LoCation Services (LCS)

LoCation Services (LCS)

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LoCation Services (LCS)

Table of contents
1

Cell ID-based location methods (usable with any 2G and 3G handset) _____________4

Cell ID and Timing Advance (Cell ID + TA) location method______________________5

3 Cell ID and Timing Advance with Network Measurement Results (Cell ID + TA +NMR)
location method _____________________________________________________________7
4

Support of LCS solutions with Alcatel-Lucent BSS ______________________________8

4.1
4.2

Support of Cell ID + TA location service_________________________________________ 8

Support of Cell ID + TA + NMR location service ___________________________________ 8

Conclusions______________________________________________________________9

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LoCation Services (LCS)

1

Cell ID-based location methods (usable with any 2G and 3G handset)

The Cell Identification method is the simplest method for determining the location of a handset.
It relies on the fact that the network knows in what cell users are and also on the hypothesis that
the geographical coverage of a cell corresponds to the one predicted by radio coverage studies.
Therefore reliable positioning requires accurate maps of the base station coverage areas, which
are obtained by using cellular planning information. Alcatel-Lucent NPO/RNP tools have the
ability to accurately determine the geometric contours of cells by using polygons (referred to as
Voronoi polygons), as shown in the figure below.

Fig.1: Cell modelling using Voronoi polygons (Alcatel-Lucent NPO/RNP)

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LoCation Services (LCS)

2

Cell ID and Timing Advance (Cell ID + TA) location method

This enhancing technique improves significantly the accuracy of the Cell Identification method.
The TA measure corresponds to the time at which the handset must anticipate the emission of
the burst, due to the time propagation, in order to allow the base station to receive the burst in
the expected slot of time. Thanks to this time measure the system can calculate the distance
between the handset and the base station.
The next figure shows the improvement in accuracy of enhanced cell-ID methods (users are inside
the green strip)

Fig. 2: Sectored cell

In order to perform calculation using the Cell ID + TA method, the SMLC server uses following
data:
- Static information / data for every cell (site data) :
BTS position in WGS 84 format (latitude, longitude)
antenna direction orientation for each cell (0 3 59); not relevant for Omnidirectional antennas
half power beam width (HALFPWR_BEAM_WIDTH) of the cell antenna.
Cell Range: Normal cell, Outer cell, or Inner cell.
- Dynamic information / data:
For every positioning request: TA Value (range 0-123)
Note: An antenna orientation set to 0 refers to absolute north and is counted clockwise as in
RNP tools.
The results of the calculation are grouped and transmitted through MSC towards GMLC.
The message sent to GMLC contains the parameters of an ellipsoid arc (where the MS is located)
with the quantized parameters:
- Point(0).latitude : origine point latitude
- Point(0).longitude : origine point longitude
- : orientation of the ellipsoid arc in degrees
- : width of uncertainty sector in degrees
- r_inner : inner radius in meter
- r_uncert : size of radial uncertainty in meters (nonlinear quantized)
- confidence : percentage value between 0..100

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LoCation Services (LCS)

Fig.3: Ellipsoid arc reported by Cell ID + TA method

The TA is quantized to the GSM symbol period. The delay of one symbol is equivalent to distance
passed by the signal during one GSM symbol period (one way: BTS to MS). The value of TA in
range of 0-63 is usual for a normal cell, with a maximum range of 33-35 km.
When the TA range is 0-123, for extended cell up to 70km the accuracy is around 550 meters as
distance from site origin point.

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LoCation Services (LCS)

3

Cell ID and Timing Advance with Network Measurement Results (Cell ID + TA

+NMR) location method

To enhance the location estimate, radio measurements reported by the MS to the BSS (also called
NMR) may also be provided to the SMLC.
The NMR method measures the power of the signal received by the handset from the adjacent
cell, and calculates the approximate situation inside its own cell.
Different algorithms possible
Distance Calculation Method (Triangulation);
Field Strength Mapping (Usage of RNP tools for comparison of predicted field
strength and measured power levels);
Others;
Accuracy does not enable high accuracy services due to spreading conditions.

Serving Cell-ID

Serving
Base Station

Neighbour
Base Station

TA
range

Signal
strength
Neighbour
Base Station

Fig. 4: Cell ID, Timing Advance and NMR method

It is considered that the accuracy of the Cell ID + TA + NMR method can vary from 200m up to
500m.
The accuracy of the method has a strong dependence on:
- Algorithm used for localization;
- Number of Base Station signals measured by MS;
- Relative distance to different Base Stations;

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LoCation Services (LCS)

4

Support of LCS solutions with Alcatel-Lucent BSS

4.1 Support of Cell ID + TA location service

The figure below represents the logical architecture of the standard LCS solution.

MS

Iub

Uu

SRNC

2G
SGSN

Iups

HLR

Node B

3G MSC

Iucs

Lg

SMLC

Le
External
LCS client

GMLC

Lg

Lb

Lh

SMLC
Lg
MFS
Lb

external or Internal interface

Gb

2G
SGSN

Lg

BTS

2G MSC

Uu

Abis

BSC
Ater

TC

MS

Fig.5: Standard LCS solution

The main role of the SMLC is to receive the request for MS location, to choose the positioning
method according to the requested QoS information and to respond to the initial request
(providing the calculated MS position estimate).
In the Alcatel-Lucents integrated implementation of SMLC for 2G systems, the SMLC is located in
the MFS equipment (or GPRS box). In this way, operators save in transport because the traffic
between the BSCs and the SMLC is carried together with the data traffic. In addition some space
is saved since part of the equipment is shared between the two functions.
The Alcatel-Lucents architecture will integrate enhanced Cell-ID + Timing Advance localisation
services.

4.2 Support of Cell ID + TA + NMR location service

Due to different location algorithms and different accuracies provided by each methods and field
conditions, Alcatel-Lucent will provide the possibility to use the Cell ID + TA + NMR location
method by mean of connecting the BSS to an external SMLC server supporting the method. Such
connection is possible by activation of Lb interface over SIGTRAN in the BSC.
Lb over SIGTRAN (SCCP/M3UA/SCTP/IP) has been introduced in 3GPP Rel-7. As a consequence,
the Lb interface will be supported in native over IP. Using a standardized Lb interface, the
operator will be free to connect any external SMLC server supporting the Cell ID + TA + NMR
location method to the existing BSS.
The interconnection between the SMLC server and the BSS via Lb interface is presented in the
picture below:

SMLC

BSC
SCCP

M3UA

M3UA

SCCP

Lb
Eth.

Eth.

IP

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LoCation Services (LCS)

5

Conclusions

Alcatel-Lucent has a complete end-to-end Location-Based Services solution for mobile market.
LBS solution offered is able to retrieve location information for residential as well as enterprise
users under mobile coverage. Positioning a common location server at the heart of the converged
solution enables operators to re-use supporting service platform capabilities (such as user
profile/privacy lookup, rating, open interfaces supported by the GMLC towards third party
location based applications, etc.) and supply combined location offers across access network
types, opening possibility for new business cases as location/cell-load based charging option,
available using Alcatel-Lucent 8614 Instant Zone product.

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