Cell Tower Triangulation
Cell tower triangulation is similar to GPS tracking in many ways. Multiple towers are used to track the phone’s location by measuring the time delay that a signal takes to return back to the towers from the phone. This delay is then calculated into distance and gives a fairly accurate location of the phone. Detecting which antenna of the tower the signal bounced off of can further refine the location. This gives a more specific location when used congruently with multiple towers calculated by multiple dishes on each tower. Cell phone companies do this for a variety of reasons including enhancing the ability of the E911 system. This system was put in place for 911 operators to get a location of where a call from a cell phone is made from so that if communication is lost, the operator would know where to dispatch help. Cell tower triangulation is also used to provide the phone with the best service by noting which tower it is closest to and using them to provide service. Cell tower triangulation provides the ability to track the historic location of the cell phone’s presence. It will then identify where the cell phone was when receiving/making calls, texting, emailing, etc.