What Is Location and Monitoring Service (LMS) Licensing?

The Location and Monitoring Service (LMS) is a specialized FCC radio service that authorizes automated systems for tracking the location of vehicles and mobile assets, and for monitoring remote sensors and equipment. LMS represents an early version of what we now call IoT (Internet of Things) communications, predating the smartphone era.

What LMS Systems Do

LMS systems use radio signals to accomplish two main functions:

• Location: Determining the geographic position of mobile units — vehicles, containers, or other assets — through radio triangulation or satellite-assisted methods
• Monitoring: Collecting data from remote sensors, utility meters, environmental monitors, and other automated equipment and transmitting it to a central collection point

LMS Frequency Allocations

LMS operates in several frequency bands, with the primary allocation in the 902–928 MHz band (shared with other unlicensed and licensed users). Some LMS systems also operate in the 218–219 MHz band. The 902–928 MHz band is particularly attractive for LMS because of its relatively good propagation and the existing ecosystem of hardware designed for this band.

Who Uses LMS?

LMS licenses are held by companies providing fleet tracking, utility meter reading (AMR — Automated Meter Reading), and remote monitoring services. Historically, LMS was used for:

• Railroad car and locomotive tracking
• Truck and trailer fleet management
• Electric, gas, and water utility meter reading
• Environmental monitoring

LMS vs Modern IoT

Much of what LMS systems did in the 1990s and 2000s has been superseded by cellular IoT technologies (NB-IoT, LTE-M) and unlicensed IoT networks (LoRa, Sigfox). However, some LMS licensees continue to operate legacy systems, and the licenses remain visible in the FCC ULS for researchers studying the evolution of wireless data services in the US.