System for providing location-based services in a wireless network, such as locating individuals and coordinating meetings

In a system for providing telecommunication services between multiple mobile devices and multiple network access points, an apparatus comprising:

• at least one server computer coupled among at least some of the network access points;
• a database coupled with the server computer;
• and
• a location subsystem coupled with the server computer,
• wherein the server computer is configured to:
• receive a command via one of the network access points, wherein the command is based on a single command from a user's mobile device to locate a friend's mobile device among the multiple mobile devices within communication range of the multiple network access points;
• provide a request to the location subsystem to locate the friend's mobile device;
• receive a geographic location of the friend's mobile device from the location subsystem;
• return a location message to the user's mobile device, wherein the location message provides the geographic location of the friend's mobile device with a granularity of at least a neighborhood within a city;
• obtain a request from the user's mobile device for a meeting with a friend associated with the friend's mobile device at a meeting location, wherein the selected meeting location is near a current location of the friend's mobile device, near a current location of the user's mobile device, or at an approximate equidistant midpoint between the current locations of the user's and friend's mobile devices;
• provide another request to the location subsystem to locate the user's mobile device;
• receive a geographic location of the user's mobile device from the location subsystem;
• provide, to the user's mobile device, a list of at least two points of interest near to the selected meeting location;
• and
• responsive to the meeting request, determine a local time of the user's or friend's mobile devices based on the determined geographic location of the user's and friend's mobile devices or a preexisting data record stored in the database associated with each of the user's and friend's mobile devices.