diff --git a/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm.mk b/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm.mk
index ed36812f9..35030206b 100644
--- a/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm.mk
+++ b/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm.mk
@@ -21,3 +21,6 @@ SPM_SOURCES	:=	$(addprefix services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/, \
 
 # Let the top-level Makefile know that we intend to include a BL32 image
 NEED_BL32		:=	yes
+
+# required so that SPM code executing at S-EL0 can access the timer registers
+NS_TIMER_SWITCH		:=	1
diff --git a/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm_setup.c b/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm_setup.c
index e78a42c72..beaff946c 100644
--- a/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm_setup.c
+++ b/services/std_svc/spm_deprecated/spm_setup.c
@@ -168,6 +168,9 @@ void spm_sp_setup(sp_context_t *sp_ctx)
 	write_ctx_reg(get_sysregs_ctx(ctx), CTX_VBAR_EL1,
 			SPM_SHIM_EXCEPTIONS_PTR);
 
+	write_ctx_reg(get_sysregs_ctx(ctx), CTX_CNTKCTL_EL1,
+		      EL0PTEN_BIT | EL0VTEN_BIT | EL0PCTEN_BIT | EL0VCTEN_BIT);
+
 	/*
 	 * FPEN: Allow the Secure Partition to access FP/SIMD registers.
 	 * Note that SPM will not do any saving/restoring of these registers on