Location Services in WiMAX Networks

Location-based services have become a requisite feature for most wireless networks. There are two primary use cases: newer applications such as navigation, tracking of assets and personnel, and Points of Interest lookup, and emergency services (e.g., E911), where the user's location is reported to the public safety answering point from which emergency responders are dispatched. Within this space of applications, location accuracies ranging from less than 5 m to hundreds of meters may be acceptable, depending on the specific use case. This article presents the end-to-end framework for location-based services in WiMAX technology, including both the mobile managed location approach with minimal network support as well as different network managed location solutions with assistance from mobile stations.