An APN, or Access Point Name, is the gateway configuration that bridges a cellular network to the broader internet (or a private network). It’s the invisible instruction set your device uses the moment it establishes a data session on the mobile network: which packet gateway to connect via, which IP addressing scheme is used, and which security, routing and policy rules to apply. In effect, the APN tells your carrier’s network how to handle your traffic—defining everything from Quality of Service levels and firewall treatments to billing and subscription ties—without you ever having to think about it.
Private APNs take that same concept and carve out a completely isolated, carrier-managed path for your devices. Instead of riding through the shared internet gateway, your traffic can emerge directly into your corporate VPN, cloud VPC, or even a dedicated cross-connect in your own data centre. This makes them ideal for scenarios where network-level separation and bespoke policies are non-negotiable: enterprise VPN back-hauls, large-scale IoT and M2M fleets with guaranteed bandwidth, low-latency radio-to-rack connections, and any regulated or sensitive workloads that demand more than encryption alone.
Why Traditional APNs Can Be Challenging
Lengthy setup process: Private APNs often require an engagement with a mobile network operator or provider and can take a number of weeks or months to setup, test and productionise.
High upfront and recurring costs: Most operators and providers charge significant APN setup fees and monthly reoccurring fees associated to “hosting” an APN.
Complex ongoing management: If you want your data to have different treatment per region, different routing policies based on your traffic, or for the data in your use case to stay in region then this vastly increases the complexity and potentially the costs of the solution.
Limited flexibility: APN’s provided by a mobile operator normally offer static configuration of both the mobile network side and the IP networking side of an APN. On-the-fly policy changes may not be possible and new routing targets require more tickets and more delays.
Stacuity’s Approach
With Stacuity, you get full control of your APN using VSlices instantly and without carrier tickets. In minutes Stacuity users can:
Define breakout points: Decide exactly where traffic enters your core or exits to the internet (local gateway, regional PoP, or direct public egress).
Configure Routing Targets: Setup specific “next hop” routing towards the internet, cloud services or corporate networks as required for you or your customers use case.
Deploy custom routing policies: Point traffic to any endpoint—IPsec or WireGuard VPN, cloud VPC peer, data-centre cross-connect or even just to the internet—all via our dashboard or API.
Select preferred operators: Choose which roaming operators can be used in each market and even steer network selection towards a preferred operator – while not needing to change the device APN at all.
Two Simple Ways to Use APNs with Stacuity
1.0 Use a Stacuity Platform and APN
When using SIM’s from an MNO hosted on the Stacuity platform you can point your devices to any *.flex APN (e.g. company.flex) and they’ll automatically connect to your secure Stacuity VSlice. You can also configure fully qualified domain names as an APN, this is subject to agreement from the associated connectivity provider.
2.0 Keep Your Existing APN with your current MNO or provider
If you have a base on SIM’s hosted by a Mobile Network Operator that is not using Stacuity as a core network and your devices already use a private APN (eg.company.net), we can work with your provider to route traffic into your Stacuity VSlice — keeping your APN unchanged on the device.
In addition, you will get full access to the enhanced data management features of the Stacuity Edge product while keeping your contract with your existing provider and the SIM’s registered on their core network components.
Learn more
Contact our sales team, sales@stacuity.com to explore how our solutions can meet your unique needs.
