FAQ on GSM location

1. I want to know how we can Extract Cell Id's and who is in the specific BTS Scope ?

You can use the monitor commands or the EASY SCAN commands. AT#MONI gives you the values listed das below:
#MONI: TDC MOBIL BSIC:54 RxQual:0 LAC:0155 Id:1282 ARFCN:46 PWR:-77dbm TA:3
TA:3 means Timing Advance of 3.

2. How we can find out BTS ID change when we are moving in a town?

If you buy the Cell IDs database from your local operator, then you will now which Cell IDs are in a city. You can also do it by probability calculation. In cities you will always find more base stations then outside of the city.

3. How we can Send Message (SMS), which was extracted in first step?

A GSM module with micro controller on same PCB can do that job. You collect the Cell IDs and forward it by SMS or GPRS.

4. Is there any way to convert Cell ID to its Mobile Number?

Are you asking for a database which shows which mobile phone is registered to which base station? The GSM operators in some countries offers ready to use access to such GSM based location services.

5. Is there any way to find location of specific Mobile Station? For example find now where is my son?

• In UK you get a list of the base station on website http://www.sitefinder.radio.gov.uk/
• In Germany O2 transmits the location of the base station by SMS cell broadcast
• In South Africa the GSM operators transmit the street name of the base station by SMS cell broadcast
• In Germany the GSM operators are transmitting the prefix of the landline phone number area code by SMS cell broadcast. "030" is Berlin and "069" for example is Frankfurt.

6- Is there any need to Specific Service on Network Provider?

 If you would not like to invest in an own location based service, then most time there is a specific service necessary. In Germany, UK, France and a lot of more countries you can get location services based on a special location service contract.