Types of Mobile Network APN Offerings?

Public APN

A public APN allows full access to all subscribers with internet breakout. This APN is more than sufficient for many business and telemetry applications, without the need for a complex Private APN. Data on the Public APN is often massively cheaper, especially for high data consumption devices. Because the Public APN is managed by the network (IP’s, security etc) it also provides less points of failure and the chances of the entire public APN being down is highly unlikely. This gives good uptime for devices deployed geographically.

Unrestricted APN

The Unrestricted APN is offered by some mobile operators. It is teh same as a Public APN, except that it issues devices with real (not static) IP addresses. These IP’s can be reached from the outside – i.e. externally accessible. Also, there are no port restrictions on the Unrestricted APN.

Private APN

A Private APN is a private network on top of a mobile network. A Private APN makes use of the same basic infrastructure of mobile network operators. It operates independently of public networks, with its own IP allocation. A private APN is customisable in terms of IP allocation (such as fixed IP’s), security & firewalls as well as allowing SIM to only reach specific server url’s or IP’s. The cost of infrastructure and data can be high. Private APN’s are only available on contract (post-paid) SIMs. A Private APN needs to be managed using a SIM management service, which will allow you to monitor usage on SIM level and set up SIM-level use limits and locks. If these controls are not in place, Private APN SIMs can lead to major bill shock.

Different APN offerings are available on different networks, including Vodacom, MTN and Telkom.

Flickswitch provides SIM management solutions for all types of APN offerings. Call us today for more information.