Location tracking can refer to the attaining of the current position of a device (e.g., mobile phone) stationary or moving. Localization may occur either via multilateration of radio signals between (several) radio towers of the network and the device, or simply via a global positioning system (GPS). To locate a wireless device (e.g., a mobile phone) using multilateration of radio signals, the wireless device emits a roaming signal to contact the next nearby antenna tower, but the process does not require an active call. In some examples, the location of the wireless device can be based on the signal strength to nearby antenna masts.
The Mobile Location Protocol (MLP) is an application-level protocol for receiving the position of Mobile Stations (e.g., mobile phones, wireless devices, etc.) independent of underlying network technology. The MLP serves as the interface between a Location Server and a location-based application. MLP Services are based on location services defined by the third generation partner project (3GPP).