Location of subscribers in cellular networks.

The first two of the listed technologies use the so-called difference-rangepositioning principle and differ in the place of measurement of signal transmission intervals (either at base stations or in the mobile phone itself). The basic principles underlying each of the technologies, the achieved accuracy, advantages and disadvantages of the methods are given in Table 1.

TOA Technology

With a precisely known time of receiving a cell phone signal, it is possible to calculate the distance from the subscriber to the base station antenna. However, in the case of measuring the time interval of signal transmission by one base station, to determine the distance, strict synchronization of the operation of all elements of the system with an accuracy of up to fractions of a microsecond is required, which is practically unacceptable for existing cellular networks.

Therefore, a method for determining the location of a subscriber of a cellular network by the difference in the moments of arrival of a radiotelephone signal at three or more different base stations, which requires less rigid synchronization, is more simply implemented. In a number of sources, this modification of the TOA technology is designated as TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival).

Base stations receiving a radiotelephone signal must be equipped with location measurement units (Location Measurement Units). Based on the difference in the time of signal arrival, the control computer of the cellular network uses an algorithm called triangulation, the location of the transmitter is calculated. The positioning process is initiated by the subscriber and ends with the transmission of data about its location to the subscriber.

When using TOA technology, a sufficiently high accuracy of location is achieved, which depends on the signal bandwidth, synchronization accuracy and signal propagation environment. Calculated data show the possibility of determining the location of cellular network subscribers with an accuracy of up to 125 m without modifying radio telephones. Further accuracy can be achieved by changing the hardware and software resources of cellular telephones.

The disadvantages of this technology include the need to equip almost all base stations with LMUs, which requires large expenditures on modifying the cellular network infrastructure. To ensure high accuracy, it is necessary to synchronize the operation of these units within the entire network, which usually leads to the use of a GPS receiver in each unit. The network software must also be seriously modified to ensure that at least three base stations receive a cellular phone signal.

OTD Technology

OTD technology requires much less expenditure on modifying the network infrastructure, since it measures the signal arrival times not by base stations, but by the radiotelephone itself.

The mobile phone's control controller measures the signal propagation time from several base stations, one of which is equipped with an LMU. To obtain information about its location, the subscriber makes a call, during which its phone sends a special short message before establishing a voice connection. This message includes information about the times of receiving signals continuously transmitted by base stations during normal network operation.

Having received the message from the phone, a special mobile localization center MLC(Mobile Location Centre) performs the necessary calculations to calculate the location, after which the data packet with the subscriber's location coordinates is sent to the mobile phone. The entire process usually takes no more than a few seconds.

Compared to the TDOA method, OTD technology requires fewer LMUs, approximately one module per four base stations is sufficient. The modules can be part of the base stations or placed separately.

Another advantage is the lack of need for strict time synchronization of the LMU modules, since in this case the distances between the LMUs and the time intervals of signal transmission from the base stations to the telephone are known. The positioning system can be trained, theoretically all possible positions of subscribers in a specific area with a certain accuracy can be calculated and entered into the database stored in the memory of the mobile localization center.

At the same time, OTD technology requires changing the software of mobile radio telephones, which creates inconvenience for users, since they will have to either take their devices to service centers to modify the software (if this is even possible!), or buy new models of mobile phones.

A-GPS Technology

Many companies developing mobile object location systems are integrating cellular communications with the global satellite radio navigation system – GPS. To do this, GPS receivers are built into mobile phones, and when implementing a centralized dispatch system for monitoring mobile objects, information about the location of subscribers is transmitted via cellular system channels in the form of special or standard short messages.

Some companies have already started producing cellular radio telephones with built-in GPS receivers. Similar models were presented at the exhibition “Svyaz-Expocomm-2001” by the Finnish company Benefon, which demonstrated two versions of cellular telephones combined with GPS receivers: the professional telematic telephone Benefon Track Pro and the personal navigation telephone Benefon Esc .

The undoubted advantages of such systems include high positioning accuracy and global coverage. After the removal of restrictions on the accuracy of positioning using the GPS system, civilian consumers have the opportunity to find out the coordinates of their location with an accuracy of up to 10 m. In this case, positioning can be done outside the coverage area of ​​the cellular network.

When implementing this technology, the infrastructure of the cellular network is affected only in terms of software, the installation of additional hardware modules at base stations or in the switching center is not required, and the satellite constellation is already in orbit.

However, for users, the transition to A-GPS technology will mean significant additional costs, since it is necessary to replace the cell phone. At the same time, it is obvious that the integration of GPS receivers into phones will increase their dimensions, weight and energy consumption. At least in the first years of production, such models will cost significantly more than regular mobile phones.

It is also worth mentioning the disadvantages inherent in the global positioning system GPS.

Firstly, despite the global coverage, the determination of coordinates is performed only with a direct line of sight of at least three satellites by the GPS receiver. Therefore, the determination of the location is often impossible in closed rooms, lowlands, in dense urban areas or under dense foliage.

Secondly, GPS receivers require a lot of time for initial installation; it may take 30-90 seconds, and in some cases more, to bring the receiver to a state of readiness and receive the first reading after turning on the power.

It should be noted, however, that these shortcomings can be partially compensated for by integration with the cellular communications system: the network can “prompt for missing information for determining location or initialization, and also take on” some of the necessary complex calculations to reduce energy consumption.

Table 1.

The competition of the above-mentioned technologies for positioning mobile objects in cellular networks has not yet led to the selection of a single approach or method. Moreover, in specific positioning systems, basic technologies are often subject to certain modifications due to the combination of several technologies or the addition of elements of other positioning technologies, for example, angle measuringsystems. In this case, the directions of arrival of cell phone signals are calculated to improve the accuracy of positioning. One example where angle-measuring systems can significantly improve positioning accuracy is on country roads, where base stations are often located on the same line along the road. Such an arrangement of cellular network cells is inconvenient for both angle-measuring and differential-range measuring systems. However, the combination of these technologies allows for precise positioning.

To use angle-measuring positioning methods, phased antenna arrays are installed at base stations of the network, and the direction finding of the signal source is carried out without making any modifications to the subscriber equipment.

Examples of systems

Among the most well-known operating or testing location systems in cellular networks are:

— the Cursor system by the English company Cambridge Positioning Systems (CPS);
— the Mobile Positioning System by Ericsson;
— the RadioCamera system by U.S. Wireless Corp.;
— the Personal Location System by the American company SnapTrack.

The Cursor system by the English company CPSuses OTD technology. According to tests conducted in the summer of 1999 by CPS in conjunction with Vodafone Airtouch and the Association of Motorists, the accuracy of positioning is 125 m in 83% of cases and 75 m in 51% of cases. CPS is working to achieve an average positioning accuracy of 50 m.

To operate Cursor, the operator must install additional equipment in accordance with the principles of OTD technology (1 LMU module for 4 base stations) and minor modification of the mobile phone software, which can be achieved by reprogramming the memory of the basic microcircuits of the mobile phone. In principle, Cursor can also work with devices that are not equipped with the appropriate software, but in this case the location error is about a kilometer.

CPS plans to roll out Cursor systems in the UK, other European countries and North America. Ericsson and Siemens have already licensed the Cursor technology. Cursor has been successfully tested in the US by GSM operator VoiceStream. To promote its product, CPS has entered into an agreement with ARM, a major supplier of chips for leading mobile phone manufacturers, to embed its software in these chips.

Mobile Positioning System (MPS)Ericsson is intended primarily for GSM cellular network operators. The system, built primarily on the basis of TOA technology, is being developed jointly with the largest Swedish operator, Telia.

MPS operation does not affect the software of subscriber terminals. In addition, enabling location functions does not require modification of the network infrastructure if the operator has Ericsson switching equipment, since these functions are already included in the GSM R.8 version of the company's GSM systems.

Ericsson and Telia claim that in urban areas with dense installation of base stations, the MPS system allows achieving location accuracy within 100-500 m, and in rural areas, where the distance between base stations is much greater, several kilometers.

A rather unusual system for location of mobile subscribers based on cellular networks called RadioCamerais offered by the American company U.S. Wireless Corp. The operation of the RadioCamera system to determine the location of a subscriber with a cell phone is based on measuring not only the time, but also the amplitude and phase parameters of the radio signal, as well as the characteristics of its multipath propagation. The mobile phone signal reaches the base station, subject to certain distortions and often along several routes. A special controller, connected to the base station, measures the phase, time and amplitude characteristics of the phone's radio signal received by the base station, obtaining a set of parameters, which is called a “radio fingerprint” or “fingerprint” (“fingerprint”). After this, the RadioCamera system analyzes the unique characteristics of the signal, including the entire set of its propagation routes, and calculates a certain conditional code corresponding to a specific radio fingerprint, called a “signature” in this system”. This signature is compared with its own database of such signatures corresponding to different variants of phone locations on the ground, after which the subscriber’s location on the ground is identified.

The advantages of the system include the ability to determine the location based on a signal received by only one base station. Thus, direct visibility of several base stations is not required, which makes the RadioCamera system highly effective in dense urban areas, where, as a rule, most cellular network subscribers are concentrated.

In addition, the RadioCamera system integrates well with the existing network infrastructure and does not require modification of base stations and subscriber phones. The system is trainable, its database automatically begins to form immediately after deployment, while the accuracy of location is constantly increasing due to the accumulation and refinement of information on signatures corresponding to specific subscriber location options.

In 1999, the RadioCamera system successfully passed seven-month tests in Baltimore (USA) to provide positioning of subscribers with AMPS standard cellular phones in real conditions. Testing of the system showed that RadioCamera meets the requirements of the US Federal Telecommunications Commission for the accuracy of positioning. It is assumed that the system will serve subscribers of not only AMPS networks, but also CDMA.

Perhaps, nevertheless, the majority of companies engaged in the development of location services based on cellular networks choose A-GPS technology as a base. An example of a positioning system of this type is the personal identification system Personal Location System of the American company SnapTrack, which was one of the first to provide commercial location services for subscribers of cellular networks.

Tests of the system conducted in America, Japan and Italy showed that the accuracy of location is within the range of 5 to 75 m (in rural areas the location is determined with an accuracy of 4-5 m, and in dense urban areas the company managed to achieve an accuracy of 37 m).

Technically, the SnapTrack system is based on A-GPS technology. In addition, to improve the accuracy of determining the location of the subscriber, the system uses powerful servers with specialized software that solve problems of digital data processing by using a differential mode of operation and taking into account a large number of corrections that reduce the impact of multipath and other signal distortions.

SnapTrack is working hard to reduce the cost of mobile phones with GPS receivers and increase the battery life. To do this, they have developed software that allows the network infrastructure to transmit data to mobile phones requesting positioning information about which satellites to look for. Thus, while traditional GPS receivers constantly process information coming from satellites, in the Personal Location System they only work directly when determining the location. Due to the “hint”, the initial setup time of the GPS receiver is dramatically reduced, resulting in a significant reduction in power consumption and a reduction in positioning time.

SnapTrack has strategic agreements with Motorola and Texas Instruments that allow it to implement much of the satellite processing software directly on the handset's digital signal processor, reducing the amount of hardware that must be added to a digital radiotelephone. The company estimates that the cost of the additional hardware is $5 to $10, and could be further reduced with mass production.

SnapTrack was recently acquired by Qualcomm for $1 billion. Qualcomm is looking to develop a navigation service based on its CDMA cellular standard. The latest version of the technology, called SnapSmart, is now on display., allows you to determine the location of the subscriber with great accuracy not only on the plane, but also vertically, which is very important for multi-story city buildings. In particular, during tests in Japan, the SnapTrack system clearly determined the location of subscribers in high-rise buildings in the business part of the city. Perhaps this is why NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest mobile operator, chose the Personal Location System as the basis for building a navigation system for subscribers of its networks.

Among other well-known location systems, one can name the Sigma-5000 positioning systemSigmaOne Communications Corp. This system uses two measurement methods at once: along with the differential-range method, the goniometric principle of subscriber positioning with a cellular telephone is used. In addition to this, the system uses SigmaOne's patented PowerBoost positioning technology, which includes specialized algorithms for accounting for multipath. Sigma-5000 provides positioning in AMPS and TDMA cellular networks. Tests of the Sigma-5000 system on a real network showed a resulting error of no worse than 105 m for 67% of cases and an accuracy of better than 150 m for 95% of readings in the entire working area.

The Sigma-5000 system is implemented as an independent addition to the cellular network infrastructure and does not require any modifications to the radio interface, cellular phones or cellular network equipment. To implement the angle measurement technology, specially designed phased antenna arrays are used, installed at base stations.

A similar combination of technologies is implemented in the Geometrix system, developed by Allen Telecom Inc. This system can work with AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, TDMA/AMPS, CDMA/AMPS cellular networks and the Motorola iDEN trunked system. In most cases, Geometrix meets the accuracy requirements of the US Federal Communications Commission using only differential-ranging methods, but in some cases, adding angle-measuring methods to the system brings a significant increase in location accuracy.

Benefon has developed a positioning system based on A-GPS technology and advanced Cell-ID methods based on the already mentioned Benefon Track Pro and Benefon Esc mobile phones with built-in GPS receivers. The highlight of the system is the Mobile Phone Telematics Protocol (MPTP) telematics protocol for mobile phones, which allows for the transmission of a wide range of location and movement information, as well as application data between the application server and the phone.

The state of affairs in Russia

In Russia, the matter has not yet reached full-scale testing, much less trial operation of positioning systems in cellular networks. At the same time, a number of companies are already offering their products aimed at developing positioning services based on mobile communication systems. It should be noted that most developers are focusing on A-GPS technology, since Russia has a sufficient reserve of positioning systems based on satellite radio navigation, where conventional and trunking VHF radio networks or global satellite systems act as the transport medium (see Petrov N.N. “Place determination of mobile objects based on satellite navigation systems”, Special Equipment, No. 1-2, 1999). Therefore, the transition to cellular communication channels in many cases requires only replacing the radio channel module and changing the software of the control controller in terms of interfacing with the data transmission protocol in the cellular communication system.

The construction of such a positioning system as a whole and a generalized functional diagram of the terminal equipment can be considered using the example of one of the most “advanced projects” – the “Almaz” system, which is offered by the Moscow company “New Telematics Technologies”.

The multifunctional dispatching and monitoring system for mobile and stationary objects “Almaz” is built as a network of terminal devices and a control center, to which information from remote terminals is received via short message channels or via voice communication channels of the GSM cellular system. At the same time, the developers of the system, based on the tests conducted, claim that short message channels best meet the criteria for the reliability and accuracy of information transmission in combination with the lowest traffic cost.

The Almaz system is designed to both monitor vehicles and ensure their safety. Therefore, the standard terminal device designed for installation on a vehicle includes not only a GPS receiver, a control controller, a GSM radio modem, and a power supply from the on-board network, but also modules for interfacing with security sensors and actuators. The structural diagram of the terminal device is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Structural diagram of the terminal device of the “Almaz” positioning system

In the standard set, the terminal device is capable of processing up to eight signals from the security system sensors and generating a specific emergency message for each of its activations, which can be transmitted to the control center or to a mobile phone of any subscriber. The control center, in turn, can also transmit commands to the terminal via short message channels to the actuators (also up to 8 control lines) of the car systems or utility networks of a stationary object. Such a command can be a signal to block the central lock of a car or to turn on the heating in a country house.

The system developers offer services to expand the capabilities of terminal devices. For example, a hidden microphone can provide control of the acoustic environment in the car, an autonomous backup power supply unit can support the operability of the equipment when the on-board network is disconnected, and a voice terminal can be used to organize voice communication between the object and the control center. (Although this is not very related to the topic of the article, it should be said that the design of the terminal device when used on a stationary object allows you not to install a GPS receiver.)

The Almaz System Control Center is a complex of software, hardware and technological tools that ensure the collection, accumulation, analysis and processing of information about the location and state of controlled objects, as well as the preparation and transmission of control commands in accordance with the situation that has arisen. The control center software includes subsystems for exchanging information with controlled objects via a radio channel, data analysis and processing, displaying the location of objects and their search, route planning, information and reference, etc.

The considered positioning system “Almaz” demonstrates a certain typical scheme, which is favored by the majority of domestic developers of systems for determining the location of mobile objects in cellular networks. At the same time, it is possible to compare the proposals of various companies by some criteria, but the choice of the optimal system from a technical point of view is hardly possible, since many of them are close in their indicators. Therefore, most likely, when implementing positioning services on domestic mobile networks, the choice of a supplier of positioning equipment will occur not by technical, but by economic criteria and the “degree of proximity” of equipment manufacturers to the operators of large cellular networks.

Applications and commercial prospects

As already mentioned, the main driving force for the development of positioning services was the need for automatic determination of the location of a cellular network subscriber when providing emergency assistance. Suffice it to say that the 911 service in the United States receives about 100,000 calls from mobile phones daily and still does not have a full-fledged ability to accurately determine the location of the client. It was precisely with the aim of eliminating this shortcoming that the notorious order of the US Federal Communications Commission was issued.

Often in emergency situations, a person cannot clearly determine and report his location. And this applies not only to rescue services, but also to services providing technical assistance on the roads. Research conducted in the UK has shown that more than half of car drivers are interested in the service of automatic determination of their coordinates in order to receive technical assistance. Therefore, positioning services in cellular networks are considered one of the most important means of attracting new subscribers.

Navigation services– one of the most promising areas of application of mobile object location systems. Various guides, services for providing information about a specific route and about traffic conditions along this route are very relevant for vehicle drivers and can also attract potential subscribers of cellular networks.

For example, Citikey launched a mobile guide in Stockholm back in 1999 called “The City in the Palm of Your Hand.” Subscribers can determine their location on a city map and then request information about nearby restaurants, hotels, theaters, or other facilities.

As one of the applications of its RadioCamera system, U.S. Wireless Corp. plans to provide drivers with information about traffic jams. To do this, a number of cell phones of subscribers located on different sections of a particular highway are monitored. It is not difficult to determine the direction and speed of movement of subscribers over a period of time. If the average speed of several subscribers with cell phones on the same section is below 10 km, then it is highly likely that there is a traffic jam there. And if the phones do not move for a long time, then an accident has most likely occurred on this section of the highway.

Another equally promising direction is the creation of vehicle or company personnel management systems.These may be systems for dispatching public or special vehicles, tracking the movement of especially important cargo or people, car security systems, etc.

The introduction of location services into cellular networks means that the control zone covers the entire network service area, and often these can be entire regions. Therefore, transport companies interested in location services often opt for the infrastructure of already deployed cellular networks for transmitting information about the location of vehicles in relation to the construction of their own corporate trunking radio networks. This once again speaks of the introduction of cellular communications into the professional radio communications sector.

Automatic location of cellular phones provides new opportunities for setting special tariffswhen using mobile communications depending on the location. For example, to attract subscribers, the so-called “home zone method” can be used, when the client is given several minutes of free time for negotiations on a mobile phone, which can be more convenient than using a landline phone. It is also possible to reduce tariffs for negotiations in business or shopping areas of the city.

According to experts, great commercial potential for cellular networks lies in providing the ability to monitor the location of children, these services are called family services.

For example, the Siemens project, implemented within the framework of the unified strategy for the development of mobile communications services of the Mobile Communication Networks and Information Transmission Department, is designed to organize continuous contact between children and parents. Thanks to the use of the implemented system, parents will be able to find out where their child is at any time using a mobile phone.

Location services can have a variety of applications. For example, in Stockholm there is a service that allows you to meet people via your mobile phone, and meet people in the area where you are. And Benefon and Vitaphone offer a new Cardiophone telematics medical system., which they demonstrated at the latest medical exhibition in Dusseldorf. The technical basis of the system is Benefon Track mobile phones, modified for use in the medical care system. The device can be used as a regular phone, but within the Cardiophone system its main function is to record the electrocardiogram (ECG) of its owner, for which it is enough to place the back of the phone on the left side of the chest. After recording the ECG, along with the coordinates received from GPS, the data is sent via GSM network channels to the Vitaphone medical center, where the doctors on duty analyze the information received, determine the diagnosis and decide on the necessary measures of assistance. Vitaphone is already testing the first batch of devices released by Benefon. The total amount of the initial contract is 22 million euros.

Experts say that positioning services in cellular networks have a great future. The most thorough forecast studies of the expected market for this service, which most experts refer to, were conducted by the research center of the Ovum company.

Ovum estimates that by 2005, when location systems become a standard application in cellular networks, there will be 129 million subscribers in the United States and 188 million in Western Europe using positioning services. According to the same estimates, the market for automotive location services in the United States will be 3.3 million private cars (in Western Europe — 8 million) and 3.8 million company cars (in Western Europe — 1.9 million). The total global market, according to Ovum forecasts, in 2005 will be $9.75 billion with 376 million subscribers.

Similar estimates are given by experts from the company Consultants Strategis, who suggest that a little earlier, in 2004, the global volume of location services will amount to about $4 billion.

Security

In accordance with the subject of the magazine, readers are probably most interested in applications related to security and the work of law enforcement agencies and other security agencies. It can be said that positioning systems based on cellular networks also open up great prospects here.

Even a simple determination of the subscriber's location with an accuracy of a specific base station (the Cell-ID method) can become a «key» in catching a criminal. One such case was described in the «Rossiyskaya Gazeta». One Yugoslav family was robbed by two people in black masks at night at their country house in Abramtsevo (Moscow Region). The criminals stole things, video and audio equipment, and seized the surveillance system of the country house, which could have recorded their robbery.

However, the Yugoslavs, who did not see the bandits' faces, managed to hear that they were conducting some kind of negotiations on a cell phone. RUBOP detective V. Rvachev, using this testimony, easily identified the phone number on which the negotiations were conducted at three o'clock in the morning near the base station in Abramtsevo with the help of cellular companies. Thus, two unemployed residents of the nearby city of Khotkovo soon found themselves behind bars, with whom the belongings of the robbed Yugoslav family were found.

Thus, with the introduction of positioning systems in cellular networks, special services and law enforcement agencies receive a powerful tool that allows them to track the location of criminals and other objects of interest. Knowing the mobile phone number, location systems based on the use of only network equipment (for example, based on TOA technology) can provide data on the location of the subscriber continuously and without his notification. In this case, it is not necessary to intercept the conversations; it is enough that the mobile phone is powered on, since periodic information exchange with the base station occurs even in the absence of calls. According to some information, the location of the leader of the Terek Kurds, Abdullah Ocallan, was established using a search system based on positioning in cellular networks.

Mobile object positioning technologies in cellular networks make it possible to build car security systems and systems for finding stolen cars. For example, the operator of the second largest British cellular network, BT Cellnet, plans to implement similar functions in its GPS Trackstar location system. The developed system is supposed to equip cars with hidden GPS receivers and GSM terminals, which will be activated using special key fobs issued to the client. In addition to the ability to provide the subscriber with technical assistance on the road, it is supposed to solve the problem of tracking the route of the car in case of its theft.

Positioning technologies will allow the implementation of vehicle control systems for operational units of law enforcement agencies, which can be combined with mobile communication systems. In this case, voice messages can be transmitted via a traffic channel, and location data can be sent to the control center in the form of short messages.

Problems

The main difficulties that may hinder the mass implementation of location systems in cellular networks are the other side of the coin” of their advantages. The fact is that new opportunities for solving security issues that are opened by positioning services in cellular networks also conceal certain threats in the area of ​​privacy. Experts note the possibility of dual use of such technologies, since there is a theoretical possibility of tracking the movements of the owner of a mobile phone, and this is already the beginning of an invasion of privacy. Many subscribers of cellular networks have the opinion that the possibilities of location will be used not only by law enforcement agencies or rescue services, but also by criminal elements with the appropriate technical capabilities. And this opinion is justified. Therefore, before the widespread introduction of positioning services in cellular networks, it is necessary to solve the problem of ensuring strict confidentiality of information about the location of cellular subscribers and protecting this information from intruders.

It is for this purpose that the European Commission for Communications, at the very beginning of the introduction of mobile positioning services in cellular networks, which are mass service systems, defined the requirements that companies providing location services must adhere to. In particular, location means must be used exclusively for the originally declared purposes, for example, for providing technical assistance on the roads, and must not be used twice. When maintaining databases, information about location requests must be confidential and ensure the anonymity of subscribers.

Thus, the CPS company has already introduced an option to disable the system at the customer’s request in its Cursor positioning system. A similar option is provided in a number of other systems. In the SnapTrack system, for example, more stringent measures have been taken to ensure subscriber anonymity. The user can initiate the location process only by dialing “911” or by special request. Without such a direct request from the subscriber, no information about the location is generated by the cell phone at all.

Another problem in the implementation of positioning services is the issue of standardization of technology. Various steps are being taken to adopt one or more standards for positioning mobile objects. Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia have announced the creation of a forum for global standardization of positioning systems in mobile networks – the Location Interoperability Forum (LIF). It is assumed that the main activity of LIF will be the joint development and promotion of positioning services on the global mobile communications market, which will allow mobile phone users to receive information on a specific region. LIF is designed to eliminate the shortcoming associated with the incompatibility of various positioning systems, and should contribute to the establishment of a single technology standard for such systems. The first applications developed taking into account LIF recommendations should appear this year.

However, it is difficult to see specific, rather than declarative, steps towards standardization of technologies, and this does not contribute to the commercial success of positioning systems in cellular networks. Most likely, we should expect the global distribution of positioning systems throughout the world based on the standardization of technologies already with the advent of third-generation mobile communication networks.

Nevertheless, it can be hoped that even with the diversity of technologies used, in the coming years, means of positioning mobile objects will become a standard accessory for cell phones and will be widely implemented in cellular networks, primarily due to the wide range of possible applications and the active position of regional Communications Administrations.