The establishment of a SADC time network

South Africa is at present the only member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that is a signatory of the Meter Convention. Very few of the member countries have an established metrology structure, apart from those measurements required for trade, such as mass and volume. As a first step in developing a metrology structure in the region, we propose the establishment of a time network for SADC. The proposed network will consist of a time center in each of the member countries. The network will be coordinated from the CSIR National Metrology Laboratory (CSIR-NML) of South Africa. It will be established within the next five years, depending on the availability of funding for the project.