Cell Locator app and service · last updated 9 July 2026
This notice explains what data the Cell Locator Android app sends to the
Cell Locator service (cellpos.melrosenetworks.com), operated by
Melrose Networks, and how that data is handled. Cell Locator is a
proof-of-concept for estimating position from mobile network signals.
What is sent in normal use
Cell measurements only: identities and signal
measurements of the mobile cells your phone can hear (e.g. cell ID,
PCI, ARFCN, signal strength, timing advance).
Your GNSS/GPS position is not sent. It is used on the
device only, to show you the estimate's error locally.
Cell measurements necessarily imply your approximate area (that is the
purpose of the service), but no precise position leaves the device.
What is sent in Learn mode (opt-in)
Learn mode is off by default. When you switch it on,
each submission also includes your current GPS position so the service
can grow its reference survey.
Learned measurements are stored in a survey file linked to your
anonymous collector ID (created when the app first registers; it
contains no personal details).
Timestamps are not stored by default. Learned
measurements are recorded against the calendar day only (00:00 UTC),
not the time of day, so stored data does not describe your movements
over a day. Full timestamps are kept only for collectors that have
explicitly been granted that option.
Server logs
GPS coordinates are never written to server logs. Request logging redacts
the GPS fix before anything is recorded.
Deleting your data
You can delete all learned measurements associated with your collector ID
at any time from the app; deletion removes them from both stored survey files
and the live reference. You can also email
support@melrosenetworks.com
quoting your collector ID.
Retention and storage
Learned survey data is retained while the proof-of-concept service
operates, or until you delete it.
Data is stored on infrastructure in the United Kingdom (AWS
eu-west-2, London) and is not shared with third parties.
Area exclusion requests
Law enforcement, defence and military organisations may request that
specific geographic areas be excluded from the survey data used by Cell
Locator: email
support@melrosenetworks.com
with the GPS coordinates defining the area.