So I've been trying to ask a question about cellphone towers. Below. This question currently has no home. It's not a programming question (Stack Overflow), it's not related to computing (Super User), and I can't find anywhere else that will take the question. It's been closed several times anyhow.
So I realize that there are currently sites on area 51 like Telecommunications where I could ask this question but why isn't there a general site for technology questions? It seems so obvious. Stack Overflow and Super User serve very broad interests but there seems to be a missing link.
Can geo-location data be exchanged (e.g. AGPS) without active cell service?
I do know that cellular companies are already required by law to provide E911 as a service regardless of whether the cellphone in use has an active subscription. E911 is a location based service so it doesn't seem like a stretch that GPS coordinates would be accessible.
In my specific situation I have a cellphone with Wi-Fi but no GPS "card". I would like to use the phones Wi-Fi to make voice calls so that I don't need to pay for cellphone service but I'm afraid of losing the location-based services (or at least the accuracy of them).
In addition to location is there any other information that is provided by cell towers to non-subscribers?