PRESENCE SYSTEM WITH PROXIMITY PRESENCE STATUS

A presence information system reports proximity presence status to presence subscribers. The proximity presence status conveys how far an individual is from a phone, computer, or any other endpoint through which the individual communicates, how far the individual is from a presence information server which tracks presence changes, or how far the individual is from any other location, such as an office or a conference room. The proximity presence status supplements static presence states such as ‘Online’ and ‘Offline’. As a result, the proximity presence status helps to provide a more accurate picture of the true presence status of an individual. The presence information system may also track and report proximity presence status of mobile users. The mobile user proximity presence status may be derived from cellular position data obtained from a cellular service provider.