HOW MOBILE PHONES WORK !!!
Mobile phone tracking refers to the attaining of the current position of a
mobile phone, stationary or moving. Localization may occur either via
multilateration of radio signals between (several) radio towers of the network and the phone, or simply via GPS. To locate the phone using multilateration of radio signals, it must emit at least the
roaming signal to contact the next nearby antenna tower, but the process does not require an active call.
GSM is based on the signal strength to nearby antenna masts.
[1]
Mobile positioning, which includes location based service that discloses the actual coordinates of a mobile phone bearer, is a technology used by
telecommunication companies to
approximate where a
mobile phone, and thereby also its user (bearer), temporarily resides. The more properly applied term
locating refers to the purpose rather than a
positioning process. Such service is offered as an option of the class of
location-based services (LBS).
[2]