GPS epoch rollover could affect some units

On April 6, 2019, the Global Positioning System (GPS) reached the end of an epoch – the navigational system reached its 10-bit week number (WN) limit and reset to 0. While modern GPS systems are not expected to be affected, some of the older units could face technical issues and stop working amongst other problems.

GPS systems are used the world over and are linked to the official Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) clock provided by the US Naval Observatory. The system uses a 10-bit number, which was last reset on August 21, 1999, or 1024 weeks ago. This event would occur much later than 1024 weeks after the modernisation of GPS system is complete. The WN counter will be increased to 13 bits.

Apart from navigation, other systems like cellular networks, utilities and industrial systems use GPS receivers for timing and control functions. While some modern units are programmed to accommodate this epoch change, it is recommended to check for firmware updates if you have any GPS unit.

Source: ArsTechnica