Positioning-triggered handover

A system comprising:

• at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, wherein each network is configured to support at least one method of determining location of a terminal;
• and
• the terminal, wherein the terminal is configured to be in communication with a first one of the networks,
• wherein one of the networks is configure to, receive a request for a location of the terminal, the request including an accuracy requirement for the location of the terminal,
• in response to receiving the request, assess which network of the networks will more accurately determine the location of the terminal,
• determining whether the first one of the network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within a preset tolerance, and when the first network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within the preset tolerance the location of the terminal is determined using the first one of the networks,
• when the first one of the networks is the network that will more accurately determine the location, the system is configured to cause the location of the terminal to be determined using the first one of the networks, and
• when a second one of the networks is the network that will more accurately determine the location, the system is configured to cause initiate the terminal to be handed over to the second one of the networks and to cause the location of the terminal to be determined using the second one of the networks.

An apparatus comprising:

• a processor configured to receive a request for a location of a terminal, the request including an accuracy requirement for the location of the terminal, the processor being in a first one of at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage, each network supporting at least one method of determining the location of the terminal operating therein, wherein the terminal is operating in the first one of the networks, and
• in response to receiving the request, assess which network of the networks is best able to provide a position handling unit with the location of the terminal,
• in response to receiving the request, assess which network of the networks is best able to provide a position handling unit with the location of the terminal,
• determining whether the first one of the network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within a preset tolerance, and, when the first one of the network is capable of determining the location within the preset tolerance, to determined the location of the terminal,
• when the first one of the networks is the network that is best able to provide the position handing unit with the location, initiating determining the location of the terminal, and
• when a second one of the networks is the network that is best able to provide the position handing unit with the location, initiating handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks for determining the location of the terminal using the second one of the networks.

An apparatus comprising:

• receiving means configured to receive a request for a location of a terminal, the request including an accuracy requirement for the location of the terminal;
• assessment means configured to, in response to receiving the request, assess which network of at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage is best able to provide a position handling unit with the location of the terminal;
• determining means configured to determine whether a first one of the network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within a preset tolerance and determined the location of the terminal when the first one of the network is capable of determining the location within the preset tolerance;
• initiation means configured to initiate determining the location of the terminal, when the network that is best able to provide the position handling unit with the position is the first one of the networks, and the terminal is connected to the first one of the networks;
• and
• handover means configured to initiate handing over the terminal to a second one of the networks for determining the location of the terminal using the second one of the networks, when the network that is best able to provide the position handling unit with the position is the second one of the networks.

A computer program, embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program configured to control a processor to perform the method comprising:

• receiving a request for a location of a terminal, the request including an accuracy requirement for the location of the terminal;
• in response to receiving the request, assessing which network of a communication system comprising at least two networks having overlapping areas of coverage will more accurately determine the location of the terminal, wherein each network of the at least two networks supports at least one method of determining the location of a terminal wherein the terminal is in communication with a first one of the networks;
• determining whether the first one of the network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within a preset tolerance, and, when the first one of the network is capable of determining the location of the terminal to within the preset tolerance the location of the terminal is determined using of the first one of the networks;
• and
• when the first one of the networks is the network that will more accurately determine the location, initiating determining the location of the terminal using the first one of the networks;
• and
• when a second one of the networks is the network that will more accurately determine the location, initiating handing over the terminal to the second one of the networks for determining the location of the terminal using the second one of the networks.