APN – Access Point Name
(APN) In PS Core, an Access Point Name is a reference to GGSN/PGW where in general, it can be seen as a reference to the Service.
The APN is a configurable network identifier used by a mobile device when connecting to a network carrier. The APN identifies the 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. WAP, MMS), that is provided by the PDN.
APN is used in 3GPP data access networks like: general packet radio service (GPRS) and evolved packet core (EPC).
The APN consists of an APN Network Identifier (APN-NI) and an APN Operator Identifier (APN-OI) which when combined forms the “APN-FQDN” (Fully Qualified Domain Name).
Examples
APN-FQDN in 2G/3G Core (GPRS): “internet.mnc012.mcc345.gprs”
- APN-NI = “internet”
- APN-OI = “.mnc012.mcc345.”
APN-FQDN in 4G Core (EPC): “internet.apn.epc.mnc012.mcc345.3gppnetwork.org”
- APN-NI = “internet”
- APN-OI = “.apn.epc.mnc012.mcc345.3gppnetwork.”