Access Point Name (APN) is a computer protocol that typically allows a user's computer to access the internet using the mobile phone network.
On a technical level it is a configurable network identifier used by a mobile device when connecting to a GSM carrier. The carrier will then examine this identifier to determine what type of network connection should be created, for example: what IP addresses should be assigned to the wireless device, what security methods should be used, and how/or if, it should be connected to some private customer network.[1]
More specifically, the Access Point Name (APN) identifies an IP Packet Data Network (PDN), that a mobile data user wants to communicate with. In addition to identifying a PDN, an APN may also be used to define the type of service, (e.g. connection to wireless application protocol (WAP) server, multimedia messaging service (MMS)), that is provided by the PDN. APN is used in 3GPP data access networks, e.g. general packet radio service (GPRS), evolved packet core (EPC).
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