Telstra’s APNs are strange. there is no single APN setting that works for everyone, but things are improving.

Check APN’s at Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names.

There should be two APNs

These are the correct settings direct from the engineers who build the network:

• Name: Telstra Internet
• APN: telstra.iph
• Proxy: (blank)
• Port: (blank)
• MMS Protocol: WAP 2.0
• MCC: 505
• MNC: 01
• Authentication: CHAP
• APN type: default,supl

• Name: Telstra MMS
• APN: telstra.mms
• MMSC: http://mmsc.telstra.com:8002
• MMS proxy: 10.1.1.180
• MMS port: 80
• MMS Protocol: WAP 2.0
• MCC: 505
• MNC: 01
• Authentication: CHAP
• APN type: mms

Hopefully below is useful and explains why Telstra’s APNs are strange. Our strangeness gives some advantages.

For Android phones if an application needs to talk to the network it talks to Android ConnectivityManager on the phone, When the application calls the connectivity manager it requests the type of network it needs to talk to.

For Android these are:

1. Dial Up Network (TYPE_MOBILE_DUN)
   This is really old but might be used for some very old networks. Networking Bridge so that the carrier is aware of DUN traffic. It may coexist with default data connections.
   Not used anymore. Pretty sure the HTC desire does not support.
2. WiMAX data connection TYPE_WIMAX
   The Default Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access data connection.
   Pretty sure the HTC desire does not support.
3. High Priority Mobile data {TYPE_MOBILE_HIPRI}
   A High Priority Mobile data connection. This connection is typically the same as {TYPE_MOBILE} but the routing setup is different. Only requesting processes will have access to the Mobile DNS servers and only IP’s explicitly requested via {@link #requestRouteToHost} will route over this interface if a default route exists.
   Something you don’t need to think about
4. WIFI data connection. (TYPE_WIFI)
   When active, all data traffic will use this connection by default.
   Used to connect to your home wireless router.
   Below are the APN TYPES that you set in the APN config on your phone.
   1. Default (TYPE_MOBILE)
   The Default Mobile data connection. When active, all data traffic will use this connection by default. Should not coexist with other default connections.
   2. mms (TYPE_MOBILE_MMS)
   An MMS-specific Mobile data connection. This connection may be the same as {TYPE_MOBILE} but it may be different dependant on the network. This is used by applications needing to talk to the carrier’s Multimedia Messaging Service servers.
   3. supl (TYPE_MOBILE_SUPL);
   A Secure User Plane Location specific Mobile data connection. This connection may be the same as {TYPE_MOBILE} but it may be different. This is used by applications needing to talk to the carrier’s Secure User Plane Location servers for help locating the device

How does the config on the phone get chosen?

When an application wishes to talk to the “network” it sets the APN type when it requests ConnectivityManager. ConnectivityManager then checks if you have an “APN type” set that matches. So for instance if the “APN type” it checks is MMS it will scan you configuration setting for a match and use say testra.mms APN. It will then use this configuration for the network connection. What you use for the APN name does not matter.

So now the connected to the network with say telstra.mms which is the APN that you configured.

What’s the APN for in Telstra?

Telstra APNs are:

• telstra.wap. (Wireless Application Protocol)
  A WAP browser is a commonly used web browser for small mobile devices such as cell phones. This is for older phones, don’t use on your fancy HTC desire.
  It render screens for old Nokia phones etc. So if you surf the web on the old phone Telstra will attempt to display the pages as best we can on the device you are using. It provides access to the internet but is routed through the Telstra proxy and TSDP. This also authenticates you so we can give you access to any “stuff” you may have purchased off us. This means that using this APN in combination with the Telstra proxy allows a customer to access and purchase BigPond content.
• telstra.iph ( iphone, well they were first )
  Has the same functionality as telstra.wap but for iPhone / Android users. It will give you access to Telstra content like Foxtel as in authenticates you. It will display web pages cleanly.
• telstra.blackberry
  Has the same functionality as telstra.wap but for BlackBerry.
• telstra.mms
  This network connects to our Multimedia Messaging Service servers.
• telstra.internet
  This network does not do through of any of our very expensive kit to provide you with the best render pages we can give you. It also does not allow you to use and of our content such as foxtel. It meant to be a dump pipe for the wireless USB modems

So what I would recommend you use for a HTC desire is:
For APN TYPE = mms  Use telstra.mms
For APN TYPE = default,supl  Use telstra.iph

Why does telstra.iph cause some people problems.
Short answer is if you just “pop” a SIM is new fancy HTC desire we don’t know you have switched phones. And the network is still set up as if you had your trusty old Nokia. So we have not set up access to telstra.iph and the data does not work. Also if the know the phone and the screen size we can attempt to make the info on the screen look pretty. I have been told that now all phones should have access to telstra.iph. I will report back if there are any issues.

So you need to tell us what phone you are using. This is done by using the following URL:

http://configure.telstra.com.au/telstra/index.jsp

It will send you a PIN to ensure you are not playing a joke on your mate and changing the network setting. Once you enter the Pin this could take a couple of hours to get activated. You also might need to power off your phone. If this does not work then contact FOH to get it added.

For those that are interested in the more techo side of life read on. For everyone else just click on the link above and life will hopefully be good.

When you turn your phone on you could be in Aust or overseas.
The phone listen for the mobiles networks and send some info to try to connect.
If we have a roaming agreement or it our super speedy network you get connected.
The first thing that happens is the gateway pulls your entire configuration from our Home location network.

This customer info contains what APNs you are allowed to connect to. So all being well these will be telstra.mms and telstra.iph.

So if your phone sends any other apns that are not set up in the network it will fail.

So to make this easy let say you are in Bali.

You open your browser and it connects to a gateway at Bali. It receives APN telstra.iph. As we have an agreement with overseas they look at the Telstra part of the APN and send the connect message to our serving network. Once we get the connect message we look at the iph part and send it to some of our very flash equipment to give you the best experience. So if you used telstra.internet most things would be ok however we cannot authenticate you and therefore you can’t use Foxtel and other “stuff”

The same is exactly the same if you turn on your home in Aust. The local gateway will see telstra.iph and route the call to the same place.

Now for telstra.mms you just don’t wish to connect to a network, you need to connect to an actual box that does the MMS. This is why you need the extra info MMSC / MMS Proxy set.

The APN type is not really related to network perfomrance it used by the Android OS to find what network settings to use.

So think of it this way. The first “APN type” you set up on the phone is “default”. This means every connection that the Android Connectivity Manager sets up will use these settings. ie telstra.iph.

For Telstra this is fine except that MMS will fail as the MMS application will use the default “telstra.iph” and fail as we have mms centre on another network.

So as well as default you need to set up “APN type” on mms. This will mean the applications that wish to send a MMS will use the correct network “telstra.mms” and also get the MMSC and proxy settings. ( some telco’s have the MMS on there default network, not us we try to keep th design clean)

Thats it really.

If you set APN type = “default,supl” or “default, hipri” this will just result in exactly the same network setting. So you are just telling supl to use the default setting. Or hipri to use the default settings. The Android system will find a match and use those network settings.

So really adding anything above “default” is just adding some race strips for your car. It will not make it any faster, but itwill feel faster.

So recommendation is really “default” or if you wish to make it feel faster than “default,{something}” is fine.

The only reason I can think people started using it is maybe back in time there was a bug in the Android O/S and for some reason it didn’t just use the default. There would be people better qualified than me to answer this.

Anyway I would use “default,supl” as it stop people asking if the setting is quicker than “default”…. And it more fun to have something different than defaut.