Furuno to Launch New Receiver to Simplify High-Precision Timing

2026-07-28 companies

Nishinomiya, Tuesday, 28 July 2026.
Launching in November 2026, Furuno’s new receiver delivers high-precision, carrier-grade timing to critical infrastructure using a simple screw-mount design that completely eliminates complex circuit board soldering.

Bridging the Gap in High-Precision Timing Integration

On July 27, 2026, Japanese electronics manufacturer Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO: 6814) officially announced the upcoming release of its new industry-standard Receiver Carrier Board (RCB) GNSS timing receiver, designated as model RCB-100 [3][4][7]. Headquartered in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan, and led by President Yukio Furuno, the company is scheduled to launch this hardware solution in November 2026 [3][4][7]. The RCB-100 is designed to deliver carrier-grade, base-station-quality time synchronization and robust interference resilience directly to critical infrastructure applications [1][2][3]. This upcoming release addresses a critical challenge for equipment manufacturers who require high-precision timing but lack the extensive resources or volume to design custom high-frequency radio frequency (RF) circuits [3][7].

Leveraging Established Infrastructure Expertise

Furuno Electric, which was established in 1951, has grown into a major player in the electronics sector, boasting consolidated sales of 140,616 million JPY, capital of 7,534 million JPY, and 3,411 consolidated employees as of the press release date [4]. To highlight the scale of its operations, the company generates approximately 41.224 million JPY in consolidated sales per employee [4]. Historically, the company’s GT-100 series GNSS receiver modules have earned a strong track record in the telecommunications infrastructure and base station markets [1][3]. However, integrating these high-performance surface-mount modules into hardware platforms typically demands complex engineering, including dedicated RF layout designs, precise antenna system planning, and specialized printed circuit board (PCB) reflow soldering [3][7].

Eliminating the Engineering Bottlenecks of Custom RF Design

The RCB-100 directly resolves these integration bottlenecks by packaging the high-performance GNSS timing engine of the GT-100 series into a standard, ready-to-use RCB form factor [1][2][3]. Instead of undergoing costly and labor-intensive soldering and reflow processes, hardware manufacturers can secure the board inside their devices using a simple screw-mount installation and standard connector attachments [1][4][5]. Additionally, the board comes equipped with an industry-standard SMB antenna connector, significantly reducing the engineering overhead and design risks associated with high-frequency RF circuitry [1][2][3]. This plug-and-play simplicity makes base-station-grade synchronization viable for low-volume production runs and specialized industrial equipment where custom hardware design is economically impractical [3][7].

Technical Specifications for Global Synchronization

For industries reliant on precise synchronization, the timing receiver supports dual-band (L1/L5) signal reception, which dramatically improves accuracy and resilience against signal propagation delays [1][2]. The receiver board is fully compliant with the stringent ITU-T G.8272 PRTC-A and PRTC-B (Primary Reference Time Clock) standards, enabling nanosecond-level accuracy [1][2]. It is designed to track multiple satellite constellations, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC, and SBAS, ensuring continuous global availability [2]. Furthermore, the system achieves a Time to First Fix (TTFF) of just 35 seconds during a cold start, and a rapid 2 seconds during a hot start, minimizing operational downtime during power cycles [2].

Hardening Critical Infrastructure Against Evolving Cyber Threats

Beyond simple installation, the RCB-100 is engineered to protect critical infrastructure against increasingly sophisticated signal interference and cyber threats [1][3]. It features built-in mitigation techniques against jamming (the deliberate or accidental blocking of GNSS signals) and spoofing (the transmission of false signals to falsify location or time data) [3][4]. The receiver incorporates advanced security protocols, including support for OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) and QZNMA (QZSS Navigation Message Authentication), which cryptographically verify the authenticity of satellite signals [2].

Ensuring Continuous Operations with Fail-Safe Security

To ensure uninterrupted operations even during prolonged satellite signal outages, the RCB-100 features robust holdover capabilities alongside Time-Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (T-RAIM) [2]. Security is further reinforced at the hardware level with secure boot functionality, firmware update protection, and support for Temps Atomique International (TAI) time output [2]. These features make the board highly suitable for high-risk, high-reliability applications, including telecommunications base stations, data centers, smart power grid monitoring systems, financial trading networks, and broadcasting infrastructure [1][3][4].

Market Rollout and Companion Evaluation Kits

As Furuno prepares for the commercial launch of the RCB-100 in November 2026, the company is also developing a companion evaluation kit, designated as model RCB-100EVB, to assist developers in testing and prototyping [2]. This kit will allow system integrators to evaluate the board’s performance in real-world scenarios prior to full-scale deployment [2]. By expanding its timing product portfolio with a highly accessible carrier board, Furuno aims to lower the barrier to entry for robust time synchronization, ultimately contributing to the stability and security of global social infrastructure [3].

Sources

GNSS timing infrastructure technology