Mobius Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC)

1. Product Overview

Mobius Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC) is a core network node that enables Location-Based Services (LBS) by determining and delivering the geographic location of mobile devices within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) [TS 23.171]. In operation, a GMLC is typically the first point of contact for any external Location Services (LCS) client requesting a UE’s location in a PLMN. It handles incoming location requests from external clients (over the Le interface) and coordinates the end-to-end procedure to obtain the device’s position from the network. This includes authenticating the LCS client (if not internal), checking the target user’s privacy settings, retrieving the proper serving network node for that user, and routing a positioning request to that serving node. After the positioning is performed in the network (e.g. by radio/access network elements), the GMLC receives the final location estimate and returns it to the requesting client.

Privacy and authorization are central to GMLC’s role. The GMLC in the target user’s home network (the Home GMLC) is responsible for enforcing the user’s LCS privacy profile before any location is revealed. This ensures that location requests conform to user consent and regulatory policy. For example, if an external LCS client requests a user’s location, the GMLC or a dedicated Privacy Profile Register (PPR) in the home network will verify whether that client is permitted to locate the user (considering privacy class exceptions like emergency services). Only if privacy rules pass (or are overridden for special cases like emergencies) will the GMLC proceed with the location retrieval. GMLC nodes in different PLMNs communicate over the Lr interface to allow roaming scenarios – for instance, if a roaming user’s location is requested, the visited network’s GMLC must liaise with the home GMLC so that privacy checks can be done at the home side before the location is delivered.