SIM Location Service (FT-1029.002)

About this document

Scope

This document provides background information as well as a functional description of the FT-1029.002 SIM Location Service core extended feature.

The described feature is supported from the release version 5.4 onward.

This feature is part of the Device Management functionality with number FN-1029.

Feature Availability

Benefits

The SIM Location Service provides a simple and efficient way to determine and visualize the approximate location of SIM Cards using existing network data. By leveraging cell-level information already available in CDRs, the feature eliminates the need for additional hardware or complex integrations, reducing operational effort and cost. It enhances visibility into SIM activity by showing current, last known, and historical positions, supporting faster troubleshooting and better operational awareness. Users can make informed decisions while maintaining a straightforward and scalable approach to location insights.

Feature overview

Goals

The aim of the SIM Location Service feature is to provide a straightforward way to determine a SIM Card’s approximate location using network-reported cell information, allowing Users to see where a SIM is now, where it was last seen, and how its location has changed over time.

Out of scope

• Continuous tracking or GPS-quality location

• Movement history, heatmaps, and fleet analytics

• Multi-cell triangulation logic in CMP

• Expose Google API keys in the browser

• Offline maps or export of map tiles

Technical Prerequisites

This feature requires the following integrations to function as intended:

• Packet Core Integration to CDR or Gy

• The feature is based on Google Maps, so the customer must have a Google Maps subscription. In most cases, the Starter plan (up to 50,000 monthly calls) is sufficient.

• The customer must provide LAC (Location Area Code) information through CDRs or EDRs.

The above prerequisites reflect a typical setup.

Depending on the customer's existing infrastructure, business processes, or regulatory environment, additional integrations or configurations may be necessary to ensure full compatibility and optimal performance.

Functionality of the feature

The SIM Location Service feature provides the ability to derive and display approximate SIM location information based on cell-level network data. CMP processes CDR events emitted by the mobile core network, and when a CDR contains a Cell Global Identifier (CGI), including MCC, MNC, LAC, and Cell ID, CMP can resolve this identifier into an estimated latitude/longitude using the Google Geolocation API. The Enterprise Portal presents the resulting location on a map together with contextual accuracy information.

The SIM Location Service exposes three types of location information:

1. where the SIM is “now” (current estimated SIM location),

2. where the SIM was last seen (last known SIM position), and

3. where has the SIM been (historical positions).

The current estimated SIM location represents where the SIM is “now”, based on the latest usable CDR within a configured Recency Window. CMP selects the newest CDR in this window that contains a valid CGI, resolves it to coordinates through Google Geolocation, and provides the Enterprise Portal with a location consisting of a marker on the map, an accuracy circle, and a last updated timestamp derived from the underlying CDR event.

The last known SIM position is used when no recent data is available. In this case, CMP identifies the newest usable historic CDR in all stored history that contains valid CGI, without applying any recency limits. This provides the most recent confirmed network-observed location for the SIM. The Enterprise Portal displays the resulting location with a marker on the map, an accuracy circle, and a last updated timestamp derived from the underlying CDR event, and a stale indicator when the timestamp exceeds the configured stale threshold.

The historical positions view offers access to previous SIM locations over time. These positions originate from location-charge events stored in DAR. A history entry is created whenever the CGI changes during EDR/CDR processing, allowing CMP to capture meaningful movement without storing every raw event. CMP returns these entries as a chronological list. When the User selects an entry, the Enterprise Portal resolves it into coordinates and updates the map accordingly. If a history entry cannot be resolved, it is marked as UNRESOLVED with an associated reason and is not plotted on the map.

Whenever location information cannot be produced, such as when a SIM has never generated a usable CGI, the service returns an HTTP 200 response with status LOCATION_INFORMATION_NOT_AVAILABLE together with a specific reason code. In these cases, the Enterprise Portal displays a clear explanatory message instead of a map location.

The described feature is supported from the release version 5.4 onward.

This feature is part of the Device Management functionality with number FN-1029.

Feature Availability

Benefits

The SIM Location Service provides a simple and efficient way to determine and visualize the approximate location of SIM Cards using existing network data. By leveraging cell-level information already available in CDRs, the feature eliminates the need for additional hardware or complex integrations, reducing operational effort and cost. It enhances visibility into SIM activity by showing current, last known, and historical positions, supporting faster troubleshooting and better operational awareness. Users can make informed decisions while maintaining a straightforward and scalable approach to location insights.

Feature overview

Goals

The aim of the SIM Location Service feature is to provide a straightforward way to determine a SIM Card’s approximate location using network-reported cell information, allowing Users to see where a SIM is now, where it was last seen, and how its location has changed over time.

Out of scope

• Continuous tracking or GPS-quality location

• Movement history, heatmaps, and fleet analytics

• Multi-cell triangulation logic in CMP

• Expose Google API keys in the browser

• Offline maps or export of map tiles

Technical Prerequisites

This feature requires the following integrations to function as intended:

• Packet Core Integration to CDR or Gy

• The feature is based on Google Maps, so the customer must have a Google Maps subscription. In most cases, the Starter plan (up to 50,000 monthly calls) is sufficient.

• The customer must provide LAC (Location Area Code) information through CDRs or EDRs.

The above prerequisites reflect a typical setup.

Depending on the customer's existing infrastructure, business processes, or regulatory environment, additional integrations or configurations may be necessary to ensure full compatibility and optimal performance.

Functionality of the feature

The SIM Location Service feature provides the ability to derive and display approximate SIM location information based on cell-level network data. CMP processes CDR events emitted by the mobile core network, and when a CDR contains a Cell Global Identifier (CGI), including MCC, MNC, LAC, and Cell ID, CMP can resolve this identifier into an estimated latitude/longitude using the Google Geolocation API. The Enterprise Portal presents the resulting location on a map together with contextual accuracy information.

The SIM Location Service exposes three types of location information:

1. where the SIM is “now” (current estimated SIM location),

2. where the SIM was last seen (last known SIM position), and

3. where has the SIM been (historical positions).

The current estimated SIM location represents where the SIM is “now”, based on the latest usable CDR within a configured Recency Window. CMP selects the newest CDR in this window that contains a valid CGI, resolves it to coordinates through Google Geolocation, and provides the Enterprise Portal with a location consisting of a marker on the map, an accuracy circle, and a last updated timestamp derived from the underlying CDR event.

The last known SIM position is used when no recent data is available. In this case, CMP identifies the newest usable historic CDR in all stored history that contains valid CGI, without applying any recency limits. This provides the most recent confirmed network-observed location for the SIM. The Enterprise Portal displays the resulting location with a marker on the map, an accuracy circle, and a last updated timestamp derived from the underlying CDR event, and a stale indicator when the timestamp exceeds the configured stale threshold.

The historical positions view offers access to previous SIM locations over time. These positions originate from location-charge events stored in DAR. A history entry is created whenever the CGI changes during EDR/CDR processing, allowing CMP to capture meaningful movement without storing every raw event. CMP returns these entries as a chronological list. When the User selects an entry, the Enterprise Portal resolves it into coordinates and updates the map accordingly. If a history entry cannot be resolved, it is marked as UNRESOLVED with an associated reason and is not plotted on the map.

Whenever location information cannot be produced, such as when a SIM has never generated a usable CGI, the service returns an HTTP 200 response with status LOCATION_INFORMATION_NOT_AVAILABLE together with a specific reason code. In these cases, the Enterprise Portal displays a clear explanatory message instead of a map location.