Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for improving the quality of data calls within a cellular network by dynamically changing the air interface data rate for transparent and non-transparent data services. As the quality of a higher data rate radio link deteriorates below a specified upper quality threshold due to interference, a change of channel coding to a lower data rate is ordered by the network. If the radio link quality measurements after a specified period of time indicate that the quality level has exceeded a specified lower quality threshold, the data rate is changed back to the higher data rate.

Abstract: A wireless communications system (40b) capable of delivering Time Of Arrival (TOA) positioning data to at least one externally operated and maintained requesting agent (12), including a gateway (14a, 14b) to the external agent (12), which provides an interface to the requesting agent (12). The system (40b)also includes a Base Station Subsystem (BSS) (62) and an array of Location Management Units (LMUs) (24). The BSS (62) serves at least one mobile set (26) for which TOA positioning data is requested and is accessible by the requesting agent (12) through the gateway (14a, 14b). The LMUs (24) are configured to compute positioning coordinates for the mobile set (26), wherein the BSS (62) includes positioning functions (16) are moved to the BSC (20) or integrated within the BTS (22) so that control of the LMUs (24) is accomplished at the BSS (62).

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for provisioning assistance Global Position System (GPS) data to a GPS receiver within a mobile terminal. This can be accomplished by having multiple reference GPS receivers located throughout a cellular network, each reference GPS receiver being capable of providing locally valid lists of visible satellites and the associated ephemeris and clock correction information. The location of the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) within the cell that the mobile terminal with a built-in or attached GPS receiver is currently located in can be used as the local position estimate for that mobile terminal. From this local position estimate, the nearest reference GPS receiver can be ascertained and the relevant assistance data can then be sent to the GPS receiver within the mobile terminal through the cellular network to enable the built-in GPS receiver to calculate its position relatively quickly.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for reducing the signaling load on the network by instructing a Location Measurement Unit (LMU) to measure the relation between the absolute time and air interface timing, e.g., TDMA frame number, only when a positioning request has been received. Prior to configuring the LMU for time of arrival (TOA)-based positioning of a particular mobile station, the Serving Mobile Location Center (SMLC) can request an LMU associated with a particular cell to perform an asynchronous handover within the same cell. During this asynchronous handover, the LMU measures the relation between the absolute time and the TDMA frame number, and sends this relation information to the SMLC. The SMLC uses this relation information in configuring the LMU for TOA-based positioning of the particular mobile station.

Abstract: A method of positioning a GPRS mobile in a GSM network. Methodology is provided for both Class A, Class B and Class C GPRS mobiles such that the GPRS mobile can be positioned using conventional time of arrival (TOA) methodology. For Class A and Class B mobiles, a new information element in the Paging Message is provided to indicate positioning as the reason for paging. For Class C mobiles, both a new and a modified procedure is provided to facilitate positioning of a GPRS mobile.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for provisioning assistance Global Position System (GPS) data to a GPS receiver within a mobile terminal. This can be accomplished by having multiple reference GPS receivers located throughout a cellular network, each reference GPS receiver being capable of providing locally valid lists of visible satellites and the associated ephemeris and clock correction information. The location of the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) within the cell that the mobile terminal with a built-in or attached GPS receiver is currently located in can be used as the local position estimate for that mobile terminal. From this local position estimate, the nearest reference GPS receiver can be ascertained and the relevant assistance data can then be sent to the GPS receiver within the mobile terminal through the cellular network to enable the built-in GPS receiver to calculate its position relatively quickly.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for providing adaptive thresholds for cell load sharing (CLS) based upon the current traffic situations. This can be accomplished by a Base Station Controller (BSC) monitoring the traffic load in a cell during a predetermined time period. If the traffic load is high for the entire time period, the CLS thresholds can be changed to maximize efficient channel resource utilization. In one embodiment, a look-up table can be used to set the thresholds for each cell based upon the traffic level, e.g., the percentage of idle channels, during the time period. Alternatively, the BSC can monitor only the traffic load in a cell with an usually high amount of traffic for the same time period. Thereafter, the BSC can change the thresholds in the high traffic cell and neighboring cells to maximize channel efficiency within the network.

Abstract: A wireless communication network and methodology providing GPS assistance data for positioning of mobiles with built-in GPS receivers (GPS-MS). The system and methodology includes obtaining a site location of the BTS currently serving a GPS-MS to be located, as well as obtaining the air interface time in relation to the absolute GPS time at the BTS currently serving the GPS-MS. Knowing the geographical location of the BTS currently serving the GPS-MS, range measurement assistance data is provided with a time of calculation to the GPS-MS. This information is used by the GPS-MS to obtain GPS measurement data at the indicated time of calculation using this a priori information. The GPS-MS obtains GPS measurement data based on the a priori information quickly, and returns the GPS assistance data to a mobile location center (MLC) which ultimately determines the position of the GPS-MS. The MLC has ephermis data, and converts the air interface time to the absolute GPS time for calculation of the GPS-MS position.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, there is disclosed a system for determining location of a mobile station. The mobile station includes a transceiver operating in a wireless network and a GPS receiver. The system includes a wireless network control system including GPS receivers for obtaining ephemeris data. The control system develops assistance information from the ephemeris data and transmits the assistance information to the mobile station via the wireless network. The assistance information represents range at a fixed location in the wireless network in proximity to the mobile station at a select time, and derivatives of the range, relative to plural select satellites in the GPS. The mobile station utilizes received assistance information for searching the composite received signals from the plural select satellites in the GPS to measure a code phase for plural ones of the select satellites in the GPS and returning the measured code phases to the wireless network control system via the wireless network.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed which performs authorization checks prior to allowing a location service to position a mobile terminal within a cellular network. The various checks involve ensuring that the requesting agency has authorization to request positioning of mobile terminals, determining whether positioning of mobile terminals is allowed within the cellular network that the mobile terminal is currently located in, verifying the authenticity of the identity of the mobile positioning center, ascertaining whether the mobile subscriber has allowed the requesting agency to position the mobile terminal, and confirming that all relevant criteria for positioning have been met by both the mobile subscriber and the requesting agency.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed which utilizes a terminal-based browser, such as the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) "deck", within a Mobile Station (MS) to connect the MS to web-based location services and to a Mobile Positioning Center (MPC). Terminal based browsers, such as WAP "deck", allow for the graphical presentation of the current location of the MS on a display on the MS and provide an interactive user dialog, which permits the mobile subscriber to determine the format of the graphical presentation of the current location of the MS.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for allowing an application requesting positioning of a mobile terminal to indicate the quality of positioning information desired, e.g., timeliness, accuracy, etc. In addition, prior to performing the positioning, the cellular network can determine whether the quality of service requested can be achieved, and if so, return the positioning information along with a message indicating that the quality of service requested was achieved. However, if the quality of service requested cannot be achieved, a failure message is sent to the requesting application and the positioning is not performed.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method for determining optimal target Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) to perform positioning handovers and obtain positioning data is disclose. When a positioning request is received by a Base Station Controller (BSC) serving the Mobile Station (MS) to be positioned, the serving BSC accesses a database within the BSC, which contains a list of cells belonging to candidate target BTSs. Based on this information, and the main antenna direction of the serving BTS, two candidates for positioning handovers are selected from the list such that the angle between the main direction of two adjacent BTSs is nearly equivalent to the angle between the main direction of two additional adjacent BTSs. By selecting the target BTSs in this manner, it can be ensured that the target BTSs surround the MS, thus decreasing the error in the location calculations performed by a Positioning Center (PC).

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method for efficiently managing physical channels during a positioning handover to a target Base Transceiver Station. This can be accomplished by allowing a positioning handover to occur from one channel type, e.g., a traffic channel of the serving BTS, to another channel type, e.g., a control channel of the target BTS. Advantageously, in case of congestion on one type of channel in the target cell, the other type can be used, which allows the positioning handover to the desired target BTS to be performed and the data needed to be collected.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for the selection of target nodes in locating a receiver is disclosed. The receiver measures the strength of signals transmitted by a number of nodes. The received strength is subtracted from the transmitting power of the nodes to determine the respective path losses. The node with the lowest path loss is selected as the target node. The target node is then used to perform a triangulation for determining the location of the receiver.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed for determining the address of both the home and serving Mobile Positioning Centers (MPCs). Each Mobile Switching Center/Visitor Location Register (MSC/VLR) and Home Location Register (HLR) within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) will be provided with the MPC address that is valid for its PLMN. When a Mobile Station (MS) roams into a new (serving) PLMN, a Location Update is performed by the serving MSC/VLR to the Home Location Register (HLR). The MPC address for the serving MSC/VLR will be included in every location update operation to the HLR, which can then store this serving MPC address in the subscriber's HLR record. Furthermore, the home MPC address, valid for the PLMN of the HLR, is included in every subscriber data transfer operation from the HLR to the serving MSC/VLR, which can then store this home MPC address, in the subscriber's VLR record.

Abstract: A telecommunications system and method is disclosed which avoids unwanted feature interactions while positioning a mobile station that was in idle mode when the positioning request was received by the network. When the serving MSC/VLR receives a request to collect positioning measurements for a mobile station that is in idle mode, the serving MSC/VLR will set an indicator associated with the subscriber to "busy for connection management due to positioning". This flag will allow the MSC/VLR to make a distinction between a positioning connection and the normal mark of "busy for connection management". Thereafter, when a mobile terminating call arrives to the MSC/VLR for a subscriber that is marked as "busy for connection management due to positioning", the MSC/VLR can place the incoming call in a queue until the positioning measurements are taken and the subscriber being positioned is put back in idle mode.