VoLTE Emergency Call over Assisted-GPS: An Experimental Evaluation

This study conducts an experimental evaluation of Assisted GPS (A-GPS) in enhancing Voice over LTE (VoLTE) emergency call systems. Aiming to address the limitations of traditional GPS, such as prolonged Time to First Fix (TTFF), A-GPS leverages additional network data to improve location service efficiency and accuracy. Through the development of specialized source code and the use of laboratory testbeds, the research emulates real-world scenarios to rigorously assess A-GPS’s performance during emergency calls. The investigation focuses on several key performance indicators, including the accuracy of Cell-ID location, satellite detection capabilities, user equipment (UE) response times, horizontal and vertical position errors. Findings reveal that A-GPS markedly enhances location identification, achieving an average horizontal positional error of only 1.49 m and adhering to the 20-second 3 GPP standard for location reporting. These results highlight A-GPS’s significant potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of VoLTE emergency call on mobile devices, offering valuable insights for network operators and emergency services to further refine and optimize emergency communication technologies.