TCS Continues to Drive Wireless Innovation With Patent for Assisted GPS Precise Location Determination

Company's 40th Patent Enables Carriers to Offer Improved A-GPS Capabilities

ANNAPOLIS, MD -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/11/2006 -- TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS), a global leader in mission critical wireless communications, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued patent number 6,985,105 titled, "Improved Culled Satellite Ephemeris Information Based On Limiting a Span of an Inverted Cone for Locating Satellite In-Range Determinations." This invention relates to location services for the wireless industry.

This patent is for an innovative method and algorithm for determining precise locations using Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) technology within a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, and can be applied to Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks as well.

As the cellular industry continues toward providing more precise location-based services, the latest TCS patent offers an efficient method for delivering these capabilities, while requiring minimal additional infrastructure investment by mobile operators. It is another indicator of the company's market leadership role in developing technology for wireless E9-1-1 and precise location solutions. The patent describes a method for enhancing the speed and efficiency of providing the precise location of mobile phones for commercial and emergency services.

"This patent is another example of innovation by TCS engineers to create cost-effective location-based wireless telecommunications services," said Drew Morin, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for TeleCommunication Systems. "As the industry looks for solutions that solve their positioning and location challenges, TCS continues to provide leadership with its patented technologies."

TCS currently holds forty (40) patents, and has nearly one hundred (100) additional patent applications pending in the United States and worldwide.

About the Invention

Today, there are twenty-nine satellites in the GPS network, each moving around the earth approximately six times per day. As a user moves his or her wireless GPS device from one location to another, the locations relative to the satellites change. GPS devices attempting to determine their position can only communicate with a limited number of the total GPS satellites at any given time. In the past, the time required for lock-in and location determination using a conventional GPS receiver could take several minutes, which is unsatisfactory for many applications, and a longer time than the average wireless phone call's duration. Rapid, high strength links to the satellites directly in line in a narrow cone path can expedite the time to lock in a location.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a plurality of locating satellites is culled into a sub-plurality for communication by a plurality of wireless devices. A first inverted cone is defined above a first site and then a second inverted cone is defined above a second site. If the second site is farther from the equator than the first, then the second inverted cone is made to have a base angle larger than the base angle of the first inverted cone. If the first site is farther from the equator than the second, then the first inverted cone is made to have a base angle larger than the base angle of the second inverted cone.

Any sites used as reference points other than the first or second will have inverted cones defined above them with base angles greater than, equal to, or less than the inverted cones above the first and second sites, depending on whether those other reference points are farther, equal or closer to the equator than either the first or second sites.

ABOUT TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, INC.

TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS) is a leading provider of mission critical wireless communications to carriers, enterprise and government customers. TCS' wireless data offerings include location-based Enhanced 9-1-1 services, and messaging and location service infrastructure for wireless operators, real-time market data and alerts to financial institutions, mobile asset management and mobile office solutions for enterprises, and encrypted satellite communications to government customers. For more information visit www.telecomsys.co