What is an APN: Access Point Name?

Eseye

IoT Hardware and Connectivity Specialists

Quick Summary

An Access Point Name, typically referred to as an APN, configures the connection path between a mobile or cellular network such as GSM, 3G, or LTE 4G or 5G, and another network – usually the public internet.

The purpose of an APN is an identifier to determine what kind of data connection should be established for the mobile device, including assignment of an IP address, the security methods to be used, user authentication, and even billing functions.

APNs are an essential part of 3GPP data access networks and any IoT or M2M device that intends to use a data connection must be configured with a valid APN as part of the SIM profile.

What is a default APN?

The SIM profile can be pre-configured with an APN, and an APN can be changed during a SIM profile update via RSP. On LTE networks however, if a device does not specify an APN, the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) will connect the device to a default APN.

When it comes to IoT, default APNs on LTE networks are intended for management purposes only, and not data routing, with many LTE-only networks preventing IoT devices that use default APNs from transmitting or receiving data. This is not always the case from a consumer perspective as many LTE networks will allow data transfer on default APNs for general internet usage.

From a business and IoT use case perspective thought this can make it difficult to bring misconfigured devices online, and as a result it is recommended that all IoT devices specify a valid APN in order to enable traffic flow between devices and endpoints.

What is a public APN?

MNOs provide public APNs for consumer customers to connect to. These typically route through the public internet which can cause security concerns. Public APNs typically assign a dynamic IP address from a pool of available addresses and return the IP address to the pool when the device no longer needs a connection.

What is a private APN?

Enterprises that need better security or configuration options can use private APNs for their customers or own internal use. With private APNs, such as Eseye’s AnyNet APNs, enterprises can offer services that meet specific requirements, which is not uncommon with IoT devices that can have very different connectivity needs to consumer devices.

What is a custom APN?

An APN has a specific structure usually including a network identifier indicating the external network the device is connecting to and routing the device’s data traffic, and an operator identifier, which identifies the MNO associated with the gateway.

Some enterprises want to use their own domain name in the APN structure. This is known as a custom APN or ‘vanity APN’, and is not a recommended approach as it needs a custom arrangement with each MNO involved and can add significant complexity and cost. In fact many MNOs even limit the number of APNs they will integrate.

Benefits of a private APN

Private APNs offer far more security and are particularly useful for IoT deployments that want to keep the network and data traversing it secure, such as for healthcare, government, and legal use cases.

Benefits include:

Firewall rules
Avoiding the public internet
VPN support
More authentication support
Trusted devices only
Better protection from low-level malware because devices are isolated from the public internet

How do Eseye’s APNs work?

Eseye APNs are custom-built gateways that sit between the cellular network such as the internet, and the private enterprise network such as Eseye’s Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network.

Eseye AnyNet APNs provide authentication of connections, allocate IP addresses and route the data from the IoT end-device to the cloud.

Each Eseye APN consists of:

Pre-existing configurations between Eseye and the operator to enable a connection between the networks
A RADIUS server and billing function
AnyNet DNS

AnyNet+ SIMs are programmed to communicate only with Eseye’s secure private APN, which ensures the service is authorized. There is also a firewall at the APN level.

Eseye’s private APNs cover the majority of geographies worldwide and have built-in management and monitoring capability to ensure all connections get the best possible service.

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Eseye

IoT Hardware and Connectivity Specialists

Eseye brings decades of end-to-end expertise to integrate and optimise IoT connectivity delivering near 100% uptime. From idea to implementation and beyond, we deliver lasting value from IoT. Nobody does IoT better.

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