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Interest in the recently released MPS SDK 5.0 has been huge. Ericsson?s Mobile Positioning System (MPS) offers location-based solutions to operators wanting to provide such services as mobile access to Yellow Pages, city guides, movie or hotel bookings, or friend finders ? over any GSM or WCDMA network.
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
In December 2002 the MPS SDK 5.0 was released in final version. The MPS SDK includes a Java-based API that makes it easy to develop MPS enabled applications for all MPS product releases. The Java based API supports the protocol versions MPP 3.0, MPP 4.0 and MPP 5.0. The MPS SDK 5.0 also includes a test tool, example applications and documentation.
The Ericsson MPS consists of positioning software in the mobile network, a Serving Mobile Positioning Center (SMPC) that calculates longitude and latitude, and a service gateway called Gateway Mobile Positioning Center (GMPC), which creates the actual position response that is sent to the application. The new GMPC 5.0 ? released last month ? is designed to simultaneously handle GSM and UMTS applications of location-based services. Each physical server is able to process 100 positioning requests at the same time and is used in three Ericsson MPS solutions: MPS-G (GSM standards); MPS-U 1.0 (UMTS); and MPS-G ATI 2.0, which is a multi-vendor solution that serves as a low-cost entry point to location-based services and offers a migration path to MPS-G and MPS-U. The GMPC server is the link between the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and the user applications. It handles positioning requests, performs authentication and generates billing data. GMPC is Ericsson's implementation of the ETSI-standardized Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC).
MPS-G ATI 2.0 uses a signaling message called Any Time Interrogation (ATI) to retrieve the serving cell ID of a subscriber?s handset. ATI is a signaling message developed for Camel phase 1. In MPS-G ATI it is used for communication between the GMPC and the Home Location Register (HLR), where subscriber data is stored. ATI offers accuracy limited to the size of the cell area, which is less accurate than the positioning methods used in other Ericsson solutions, such as assisted GPS (A-GPS), CGI+TA (Cell Global ID + Timing Advance), and Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD). The subscriber?s location is geographically described by using the cell ID of the serving cell. The MPS-G ATI 2.0 release can be seen as a low cost way for operators with multi vendor networks to start launching location based services. It can also be seen as an interim solution until the GSM standard for Location Services has been implemented in the network. As MPS-G ATI 2.0 uses the GMPC 5.0 platform, the operator can smoothly upgrade to the forthcoming MPS-G 5.0 release (GSM R9.1) which is standard compliant for Location Services and provides very high positioning accuracy. The complete, standardized MPS-G 5.0 solution will reach GA early this year. With the new MPS-G 5.0 release, the SMPC is taken out of the GMPC and moved further out in the network. The benefit of having two different servers is that it is easy and cost-effective to retain the GMPC server when upgrading to, for example, 3G. The GMPC supports 2G and 3G networks simultaneously. Jonas Nordstr?Sales Support Manager at Ericsson says another operator benefit is that Ericsson offers a complete LBS solution, including a services platform called middleware, which simplifies and speeds up the rollout of new applications. Developed by Ericsson?s partners, it serves as an intermediary between the GMPC and the individual applications. The rollout of MMS will provide yet another boost to location-based services. Nordstr?ighlights the opportunities for new and attractive location-based services enabled by combining MMS and MPS. He says: "Hungarian operator Westel has just launched a hotel-booking service that offers the subscriber the possibility of virtually entering and getting a feel for vacant rooms through their mobile. In Israel, one operator has launched a date-finder service." He notes that Ericsson has so far sold more than 30 MPS solutions, while Nokia and Siemens may have landed five to ten deals each, according to press releases. Ericsson Mobility World offers free software for application developers to test the viability and functionality of new location-based services. Read more about Mobile Positioning. Download the free MPS SDK 5.0.
Jonas Rehnberg and Kris Walmsley Last published June 27, 2007
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