CommScope has launched a new software release GeoLENs Mobile Location Center (MLC) 10.3, to give wireless operators the ability to accurately and reliably locate mobile devices connected to LTE networks.

For mobile subscribers, this represents a new era of personalized services, while offering mobile carriers fresh opportunities for driving revenue as LTE network deployments continue to increase. According to information compiled by 4G Americas, there were 79 LTE networks in service in 41 countries as of early May, with more than 40 additional commercial LTE launches planned for the remainder of 2012.

“As operators migrate to higher bandwidth LTE technology, they remain committed to providing subscribers with the same kinds of location based services (LBS) that proved successful in 2G and 3G domains,” said John Baker, senior vice president of Network Solutions, CommScope. “With our latest GeoLENs upgrade, there’s now a seamless, cost effective way to add LTE location capability to an existing 2G/3G deployment and immediately extend current LBS offerings in an LTE environment.”

GeoLENs MLC 10.3 arrives just in time to support what industry watchers predict will be a steady upward trajectory for mobile LBS. Surveys on mobile subscriber usage and preferences point to LBS as the feature most respondents rank at the top of their wish list. Last month, market research firm TNS released the results of the annual Mobile Life Study, looking at the mobile use of nearly 50,000 people in 58 countries, noting that of the world’s six billion mobile users, roughly 19 percent already use LBS and three times that number said they plan to do so soon.

CommScope is among the first in the industry to zero in on developing a range of mobile location solutions to support LBS for operators of 2G, 3G and 4G networks. Equipped with virtual node technology, the fully integrated GeoLENs MLC consolidates all of the capabilities of the various network location servers Gateway Mobile Location Center, Serving Mobile Location Center, Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center, Stand Alone Serving Mobile Location Center and Secure User Plane Location Platform into one single bay solution that is flexible, powerful and scalable. Each deployment can be customized and configured for the specific network environment.

GeoLENs MLC supports combinations of handset based, network based and hybrid location technologies. When queried for a location, it automatically selects the optimum available locating method based on the specific request, device and sub-network capabilities. The locating methods and procedures available are selected by the network operator and can be augmented as the network evolves. GeoLENs MLC 10.3 allows seamless upgrade of any existing CommScope location solution with no new hardware and is non service affecting.