location using gsm cell in UAE

[SergioR]

Hello,

I go to UAE soon. I'll have a HTC Desire there with Etisalat.
They have explain me that location (for example for google maps application) only works with GPS.
Something like location using gsm towers or wifi doesn't work. Is that true?
I thought that gsm towers could be available at least.
Has anybody tested location using gsm and/or wifi?
I need your help because it will be my first time in UAE and I was planning to use it.

Thank you

 

[ambientdroid]

My guess is that if it can't access gps satellites, it'll be able to approximate your position to within a couple if kilometers. Inshalla.

 

[takeshi]

I need your help because it will be my first time in UAE and I was planning to use it.

So you're not intending to use GPS and prefer to use tower triangulation or WiFi locating instead?

They have explain me that location (for example for google maps application) only works with GPS.
Something like location using gsm towers or wifi doesn't work. Is that true?

May depend on the specific app. To triangulate based on towers a database of towers and their locations is needed.

 

[SergioR]

So you're not intending to use GPS and prefer to use tower triangulation or WiFi locating instead?


May depend on the specific app. To triangulate based on towers a database of towers and their locations is needed.

For my experience, we you are indoor or in a city gps takes a lot of time to synchronize that it is annoying (and sometimes useless).
Triangulation with gsm tower or wifi makes it faster.

As you say it will work if there's a database of the towers location. And that's exactly what I try to know.

Maybe anybody living there or anybody how has visited the country could tell me if the location based on gps and/or gsm was working.