Location services in the GSM and UMTS networks

Location services (LCS) are new value added services, supported by the wireless networks, which make use of user location. For location based service, the current location of the mobile terminal is reported in a standard format (e.g. geographical coordinates) to the user, the network operator, value added service provider and for PLMN internal operations. Several approaches to determine the location of a mobile terminal are possible. Different methods provide different accuracy of location estimates, and involve different complexity of the system and the investment needed on the network side and possibly in the handset. Services built on the location awareness capabilities of the mobile devices and/or networks are usually referred to as location based services. Example of services using the mobile location can be: location of emergency calls, mobile yellow pages, tracking and monitoring, location sensitive billing/commercials etc. The launch of location-based services in the USA market is mainly driven by the FCC E911 requirement for the accuracy and reliability of the caller's location. The quality of the services will depend on the accuracy of the location estimates. These services can create many new business opportunities and the new revenue streams for the wireless network operators and value added service providers at the time when other mobile services such as voice are reaching saturation levels.