Environment
Platform SIM page
SIMs API responses
Device logs
Question
Why is there no data in Cell Tower Location Information when my device is registered to a network?
Answer
Cell Tower information is provided when captured in signalling when the device comes online. Location is retrieved using this information and limited to what is available of the external geo-location services used.
Cause
Cell Tower location information is only provided during the communication between local operator and Onomondo Packet Gateway (PGW), which manages the data session connection. A device is considered online on the platform when a data session is active between operator and PGW. If the modem has registered to a network in network logs but no data attach log is seen, then the SIM is not considered "online" and no Location information has been received.
If the information is being compared directly with modem/device logs, there can be a difference as modem displays location information earlier in the registration process.
Once the location information has been retrieved from the signalling, our location service queries geolocation services to identify a coordinates of the cell tower. Sometimes the response from the service can be cell tower not found or the coordinates are inaccurate.