TABLE OF CONTENTS The previous chapters have treated prepaid communications, messaging, and content, all services that represent added value in themselves. Some of these services can take on an additional value dimension if the location of a user were to be taken into account to provide a more personalized, context-sensitive experience.
Location-sensitive services are only meaningful in networks where users are mobile, and their location can be tracked. Cellular mobile networks are especially suitable for providing location-based services because of their widespread deployment. Mobile phones have become feature-rich, personal devices that support a broad range of communication services and can even run local applications. However, it is also possible to provide location-based services for wireless local or metropolitan area networks (WLANs or WMANs).
The idea of enriching applications and content with location information is easy enough to grasp, but how difficult is it to determine the location of a user? This question is not so easily answered, as there are both technical and legal aspects to take into account:
What exactly does the location or position of a user mean? [1] Is it a set of precise geographical coordinates, a street address, a company or domain name, or some other indication of context?
What resolution is needed for services to be meaningful? Do you need location information down to thousands, hundreds, tens, or individual meters?
What technology is available to locate a user? Does the technology selected require additional hardware or software in the network, or in the terminal,...
