Patent ID: 8078114

Claim:
An apparatus for determining a propagation delay between a mobile communications terminal (MCT) and a network management center (NMC), comprising: means for receiving a response from said NMC to a request by said MCT to transmit a message to said NMC at an expected time; means for receiving a first signal from said NMC; means for detecting an inverted pilot signal, which is inverted relative to a GPS timing signal, sent from said NMC, over a time interval during which said GPS timing signal is commonly received by said MCT and said NMC; means for determining a signal propagation delay offset from a time difference between receipt of the commonly received GPS timing signal and receipt of the inverted pilot signal; and means for transmitting said message from said MCT to said NMC at a time adjusted for said propagation delay offset to ensure receipt by said NMC at said expected time.