location service (UMTS) (LCS)

3rd generation mobile networks support location-based services(LCS), which can be used to develop innovative services as location-based services( LBS). With Location Services from the Open Mobile Alliance( OMA), mobile devices and their current geographic locations can be identified with their coordinates. This information is available in a standardized format to the mobile end user, network administrator and service provider.

Location services are used to determine the location of mobile end devices. This information can be used for offering location-based services, legal monitoring, radio resource management, emergency calls and other applications.

The location information is composed of the geographic coordinates of the mobile device, the speed at which it is moving, and the response time for determining the coordinates. According to the method, the location of the mobile device can be determined by the field strength of the overlapping radio cells, but also from the pilot signal time difference between three base stations as in the Observed Time Difference Of Arrival (OTDOA) method or with a network-based GPS measurement.

The LCS architecture recognizes the User Entity( UE), which supports the position calculation, the Location Measurement Unit( LMU), which may or may not be required depending on the location technology, the Serving Mobile Location Center( SMLC), which coordinates the measurements, and the Gateway Mobile Location Center( GMLC), which forms the location server for external requests.