Understanding Access Points

While configuring GPRS setting to enable Internet on our mobile phones, many of us have had nightmarish times. This is because of the two simple reasons:-

1. The customer care is generally not fully equipped to handle GPRS queries [maybe because the numbers of queries are low]

2. Different mobile device brands have different menus. Let alone different brands, even models from same brands have different menus even if the logic behind / menu names is unchanged.

Thus is it very important that we understand what is what while trying to configure WAP over GPRS on our mobile phones.

There is something called as Access Node or Access Point which need to be set while configuring GPRS. These are also known as APNs or Access Point Nodes. These could be understood as the first point of contact for any internet based request sent from a mobile handset to the carrier. Whenever we create a bookmark and try to access it, the request goes to a designated APN which is selected on the handset for Web or Multimedia or Email respectively.

Different Access Points [single APN can be selected for all if that is how the carrier has configured it] should be created for Email, MMS and Web requests and should be configured for the respective requests. I am giving below the values of Web Access point that need to be created for Airtel and Hutch in Delhi, below:-

Airtel - airtelgprs.com
Hutch - www

Both of these Access Point values above are for reference while setting values through Personal configuration option.