Authenticating a mobile device's location using voice signatures

Abstract

Providers of location-based services seek new methods to authenticate the location of their clients. We propose a novel infrastructure-based solution that provides spontaneous and transaction-oriented mobile device location authentication via an integrated 802.11× wireless access point and 3G femtocell access system. By simply making a voice call while remotely monitoring femtocell activity, a calling party can verify a (co-operating) called party's location even when the participants have no pre-existing relationship. We show how such a traffic signature can be reliably detected even in the presence of heavy cross-traffic introduced by other femtocell users. We describe how the verification proceeds without revealing details of the authentication - or even the parties involved - to the location provider.