This application provides a positioning method, a network side device, a positioning node, and a positioning system, where the method includes: receiving, by a network side device, a positioning request, where the positioning request is used to trigger positioning for UE; sending configuration information to N positioning nodes according to the positioning request, receiving, by the N positioning nodes according to the configuration information, the uplink positioning reference signal sent by the UE, and obtaining N measurement results according to the uplink positioning reference signal; sending, by M positioning nodes of the N positioning nodes, M measurement results corresponding to the M positioning nodes to the network side device; and determining, by the network side device, a position of UE according to the M measurement results.