Unlocking the full potential of geolocation

State of the art and compelling use cases

WHITE PAPER
September 2017
 WHITE PAPER

SUMMARY

03 Introduction
04 Geolocation: data sources, algorithms and accuracy
04 Data sources
05 RF measurements
05 Time measurements
06 GPS measurements
07 Algorithms
07 Cell id
07 Trilateration
08 Triangulation
08 Multilateration
09 Fingerprinting
10 Accuracy
11 Customer use cases: geolocation brought to action
11 Network roll-out
13 Network optimization
14 Customer Care and Customer Experience Managament
15 Data monetization
16 Nova Geo : Astellia’s award-winning geolocation solution
18 Customer testimonials

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 Introduction
Wireless geolocation is the ability every situation and area (dense vs
to estimate with high accuracy rural, indoor vs outdoor) and that
the location of a device, object or they depend on the data that is
subscriber (whether stationary or in made available by the network,
motion) by using location algorithms each presenting a different degree
and positioning methods. of accuracy and cost.
Location techniques can be Mobile operators clearly understand
categorized by the technology the value of accurate and precise
(beacons, satellites or cellular geodata which enables them to
network) or data source (handset or accelerate network roll-out, improve
infrastructure) being used. network optimization, enrich
In this white paper we will highlight customer care analysis and create
the different geolocation techniques new value-added applications and
available for mobile operators services to monetize these data.
through their cellular infrastructure After illustrating how operators
and generally based on radio signals can unlock the full potential of
transmitted and received between geolocation through concrete
mobile phones and base stations. examples, we will describe Astellia’s
We will see that these location awarded geolocation solution and
techniques are not applicable in how it responds to operators’ needs.

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 eolocation: data sources,

G
algorithms and accuracy
There exists a set of different methods to calculate the location of objects,
subscribers or devices. In general, a wireless geolocation solution is
composed of the following main elements:
1. Data source : provides the data to be used by the algorithm
to calculate the position of the User Equipment (UE)
2. Geolocation algorithm : implements multiple geolocation
techniques, which depend on the type of available data
source

Data source Algorithms

RF Measurements
Time Measurements
GPS Measurements
Network topology
> Cell ID
Trilateration
Triangulation
Multilateration
Fingerprinting

DATA SOURCES
The availability of certain measurements for geolocation is dependent on
where they are taken. Likewise, a possible segmentation would be:
Network-based measurements
In this first case, measurements are taken and made available
by the network elements. If measurements are defined as
part of the technology protocol standardization, they can be
obtained from signaling messages. If not, then the capability
to obtain certain measurements is conditioned by the network
element’s measurement capabilities.
Handset-based measurements
The main difficulty is to extract and send the measurements
from the UE to centralized servers. If measurements are
reported as a part of the signaling messages exchanged
between the UE and the network, then they can be decoded
along with the rest of the signaling messages received by the
network.
There are three main relevant classifications of data sources: Radio
Frequency (RF), Time and Global Positioning System (GPS). These sources
provide measurements that are usually available in signaling protocols for
most of the radio access technologies (RAT).

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1 . RF MEASUREMENTS
RF measurements measure the properties of electromagnetic waves. For
geolocation purposes, there are mainly two types of RF measurements to
be considered:
• Signal Strength (SS) measures the power of the received
signal either in uplink (network-based) or downlink (handset-
based) radio channels. Propagation models characterize the
signal strength as a function of frequency, distance, transmitter
power and other variables. By combining received signal
strength and propagation models it is possible to estimate
the distance between the user and the base station. In 3GPP
Release 13, for both WLAN and Bluetooth technologies,
Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) was introduced
as part of the UE reported measurements in the signaling
messages.
• Angle of Arrival (AoA) determines the incident angle of an
arriving RF signal when having antenna arrays.

2 . TIME MEASUREMENTS
As in the previous case, standardization conditions both the accuracy and
availability of time measurements in the signaling protocols. In general, the
following measurements can be obtained:
• Time of Arrival (ToA). It measures the signal delay between the
transmitter and the receiver. In 3GPP mobile networks there
are multiple network-based time measurements available per
RAT that are used for radio frame synchronization: Timing
Advance (TA) in LTE and GSM, and Propagation Delay (PD)
in UMTS.
• Round-Trip Time (RTT) is the travel time of a signal sent
from a transmitter to a receiver plus the travel time back
from the receiver to the original transmitter in the form of
acknowledgement or corresponding aligned transmission,
without considering processing and alignment times in the
receiver.
• Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) is a handset-
based measurement where the UE calculates the observed
time difference between pairs of network elements. The usage
of this measurement in geolocation algorithms is conditioned
by network synchronization.
• Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (U-TDOA) is a network-
based time measurement where base stations provide
accurate timestamping of uplink signal reception. The usage
of this measurement in geolocation algorithms is conditioned
by network synchronization.
Network synchronization is one of the most important factors impacting
time measurements, however, not all existing RATs are synchronized today.

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3 . GPS MEASUREMENTS
GPS measurements provide a very accurate geolocation. However, the
availability of GPS is conditioned by multiple factors. First of all, it depends
on the availability of the required hardware in the handset. For instance,
low cost IoT devices are brought to the market without an expensive GPS
module. But, even if the device is GPS-capable, users sometimes wish to
deactivate this feature because of high battery consumption. Finally, the
system presents some deficiencies in indoor scenarios due to the lack of
Line of Sight (LOS) with satellites.
In 3GPP mobile networks, there are three different types of GPS
measurements that are reported as part of the signaling protocols, based
on different network features.
• Standalone GPS measurements. The reporting of GPS
measurements by UEs can be activated from the network. In
the case of a 3GPP mobile network, this feature is supported
in the signalling messages whereas in other networks, such
as LoRaWAN, it can only be obtained via the User Plane
contents.
• Assisted GPS (A-GPS) measurements. Whereas standalone
GPS measurements depend exclusively on information from
satellites, the A-GPS technology increases both the precision
under poor satellite signal conditions and the satellite
synchronization time by broadcasting the list of visible
satellites from base stations. Contrary to standalone GPS
measurements, this technology requires ad-hoc hardware to
be deployed in the mobile network.
• Minimization of Drive Test (MDT). 3GPP introduced this
feature in recent releases in order to support the reporting
of GPS measurements from handsets in both dedicated and
idle modes. The main advantage of this feature compared to
the two previous ones is that it opens the door to new use
cases such as coverage holes detection.

All in all, when a device reports a GPS measurement there is no need to

implement further geolocation techniques for that specific device. However,
this measurement can be used for geolocating other devices from which
GPS measurements are not available, by making use of fingerprinting
techniques, as explained later on in the algorithms’ section.
In addition to both UE and network measurements, the knowledge of the
RAN network topology itself is a mandatory input for geolocation algorithms.
These different data-source options are not mutually exclusive. In general,
multiple measurements are used simultaneously depending on the RAT.
Note that the latest 3GPP releases state that all of the previous data sources
are optional positioning measurements sent by mobile devices.

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ALGORITHMS
The availability of the previous measurements, conditions the selection of
the geolocation algorithm and therefore the accuracy of the solution. In this
section, the most relevant algorithms used by geolocation solutions are
analyzed in detail.

1 . CELL ID
This methodology is based on correlating the measurement of the unique
identifier of the radio transmitter (Cell Id, BSSID, etc.) with the known
transmitter position based on network topology data.
As a geolocation method it is the simplest one. The accuracy is highly
dependent on the coverage of the transmitter; the lower the range of the
transmitter, the higher the accuracy. For instance in the case of WLAN, small
cells or Bluetooth beacons, the accuracy can be a few meters because the
maximum range of these technologies is very limited. However, with macro
cells, the accuracy will be in the worst case a few kilometers, depending on
the network density.
Cell ID geolocation algorithm is usually enhanced with additional data such
as:
• Cell sector: If cells are sectorized there is an intrinsic
accuracy gain by making use of simple antenna parameters
such as the beam-width and azimuth. The former parameter
defines the angular coverage of the antenna whereas the
latter defines the direction of radiation of the main antenna
lobe.
• ToA measurements: These measurements, such as Timing
UE
Advance or Propagation Delay, narrows the possible location
area by measuring the time distance of the UE from the
antenna. The accuracy of the ToA measurements defines an
Cell Sector + ToA Sector
arc where the UE could be located.

2 . TRILATERATION
The trilateration algorithm uses simultaneously UE measurements from BS3
different transmitters. The technique requires the estimated distance
between the UE and the transmitter, which can be obtained either from
signal or timing measurements.
d3
• In case of using signal measurements, the estimated distance
between the receiver and each transmitter can be calculated d1
UE
d2

by using propagation models. The intersection of the resulting

information provides a geolocation estimation.
BS1 BS2

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• For a timing measurement the distance is directly calculated

BS3 by using ToA or RTT measurements. Thus, the intersection of
timing measurements provides another estimated geolocation
point.
d3
The accuracy of this technology depends on the number of simultaneous
UE reported transmitters as well as on the receiver-transmitter distance. As a
d1 d2
rule of thumb:
• The higher the number of reported transmitters the smaller
BS1 BS2 the intersection area and the better the accuracy.
• The further the distance from the antenna the larger the
intersection area and the worse the accuracy.

3 . TRIANGULATION
BS1
d1
UE
d2
BS2 Triangulation determines the location by forming triangles defined by the
antennas’ location and the angle of arrival (AoA) measurements of the
a2 received UE RF signals. This technology requires sophisticated arrays of
a1 antennas and makes it therefore more costly for operators to deploy the
solution in the network.

4 . MULTILATERATION
Multilateration algorithms are based on the measurement of the difference
in distance between the UE and multiple base stations. Unlike absolute
timing measurements such as RTT or ToA, the usage of time difference
measurements results in an infinite number of combinations that form a
hyperbolic curve. When there are multiple transmitters, there are multiple
hyperbolic curves which intersect in a finite number of points that determine
the candidate location positions.
In synchronized networks, the usage of either OTDOA or U-TDOA
OTDOA measurements results in a method that identifies the intersection of multiple
Hyperbola
Bs1 - Bs3 hyperbolas.
BS3
The accuracy of the multilateration methodology depends on many factors:
• A minimum number of 3 base stations is needed in order to
intersect the resulting hyperbolas.
OTDOA
UE
• The timestamp measurement accuracy depends not only on
Hyperbola
Bs1 - Bs2 RAT requirements but also on the reference clock accuracy.
• Multipath propagation implies a default time measurement
error when there is no LOS. This impacts the geolocation
BS1 BS2
accuracy.
• The relative position of the UE and the base stations (a.k.a.
OTDOA Dilution of Precision, GDOP) greatly impacts the overall
Hyperbola
Bs2 - Bs3 provided accuracy.

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5 . FINGERPRINTING
This method geolocates users/devices without GPS by taking advantage of
other UEs’ GPS measurements.
Thus the fingerprinting algorithm is available for every network where it is
possible to have some UEs regularly sending their GPS positions along with
RF measurements. Those RF measurements constitute a fingerprint for that
GPS position.
This fingerprinting-based positioning consists of two phases.
• Firstly, a database of measurements is built up by leveraging
the GPS positions and RF measurements reported by a
limited number of UEs. Measurement vectors corresponding
to a concrete GPS position are stored in the database, which
consists of as many samples – or fingerprints - as possible.
The higher the number of samples in the database, the better
the accuracy.
• In a second step, measurements from UEs with no GPS
available are sent to a central entity that estimates their
location. The estimated location is calculated using a
database correlation method that finds the best possible
match between the received measurements’ vector and the
stored database fingerprints.
The main constraints of GPS measurement data is that not all devices have
GPS available and in some indoor scenarios there is no satellite coverage.
This limits the accuracy of the final position.

Most of the existing geolocation solutions in the market include additional

algorithms that, combined with the previous geolocation techniques,
improve the overall result for both mobility and indoor scenarios.
Similarly, it is possible to combine any of the previously mentioned
geolocation algorithms to improve the overall results. However, there are
certain limitations that impact the usage of specific geolocation algorithms,
either due to intrinsic technology constraints or network deployment costs.
Next table shows the usual utilization of each of the geolocation techniques
per RAT as observed nowadays by Astellia at operators worldwide.

GSM UMTS LTE NB-IoT LoRaWAN

Cell ID Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Trilateration Yes Yes Yes No No

Triangulation1 No No No No No

Multilateration No No Yes Yes2 Yes

Fingerprinting Yes Yes Yes Yes3 Yes3

1
This requires specific and costly antennas which aren’t deployed yet and therefore it is a technique that cannot be used in existing deployed networks.
2
It is expected that 3GPP introduces TDOA measurements in future releases thus enabling Multilateration support.
3
It could be possible if GPS data is made available by the device, whose info can be collected in the user plane.

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ACCURACY
One of the common mistakes when talking about geolocation results is the
confusion between accuracy and precision. While accuracy refers to the
closeness of the estimated position to the real one, precision refers to the
distance and the variability between each estimated position. Next exhibit
depicts the difference between both terms.

High Accuracy Low Accuracy High Accuracy Low Accuracy

High Precision High Precision Low Precision Low Precision

There are multiple factors that impact the accuracy of geolocation solutions
such as the measurement type, the network density or inter-site distance
(ISD), the geolocation algorithm, the radio access technology, LOS, users’
mobility, history of samples, etc. Due to the multiple sources of errors,
geolocation solutions deliver an accuracy estimation for geolocated data.
The following table summarizes how main sources of errors affect the
accuracy of the geolocation solution.

Cell ID Trilateration Triangulation Multilateration Fingerprinting

Inter-site High High Medium Medium Low
distance
Simultaneous Low High High High Medium
reported cells
Antenna
positioning High High High High Low
errors
Line of Sight Low Low High High Low
(LOS) / Multipath
Speed of Mobility High High Medium Medium Low
History of Low Medium Low Low High
samples
Pathloss Low High Low Low Low
Antenna location High High High High Low
Indoor scenarios Low Low High High High
Dilution of Low Medium High High Low
Precision

In summary,
 he most robust solution is fingerprinting but this requires the
T
activation of optional features in the network.
 ny error which affects the delay in the radio-signal propagation
A
time, such as multipath, has a strong impact on any TDOA-based
algorithm.
Incomplete or wrong network topology data such as antenna
position affects those algorithms where the reference point of the
antenna is being used.

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  ustomer use cases :
C
geolocation brought
to action
Geolocation solutions are able to determine and provide, on a 24x7 basis,
the location of each subscriber’s call by using the above-mentioned
techniques. When aggregating all geolocated subscribers’ calls, a wide
range of maps are available with multiple performance indicators such as
traffic, failed calls, handovers, coverage, quality, etc. Additionally, there
are different advanced filtering capabilities which allow operators to look
for specific patterns based on services, handsets, roamers and so on.
Both performance indicators and filtering capabilities are combined with
geolocation intelligence algorithms that allow mobile network operators
to use the solution in a large variety of applications like troubleshooting,
analytics, marketing, optimization and planning. This not only creates more
efficiency but also new revenue streams.

NETWORK ROLL-OUT

MANAGE TRAFFIC GROWTH IN HOTSPOTS

At the moment operators are looking for solutions to offload the traffic
from macro to small cells both due to capacity and coverage issues.
So, having periodic and nation-wide information on hotspots is very
valuable when defining the right location to deploy new small
cells. It enables operators to invest where it matters and improve the
customer experience for problematic areas and thus increasing the
Return on Investment (ROI) of small cells.

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ACCELERATE NEW TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCTION

Another relevant benefit of geolocation information is that it helps accelerate the introduction of new
technologies and prioritize new service deployments. For instance, it can help by ensuring an optimal VoLTE
experience, pinpointing areas with a high density of VoLTE capable devices and then prioritizing actions
to guarantee optimal network performance. Once the new technology is deployed, operators benefit from
reduction in the Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) by using geolocation maps that identify problematic
areas and allow drill-down capabilities for troubleshooting.

VALUE BASED NETWORK

INVESTMENT
Geolocation maps are used during the
network investment plan at both the planning
and validation phase. During the planning
phase, when new sites are deployed (i.e.
for new carriers in the digital dividend),
coverage maps are very useful to prioritize
those areas where subscribers experience
bad quality. Thus, operators focus the
investment based on a customer-centric
approach which directly implies an increase
of revenues per site.
Once the sites are deployed, at the
validation phase, geolocation maps ease
the Single Site Verification (SSV) procedure
by using real subscriber data and avoiding
costly drive test procedures. It means that
the usage of geolocation maps in the SSV
procedure accelerates the “site-on-air”
time with a consequent positive impact on
revenues.

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NETWORK OPTIMIZATION

INCREASE NETWORK OPTIMIZATION EFFICIENCY

With geolocation, operators can have 24x7 massive performance maps
for all the subscribers of their network. This allows network engineers
to have a better view of network performance based on areas rather
than cell indicators. Engineers can focus their analysis on those areas
where subscribers experience bad performance and prepare ad-hoc
optimization or troubleshooting activities. Subsequently, this will have a
concrete and positive impact on subscribers’ experience and improve
the efficiency of the optimization teams.

OPTIMIZE AREAS WITH DIVERSE TRAFFIC PROFILES

Operators face difficulties to optimize those areas where traffic profiles are
diverse (i.e. static vs. mobility, indoor vs. outdoor, etc.) because existing
OSS tools do not allow to split KPIs. By using geolocation maps with
advanced filtering capabilities, operators can propose specific actions
aimed at optimizing the scenarios based on the traffic mix. For instance,
high mobility areas related to trains and roads can be monitored and
analyzed with performance geolocation maps.

REDUCE DRIVE TESTS BY 80%

Drive tests are being used for many daily tasks. However, they have some
real disadvantages:
Drive tests are very costly because operators have to send teams
into the field to launch measurements at each specific location.
Data is not available instantaneously.
It is difficult to reproduce the conditions of failed calls when
customers complain.
Most of the tests are only performed in specific locations and can
only be executed outdoors. It is not adapted to indoor or pedestrians
areas.
Drive tests only provide quality of service snapshots at a certain
moment in time.

Geolocation represents a very cost-efficient alternative to drive tests

because it overcomes all the listed drawbacks. In addition, since it is possible
to geolocate 100% of subscribers’ calls on a 24/7 basis, operators get a real
view of the customer experience and can take proper actions where needed.
Based on our experience with operators worldwide, drive test activities can
be reduced by 80 percent when using geolocation solutions.

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CUSTOMER CARE AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGAMENT

ENRICH CUSTOMER CARE ANALYSIS

By positioning complaining subscribers’ failed calls on a map, customer care agents better understand
subscribers’ issues and can propose a solution more quickly, not only to the complaining customer but also
to all the subscribers in that area. Geolocation information increases customer care efficiency by improving
the MTTR and reducing the costs for reproducing customers’ issues with drive test.

INCREASE REVENUES
WITH GEO ANALYTICS
Each element that provides additional information on the
customer, provides a better knowledge of that customer and
hence insights to improve their experience. Valuable subscriber
mobility information can be used to geolocate high revenue
generating hot spots (roamers, VoLTE subscribers, fleets, etc.),
determine the customer experience of these hot spots and avoid
potential loss of revenues due to a bad functioning network in
these areas.

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DATA MONETIZATION

RESELL DATA TO VERTICALS

Marketing can exploit geolocation data to create additional revenues by,
for instance, engaging with a customer that is accessing a predefined
area (geofencing). Some examples of use cases are location-based
advertising, analysis of population flows for road traffic information,
helping shopping malls understand where their customers are coming
from and the time they are spending at their premises, etc.

TRACK IOT DEVICES & MOBILITY

With the current internet of things (IoT) revolution, asset tracking and fleet monitoring are becoming revenue
generating and value-added services, offered by operators to their enterprise customers. So being able to
provide massive geolocation and mobility of low-cost IoT devices without costly GPS functionality is a clear
competitive differentiator.

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Nova Geo : Astellia’s

award-winning geolocation
solution

Machine
learning
algorithms

Nova Geo’s classification

Astellia’s fully virtualised algorithms distinguish indoor/
Nova Geo solution supports outdoor, static/mobility calls.
the most advanced Combined with advanced
geolocation techniques such location aware algorithms,
as trilateration, fingerprinting it precisely locates capacity
and multilateration, hereby hotspots, coverage holes,
guaranteeing first class pilot pollution and VIP areas
accuracy in locating devices to target and prioritize
across multi-technology network operations such as
networks (2G/3G/4G/LPWAN). new site introduction, small
cell planning and parameters
Overall, with Nova Geo, tuning.
operators have access to
richer data and can benefit
from reduced OPEX, direct
CAPEX savings and improved
IT efficiency.

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Powerful Advanced Subscriber
geo-analytics troubleshooting privacy respect
Multiple map filtering options In only one click, users can The solution embeds the most
provide users with capabilities drill down from user-defined advanced security and privacy
to perform in-depth analysis geographical areas to individual measures such as IMSI
based on user-defined Call Detailed Records (CDR), ciphering, IMSI masking and
geographical areas. By hereby benefiting from user profiles with different
leveraging Astellia’s probing improved troubleshooting access rights in order to
solution, geolocation maps can efficiency. guarantee the privacy of each
be enriched with very valuable subscriber.
User Plane information such
as application usage and video
quality.

Fast and massive Geolocation Powerful,

performance maps goldmine future-proof
capitalization solution
Nova Geo features state of the
art geolocation technology that Nova Geo also offers Nova’s big data architecture
leverages radio measurement the possibility to export ensures proper scalability for
data to produce 24x7 massive geolocation data through a dealing with future network and
performance maps (i.e. RF North Bound Interface (NBI) traffic growth, while reducing
coverage, traffic, quality, etc.), into operators’ big data lake operators’ hardware expenses.
from nation-wide coverage to implement additional Use Together with current research
down to 50x50m. The Cases on top of the existing projects in 5G, Astellia’s
advanced solution architecture ones proposed by the solution. geolocation solution is your
provides the fastest solution best choice for coming network
in the market to calculate the evolutions.
maps and make them available
through the user interface.

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Customer testimonials

“ A high speed train

is a very complex
environment due to the
high speed in which
customers are moving.
Before, we were mainly using drive tests
to optimize network conditions along the
“ With Nova Geo, we have
a solid solution at hand to
railway, but now, with Astellia, we adopt a improve overall customer
new and very innovative approach which experience and maximize
manages to filter out those people that return on investment of

”
are actually on the train. The optimization network infrastructure.
of high speed train routes is particularly
important for business travelers that need Vicente Abad
to stay connected at any time. This allowed RAN Optimization
us to become the best service provider on Manager
high speed trains in Spain and created a real Telefonica Spain

”
competitive differentiator for Orange!

Juan Serrano Sánchez

Quality Manager
Orange Spain

“ We called upon Astellia for their flexible and

feature-rich solution and their proactivity in
solution evolution towards Big Data. We also
highly value their expertise in radio optimization,

”
geolocation and traffic analysis.

Thomas Vonlanthen

“ We have signed a global

framework agreement with Astellia
Head of Wireless Access
Technologies
Swisscom Switzerland
to deploy its geolocated-based
RAN optimization platform. We will
leverage Astellia’s best-in-class
geolocation accuracy to optimize
network deployment and increase

”
RAN performance efficiency.

Juan Carlos García

RAN GCTO Director
Telefonica Group

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