Ordinarily, a standard GPS device needs to have a clear line-of-sight to at least four GPS satellites before it can calculate its position. In addition, it needs enough processing power to transform the data streams from the satellites into a position. In one mode of A-GPS, the mobile receiver takes a snapshot of the satellite signals and transmits these to a cell tower to relay the data to an assistance server that performs the necessary calculations for a position fix. The server may send the fix back to the mobile receiver or to a 911 dispatcher. Some mobile phones will accept converted data streams to compute a position themselves.
One of the main purposes of A-GPS is to provide municipalities with location-based emergency phone service, such as E911 service. Another is to provide mobile carriers with end-user, location-based services such as a turn-by-turn navigation aid.