Source: https://t.me/usinfantryman1/15820
Translation:
Importantly.
An ATM and a device with a Kyivstar SIM card were found inside the Podar Shahed.
That means they’ll be able to use the cellular network to update the coordinates of this shit, plus maybe be able to change the flight task.
All this was located in a 3D printed element.
American infantryman
Do cell towers usually know the locations of the sim cards they are talking to? If so, that definitely seems like a good idea.
You can roughly “triangulate” position based off of the signal strength from a few tower locations. In the best cases, cell towers might utilize beam forming and you can get a good angle that a signal is coming from. All you need is two towers for that scenario.
I suppose that in some cases, the GPS on the phone could report the location, but I am not sure if that happens reliably.
Regardless, Ukraine has been leveraging their cell network for intelligence since the war started. Russia had to stop blowing up the towers since phones were, and probably still are, a primary form of communication.