If M1 does not know where you are, and who you are sms-ing to, how the hell is M1 going to route your message to the correct reciepient?

What a retard..

The message that shows where you are is actually called "cell info" (the term may differ among different manufacturers)... which indicates which "cell" your handphone connects to.

The way handphone network works (pun unintended) is that it consists of a lot of cells interconnected together. (That's why it's called "cell phones" in Western countries.) Each cell covers a certain region in Singapore and is given a certain name. In the case of M1, the cells are named according to the area, and it just so happened that the naming was only done very recently.

There is an option to enable or disable the display of these cell names. In old Nokia phones (mine is a 3530), it's located in Menu > Settings > Phone Settings > Cell Info Display.

So if you enable the display, if you're connected to the cell located at or near "Jurong West St 63" (near my area), you will see a display as such on your handphone screen. The same with "Serangoon Ave 2". Once you disable it, you won't see such a message.

So in my opinion, it has nothing to do with privacy, but rather how the handphone network fundamentally operates.

Some more pages that show that the same thing is used in some places worldwide:
http://www.eurotel.cz/jnp/en/services/service/en-services-dataContainer-StayInformed-Cell_Info.html
http://www.lmt.lv/en/?pageid=2007002011

It seems that M1 is progressively increasing the number of 'locations' that will be displayed on the screen, and I think it's great!

On my SE, it's at 'messages'>'settings', 'area info', 'cell info'.

Hm, i've been tomorrowed.. Interesting.

Anonymous Coward2:

Of course M1 would know WHO I'm SMSing. I'll be pretty darn worried if they didn't but yet could still route my SMSes through their networks. =) My case in point being why does M1 (or any other cell operator for that matter) need to know exactly where you are?

At least 3 cell towers are required to triangulate your exact position. If I'm not wrong, only 1 is required for you to send and receive calls / SMSes.

Unidentified Person:

Thanks for the info and links. Appreciate it.

Yeah, I guess it was named only recently as I normally have the info displayed when I'm in Malaysia but only just saw it here in SG. Helps knowing where I am in Malaysia so I know how long more I have to take a nap before I reach my destination. Just don't see as much use here in SG. haha..

I could disable it, yes. But I'm still irked by the thought that I can be tracked where I go. Since my phone is always with me, that's basically everywhere I go. Scary thought.

That is how your cell phones work. They know which cell location where they can get you so that they can route your calls and smses. Your phone will automatically uses the nearest transmitter which it can receive the strongest signal. So there.

What is more worrying is that it is beginning in other countries like UK and the States, that any ordinary people can find out where you are thru your cellphone on the internet. There are websites that allow you to track their movements by entering their phone numbers into the search websites. Is that a breach of privacy?

Well that is why you see terrorist and bad people uses disposable phones...

JonathanS:

There're 2 sides of this.
1) You can be traced/tracked which in your opinion is scary
2) However, it is necessary and useful to trace missing persons/identify a serial prank caller/investigate illegal activities /more...

Simply put, as long as you've not done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide. Everything has good and bad points about them and so does the lack of privacy or the surplus of it.

As for the day you are waiting for, it ain't far. In some counteries (can't remember is it US/Korea/Japan/someplace else), the following occurs:
- when your bus/tram pass by a mall/outlet which you frequent and they have your cell details, you will get promotional messages. Of course, the consumer is allowed to configure online which messages to receive. Imagine going through Orchard Road... OMG!
- when you enter a residential/urban sector, you will get notification about traffic conditions in that sector. The same way as the electronic boards work on our expressways.