISED CLOCKS
A bank, brokerage or trading house is not a single system. It is a layered mesh of core banking servers, payment switches, trading engines, risk platforms, ATM controllers and surveillance feeds, and every one of them stamps its own records with its own local clock.
Without a shared reference, a disputed NEFT transfer, a flagged algo order or a rejected payment can surface with three different timestamps for the same event across three different systems. Reconciling that sequence becomes a multi-day exercise instead of a same-shift resolution, and that gap is exactly what auditors, regulators and counterparties examine first.
Sertel built the PreciseSync-SMC-300 NTP Time Server and PreciseSync-GMC-300 PTP Grandmaster to remove that ambiguity from the source. A 184-channel multi-constellation GNSS receiver and a high-stability OCXO oscillator feed every protocol a financial institution already runs from a single rack-mounted appliance. Plug in the antenna, assign an IP address, and every connected system locks to UTC within minutes.
The problem
These are the failure patterns our engineers encounter most often while reviewing time infrastructure at banks, payment processors, broking houses and exchange members across India and the Gulf.
Reconciliation breakdowns after a disputed transaction
When the core banking server, the payment gateway and the fraud detection feed each log the same event with a different timestamp, dispute resolution stalls for days. Every hour spent debating sequence instead of resolving the claim has a direct operational and reputational cost.
Free-running clocks across a mixed IT infrastructure
Core banking servers, ATM switches, forex dealing platforms and access control logs each drift on their own local oscillator. A fraud investigation that should close the same day requires manually reconciling a dozen independent timelines rather than reading a single consistent log.
Regulatory and audit timestamp requirements without a traceable source
SEBI algorithmic trading rules, exchange co-location clock requirements and international clock synchronisation mandates expect business clocks traceable to UTC. A public internet NTP pool cannot provide that traceability to a regulator or an auditor when it is needed most.
Isolated trading and banking networks with no internal time authority
Exchange co-location racks, dealing room segments and core banking networks are kept off the public internet for security. Without an on-premise Stratum 1 source, every device inside those segments free-runs on an unverifiable clock with no audit trail.
The Sertel solution
Built around a 184-channel multi-constellation GNSS receiver tracking GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and NavIC-IRNSS across L1, L2 and L5 frequency bands, the PreciseSync series was designed for environments where general IT infrastructure and high-precision financial applications must share the same traceable clock. The NTP-based SMC-300 handles core banking servers, ATMs and branch networks. The PTP-based GMC-300 feeds trading engines and market data systems requiring sub-100 nanosecond precision. Both series are available as a standard 1U rack unit, a fully redundant Eurocard chassis and a compact DIN Rail module for panel-mounted installations.
Multi-constellation GNSS receiver
A 184-channel parallel-tracking receiver reads GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and NavIC-IRNSS across L1, L2 and L5 bands through a surge-protected antenna with lightning arrestor included. This multi-signal diversity means a rooftop installation at a dealing room or a data centre antenna penetration holds satellite lock even under degraded sky conditions.
Stratum 1 NTP and SNTP server (PreciseSync-SMC-300)
Serves NTP and SNTP clients with multicast and broadcast support across IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Core banking servers, ATM switches, payment gateways and workstation fleets all lock to one verified Stratum 1 source rather than queuing against a public pool with no audit traceability.
IEEE 1588v2 PTP grandmaster (PreciseSync-GMC-300)
One-step and two-step PTP with C37.238 Power Profile and ITU G.8265.1 Telecom Profile support delivers sub-100 nanosecond timestamp accuracy to trading engines, order management systems and market data feeds that need precision beyond what NTP alone can guarantee.
OCXO holdover for uninterrupted operation
A 10 PPB oven-controlled crystal oscillator holds the system clock in close alignment with UTC through a temporary GNSS signal outage. Trading desks, settlement systems and payment switches continue to receive a reliable time reference throughout the holdover period without any service interruption.
Fully redundant chassis (R variants)
The PreciseSync-SMC-300-R and PreciseSync-GMC-300-R provide full redundancy across GNSS receivers, master clocks, comparator units and dual power supplies. A tier-1 bank or clearing house that cannot tolerate any timing discontinuity during a component failure deploys these as its primary time authority.
DIN Rail, rack-mount and redundant chassis options
The compact DIN Rail variants (SMC-300-D and GMC-300-D) fit directly into server room control panels and network cabinets. The standard 1U units suit primary data centres and exchange co-location racks. All variants are managed through the Sertel Time Management Suite browser interface or the front-panel keypad.
Applications
Core banking and payment infrastructure
Aligns core banking servers, RTGS and NEFT payment switches, UPI transaction processors and ATM controllers to one UTC-traceable reference. Dispute resolution and transaction reconciliation use the same clock from front office to back office.
Algorithmic and high-frequency trading desks
PreciseSync-GMC-300 delivers sub-100 nanosecond PTP timestamps to order management systems, smart order routers and matching engine feeds, supporting the tight clock synchronisation that high-frequency strategies and exchange proximity hosting require.
Exchange co-location racks and broker trading floors
Provides an on-premise Stratum 1 NTP and PTP reference for co-location racks and isolated trading floor networks deliberately kept off the public internet for security. One unit serves every rack in the cage without requiring firewall exceptions or external network access.
Treasury, forex dealing rooms and fixed income desks
Keeps deal capture systems, rate distribution feeds, limit and risk engines and settlement platforms on a common, verifiable clock across multiple desks and time zones, so a post-trade query can be resolved against a single sequence of events.
Data centres and disaster recovery sites
Synchronises the primary data centre and the DR site to the same reference so a failover event does not introduce a timestamp gap in the transaction log. The redundant R variant eliminates the time server itself as a single point of failure across both sites.
Surveillance, access control and CISO operations
Aligns CCTV recording systems, access control logs and security operations centre tooling to the same transaction timeline. An incident review can correlate card swipe data, trade records and camera footage to the second without manual offset correction.
From our commissioning logs
During the review of a contested corporate RTGS transfer at a mid-size private bank, the transaction records from the core banking platform, the payment switch and the fraud monitoring system each showed a different timestamp for the same credit event. The spread was close to 380 milliseconds across three systems. Every system had been free-running on its own internal clock since the data centre was last refreshed, and the discrepancy only came to light when a dispute forced a side-by-side log comparison.
We deployed a PreciseSync-SMC-300 as the Stratum 1 NTP grandmaster on the data centre LAN and distributed NTP to the core banking servers, the payment switch cluster and the fraud platform. For the two front-office systems capable of using it, we enabled PTP. Within an hour, every device on the network was locked to within microseconds of UTC.
The next disputed transaction, three weeks later, was resolved within the same working session. With every log reading the same clock, the investigation became a matter of following the timeline rather than arguing about whether one existed at all. That is the practical value of a shared, disciplined time source: decisions made on facts, not on logs that cannot agree on when something happened.
Relevant products
Stratum-1 GNSS Time Server
A compact 19 inch rack PTP time server with OCXO holdover and 15 ns timing accuracy under GNSS lock. One unit feeds PTP Ethernet, IRIG-B, 1PPS and any number of slave clocks.
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Redundant Stratum 1 GNSS Time Server
Redundant GNSS receivers, master clocks, comparator and dual power supplies in a 2U or 3U Eurocard chassis. Built for substations and control rooms where time must never stop.
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Stratum-1 PTP Time Server, DIN Rail
A panel-mounted PTP time server that fits inside control cabinets without rack space. Delivers IRIG-B (AM) and PTP Ethernet from a multi-constellation GNSS receiver with OCXO holdover.
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Digital Display
A six-digit wall clock that pulls time straight from your NTP server over the existing Ethernet network. The everyday choice for offices, control rooms and production halls that already run a time server.
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Digital Display
Shows the current date in large LED digits, synchronised to the same NTP source as your clocks. Pair it with a time display at shift boards, gate houses and reception areas so logs and records never disagree.
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Digital Display
A compact three-character display that names the day of the week, driven by NTP. Useful on shop floors and in maintenance bays where weekly schedules and rotating shifts decide who works where.
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Digital Display
A 28-character, multi-row LED board that combines time and date with live plant values such as frequency, MW output or ambient temperature. Reads data over Ethernet, OPC or 4-20 mA and supports scrolling and flashing messages.
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Digital Display
Our largest standard time display, built for turbine halls, warehouses and assembly floors where staff read the clock from a distance. Accepts NTP, PTP, IRIG-B, RS-232, RS-485 or differential pulse input in a wall-mount housing.
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Digital Display
A small-character NTP clock sized for panel fronts, server racks and operator consoles. It brings the same synchronised time to close-range viewing points where a wall display would be oversized.
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Digital Display
A slave clock for sites that distribute time from a master clock rather than over the LAN. IRIG-B or differential pulse input on a multi-drop bus drives up to 300 displays within a 1 km radius, and one failed unit never stops the rest.
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MULTI-FREQUENCY · MULTI-CONSTELLATION GNSS
Multi-constellation GNSS reception for positioning, navigation and timing, with interfaces and configurations matched to the application.
Know moreFAQ
Talk to a Sertel field engineer about specifying PreciseSync-SMC-300 or PreciseSync-GMC-300 for your data centre, trading floor or branch network. We ship across India and the Gulf, configure on-site and back every deployment with full lifecycle support.
