A method and apparatus for transmitting a location service message between a location server and a mobile station or LMU in a GPRS wireless communications system. The location server generates a location service message and transmits the location service message to a base station subsystem; the base station subsystem forwards the location service message to a serving GPRS support node; the serving GPRS support node then forwards the location service message to a mobile station or LMU), passing transparently back through the base station subsystem. This approach to system routing of location messages allows existing circuit-switched wireless communications systems to support location services in a GPRS environment with a minimum of alterations to existing hardware and software protocols.