Location privacy feature for wireless mobile stations and method of operation

A wireless mobile station comprising:

• a transceiver capable of receiving a forward channel signal from a wireless network base station and capable of transmitting a reverse channel signal to said wireless network base station;
• a position locating system capable of determining the location of said wireless mobile station;
• and
• control circuitry capable of (i) selectively disabling the transmission of information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station and (ii) transmitting a substitute location instead of the actual location of said wireless mobile station to said base station.

For use in a wireless mobile station of the type having a position locating system capable of locating said wireless mobile station, a method of selectively disabling the transmission of information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station comprising the steps of:

• setting a location privacy flag in said wireless mobile station to indicate whether information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station is not to be transmitted;
• testing the value of said location privacy flag to determine whether information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station is not to be transmitted;
• disabling the transmission of information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station if the value of said location privacy flag indicates that information concerning the location of said wireless mobile station is not to be transmitted;
• and
• transmitting a substitute location instead oft he actual location of said wireless mobile station.