[Satellite TODAY 05-12-11] Alcatel-Lucent has partnered with Polaris Wireless and Thales Alenia Space for the launch of a location-based positioning engine with the ability to identify the geographic position of a mobile device with a high degree of accuracy, Alcatel-Lucent announced May 11.

The Alcatel-Lucent Positioning Solution (ALPS) utilizes a range of location technologies that aim to support services for public safety, emergency services and other applications that rely on accurate location information, the company said.

Polaris Wireless is providing software that is capable of locating mobile devices across all air interfaces and all environments, including urban areas and indoors, for the location solution. Thales Alenia Space was signed on as a key partner to provide Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) assistance with data quality, dynamic location technique selection and hybridization.

“The technology to locate mobile devices has evolved significantly in recent years … Location-based services are being used for applications ranging from 911 emergency call tracking and other public safety uses, to finding friends and mobile advertising. In many of these examples, higher accuracy translates into higher revenues for communication service providers and will continue to grow in importance,” Alcatel-Lucent said in a company statement.