Once we understand wireless carriers' structure, operating model, and financial drivers, then plans and prospects for location-based services will become more apparent. Much hinges on a spectrum auction now underway, expected to garner $20 billion. Carriers want LBS to drive a big return on this investment.

Mapping the Underworld Testing GPS and GSM in Urban Canyons Mar 1, 2007

Beneath the streets lie thousands of kilometers of cables and pipes. Buried decades ago, their exact location remains a mystery.

Wireless Choices for LBS — Control Plane and User Plane Architectures Mar 2, 2006 By: Arnold Gum, Kirk Burroughs

The choice between two standardized architectural approaches to deploying A-GPS location services — control plane and user plane — can influence the quality, applicability, and success of the service offering. Differing requirements for both voice-centric and application-centric applications drove the need for two different location architectures, which provide operation tailored to two different types of needs.

To Locate a Phone or PDA GNSS/UMTS Prototype for Mass-Market Applications Jan 1, 2006 By: GÜnther Heinrichs, Jinkel, Christian Drewes, Linus Maurer, Andreas Springer, Rainer Stuhlberger, Christian Wicpalek

An important step for Galileo will be availability of hybrid Galileo/GPS receivers in combination with wireless communications network positioning capabilities for consumer applications. This article presents ideas regarding an integrated GNSS/UMTS receiver architecture to meet the needs of seamless indoor/outdoor navigation.

“We were having success with this technology before, but now we have all these major players launching LBS, indicative of a momentum we’ve never seen before.”

A Single-Chip GPS Receiver And the Steps to Mass-Market Galileo Oct 1, 2005 By: Philip G. Mattos

As GPS chip volumes per manufacturer reach millions for the automotive market and tens of millions for consumer GPS, the market map for a single-chip GPS changes considerably. The advent of Galileo will bring out the full benefits of sensitivity, creating an opportunity for low-cost, high-integration one-chip solutions.

Assistance When There's No Assistance Long-Term Orbit Technology for Cell Phones, PDAs Oct 1, 2005 By: David Lundgren, Frank van Diggelen

Long-Term Orbit data, obtainable over the Internet, can enable a locatable cell phone or PDA to position itself accurately for as long as four days without further assistance.

Myths and Realities of Anywhere GPS High Sensitivity versus Assisted Techniques Sep 1, 2005 By: Chris Carver

AGPS does not mean works "Anywhere" GPS. Accurately determining what will work for any given application requires a properly designed test procedure.

Low-cost sensors and a Horizontal Trust Level (HTL) enable mobile-terminal applications requiring continuous quality of service in positioning and integrity.