MX Telecom Location Gateway
Overview
Four of the five UK networks have now "location-enabled" their networks (3 coming in 2008). They have allowed selected partners to obtain live access to the permission-based location information of their subscribers via direct, secure connections. As one such partner, MX Telecom offers a simple yet comprehensive solution to enable third parties to location-enable their own applications.
The MX Telecom Location Gateway presents a simple interface for providing services that are network and device independent. If required, MX Telecom can also work with you to develop and host your application.
Contents
- How Does It Work?
- Why MX Telecom?
- What Sort of Location Applications are Possible?
- Categories of Location Based Services
- Implementation Issue: "Opt-In" and "Opt-Out" Nature of a Location Based Service
- Implementation Issue: Need to ensure the User subject to a location request is on the Correct Network
- Pricing
- Account Setup
- Service Support
- Technical Information
How Does it Work?
After submitting a request to locate a certain mobile number, the mobile operators' location platforms provide a result that contains X, Y and Z values. The X and Y are coordinates and the Z value is a radius in metres from point represented by the X and Y. The size of the area depends on the size of the cell, which tends to be smaller in urban areas and larger in less densely populated areas.
If you are hosting your own application, MX Telecom then return the X, Y and Z coordinates to you via the Internet using your choice of our simple interfaces (HTTP, HTTP/XML or SOAP - for full details of our APIs please see Technical Information). The format of the X and Y is returned as the following:
- Latitude and Longitude
- Eastings and Northings
- Landranger
This can also be converted into other formats such as Post Code if required by your application. For further details please contact us.
Why MX Telecom?
The great advantage of choosing MX Telecom as your location-enabling provider is its leading position as a supplier of voice and data connectivity to mobile and fixed line network operators. This allows you to deploy your applications over multiple platforms quickly, reliably and competitively. Using MX Telecom's location feed requires substantially less cost, time and development effort than it would take to establish and code a direct interface with each operator. Furthermore, by integrating your application with the MX Telecom Premium SMS service, you can easily gain an instant revenue stream.
MX Telecom is a leading player in the following areas:
- Premium SMS
- Inbound and Outbound (2-Way) SMS
- Multimedia Messaging
- Fixed Lines and Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
What Sort of Location Applications are Possible?
Potential Location applications cover nearly every attractive wireless demographic market, including: parents, teenagers, singles, students, online communities and businesses. Certain businesses depend heavily on mobile voice and/or data communications to operate, such as companies with significant numbers of field employees, and businesses dependent on knowing the location of their assets at any moment, such as transportation by heavy goods vehicles and rail. Beyond this, LBS applications cover nearly every aspect related to human mobility: Convenience, Entertainment, Health/Security/Emergency, Navigation, Travel Aids and so on.
Categories of Location Based Services:
- "Active" or "Pull" Services
"Active" or "Pull" Services are those where a location request can only be made in response to a specific user demand. For example, a user wanting to benefit from a "Find My Nearest" type service may send an SMS or dial into that service and consent to be located in order to fulfil their specific enquiry. A one-time request is made on their location and no further relationship exists with the user. They have not consented to be located again.
- "Passive" or "Push" Services
"Passive" or "Push" services are those where a user may consent to have their location requested by the service multiple times by the application or by another user following only one demand. For example a user may subscribe to a "Find My Family" type service, where they give consent to have their location requested on an ad hoc basis in order to be located when somebody else (e.g. a permitted member of their family) wishes.
- "White List" Services
"White List" services are generally business applications where the owner or administrator of a batch of mobile handsets gives consent for multiple, ad hoc location requests on that batch. Example applications are sales force location or asset tracking. Proof of authority over the list of mobile numbers will be required.
"Opt-In" and "Opt-Out" Nature of a Location Based Service
- Legal Issues
You must ensure that each User who is subject to location requests has "Opted-In" for the specific service that requires you to locate them. You must also ensure that the User can easily "Opt-Out" of such a service as well.
- Best Implementation Strategy
Users will normally need initially to send a Normal SMS Text Message into a Short Code "Send-In" number. (For sending in this Normal SMS Text Message, the User will pay their normal text messaging price). They could also dial into a phone line from their mobile phone. This confirms a user has "Opted-In" for the service you are offering and identifies which network they are on. With a User's consent, you are then entitled to make location requests on them according to the advertised service, as long as the User can somehow "Opt-Out" of the service at any stage. To achieve this "Opt-Out", examples include providing the User with the ability to send a Normal SMS Text Message "Opting-Out" of your service, or a phone number to dial "Opting-Out", or even sending an email cancelling the service subscription.
- Technical Restrictions
In order to enforce the above, the MX Telecom Gateway will not allow a location request to be made on any User, unless they have sent in a Normal Text Message to your Short Code or Shared Keyword Short Code, dialled in from their mobile or been listed on a pre-approved "White List".
Need to ensure the User subject to a location request is on the Correct Network
- Legal Issues
You must ensure that each User subject to location requests is on the correct Mobile Network. For example, if a User is an Orange UK subscriber, but signs up to your service which only covers Vodafone UK users, then you must ensure you do not try to locate them on the Vodafone network. If you do, no location information will be returned, and you will be charged for making that request.
- Best Implementation Strategy
The best way of confirming that a user is on a certain Network in the UK, is if they can send a Normal SMS Text Message into a Short Code that is only accessible from their network. In the UK each mobile network has its own short codes, which can only be accessed by users on that particular network. For example, users on the Orange network cannot send a Text Message into a Vodafone short code. Alternatively the MX Telecom Network Lookup Service can be used where appropriate (eg. for calls made to an IVR system).
- Technical Restrictions
In order to enforce the above, the MX Telecom Gateway will not allow a location request to be made on any User, unless they have sent in a Normal Text Message to your Short Code or Shared Keyword Short Code, dialled in from their mobile or been listed on a pre-approved "White List".
Pricing
There is currently a GBP 500 set up fee for connecting to the MX Telecom Location Gateway.
A minimum monthly usage fee applies. This is GBP 200 per operator per month. Location requests in excess of this fee are charged depending on volume according to following tables.
Vodafone
| Location requests per month | Price per location request (GBP) |
| 0 - 50,000 | 0.093 |
| 50,001 - 250,000 | 0.080 |
| 250,001 - 500,000 | 0.074 |
| 500,001 + | 0.068 |
O2
| Location requests per month | Price per location request (GBP) |
| 0 - 100,000 | 0.080 |
| 100,001 - 250,000 | 0.070 |
| 250,001 - 500,000 | 0.060 |
| 500,001 + | 0.050 |
T-Mobile
| Location requests per month | Price per location request (GBP) |
| 0 - 99,999 | 0.110 |
| 100,000 - 249,999 | 0.105 |
| 250,000 - 499,999 | 0.096 |
| 500,000 + | 0.088 |
Orange
| Location requests per month | Price per location request (GBP) |
| 0 - 100,000 | 0.095 |
| 100,001 - 250,000 | 0.080 |
| 250,001 - 500,000 | 0.075 |
| 500,001 + | 0.070 |
Account Setup
All new Location Based Services require prior approval by the mobile network operators. Depending upon the network operator in question, a Location Based Services account, can usually be setup within 10 working days. In the majority of cases, the application will be need to be set up in conjunction with an SMS or IVR solution.
Service Support
The MX Telecom Gateway uses direct connections into the heart of Mobile Network Location Services Platforms and SMS Centres (SMSCs), providing high capacity, reliable, and fast connectivity. MX Telecom only uses its own leased line connections to various operators, and does not go through any third party providers. It is a complete solution, hosted, designed, developed and supported by MX Telecom.
Technical Information
Full technical information on the MX Telecom Location Gateway can be found here.
 |
About MX TelecomMX Telecom is a leader in wireless technology. MX Telecom offers an easily accessible gateway to data, voice and video messaging services including 2-way and premium SMS, multimedia messaging, interactive voice response, location-based services, video short codes, Internet and TV related solutions. For more information, MX Telecom can be reached on 0845 666 7778, or via email at sales@mxtelecom.com. |
