A method for determining the location of a mobile unit (MU) in a wireless
communication system and presenting it to a remote party. The location of
a remote MU is determined by comparing a snapshot of a predefined portion
of the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum taken by the MU to a reference
database containing multiple snapshots taken at various locations. The
result of the comparison is used to determine if the MU is at a specific
location. The comparison may be made in the MU, or at some other location
situated remotely from the MU. In the latter case, sufficient information
regarding the captured fingerprint is transmitted from the MU to the
remote location. The database may be pre-compiled or generated on-line.
