GPRS and VPN's - MTNBB please help!

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GPS

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Hi everybody

I started a thread on this topic last week, but it seemed to have disappeared :(

Since last week I have been unable to connect to an Mweb vpn via MTN's gprs. The vpn still works using a normal GSM dial-up. After a call to Mweb and a lot of calls to MTN, I got this response:

From Leslie (a supervisor at MTN's corporate helpdesk, 1555):

"The public APN (myMTN) is blocked for VPN's and has always been so. If it was possible to connect to a vpn via GPRS, it was due to a technical error and should not have been so. If I wish to use a vpn over gprs, MTN Corporate solutions will setup a private APN for me (at a fee)."

From a earlier thread on this forum, I was under the impression the unblocking of vpn's on the GPRS APN was permanent. Can MTNBB please confirm this.

If there are other people using VPN's over GPRS, plz email/pm me the details.
 
This is really getting annoying. Sometimes its blocked, othertimes it isnt. Tonight its blocked and I cant VPN back into the office to synch my mail. Grrrrrr. I have access to a corporate APN solution, but its not authenticating either.
I have solved the problem by using another Network, but this is not on. MTN need to sort this out for once and for all. Me thinks they have huge authentication issues on the backend that they are "hiding" from us. The inconsistencies with the service are very irritating as an end user!
 
GPS said:
"The public APN (myMTN) is blocked for VPN's and has always been so. If it was possible to connect to a vpn via GPRS,
Click to expand...

Wasn't myMTN mostly used for their WAP pages? Is it also not working with the APN (internet)?
 
Are there any technical difference between the 2 APN's? (internet and myMTN)

I think i've read somewhere on this forum they are the same.
 
When you connect to the standard APNs (internet or mymtn) you get assigned a 172... ip address.
These can not be routed directly on the internet and are thus translated (NATed) into real address, with many folks in fact sharing a single real IP. Many VPN protocols do not work with NAT and it is not actualy a case of them being blocked, they simply do not work because that NAT confuses them.

Of course on Vodacom 1 call to their helpdesk gets the internetvpn APN enabled free of charge and gives you a real live routed IP address, so there is a good reason to use Vodacom. Lets hope MTN wakes up. Besides the cost, its just too much effort to get the run arround at MTN to find the right persons to get it enabled for you.

In fact I am generally amazed that cell companies who are meant to be so technicaly advanced do not make more self service functionality available via the web. Why does one need to phone to have things enabled or buy data packages etc. Offering it via the web would save them call center time and save us time holding and getting passed from pillar to post.
 
UNBELIEVABLE!!

After being down for more than a week, this morning my VPN works!
I guess somebody at MTN actually listened. Now let's see how long this lasts.
 
I asked them to look into it this morning.

Our first choice for corporate access is our product called Corporate Mobility. The corporate contacts their ISP and we set up a VPN service from our side.

http://www.mtn.co.za/?pid=13832

The benefits are security, flexibility, management, support, reporting and others.

One of the recurring problems with VPN-dialup is that many corporate links are saturated during the day by internal usage and this degrades performance problems. I was personally involved in a case 3 years ago where the customer complained his 'GPRS was timing out'. When we got the usage logs from the ISPs we saw that the timeout was because of heavy internal usage. With Corporate Mobility we contractually insist that the ISP manage the bandwidth between ourselves and the corporate premises. These are a number of lessons we have learned over the years.
 
GPS said:
Are there any technical difference between the 2 APN's? (internet and myMTN)

I think i've read somewhere on this forum they are the same.
Click to expand...

These should be the same. Having the Internet APN made sense in the early days and simplified start-up initially, but having MyMTN is more consistent with our longer term strategy which will become evident over time.
 
Hi MTNBB

Thanks for your response to this thread. Your presence and helpful attitude on this forum is greatly appreciated.

A couple of points:

1. It is now 17h00 on Friday, and my vpn is down AGAIN via GPRS. On a GSM connection the VPN still works.

2. What is MTN's position regarding the VPN's? Are they allowed or not?

3. Corporate mobility cost's how much? Compared to Vodacom's free "internetvpn" APN.

4. Are there any plans to fix the vpn problem permanantly or is the current service the best we can expect?

5. I would very much like to see any and all logs relating to my problem. A simple trace route would probably help the most. Unfortunately MTN's helpdesk are refusing my calls for technical assistance, wanting rather to resolve this via email. If you want to be an ISP, then act like an ISP. (with decent and accessible technical support.)

6. Untill my VPN works, I'll be using Vodacom.

Thanks again
 
GPS said:
Hi everybody

I started a thread on this topic last week, but it seemed to have disappeared :(
Click to expand...

I recall another such post a couple of weeks ago with the same issue. If there is a solution similar to internetvpn as provided by vodacom I would appreciate it.
 
MTNBroadband said:
These should be the same. Having the Internet APN made sense in the early days and simplified start-up initially, but having MyMTN is more consistent with our longer term strategy which will become evident over time.
Click to expand...

:) Would have thought it would rather become something like a Yello! APN
 
No, I'm being ignored. :confused:
 
Last edited:
Hi,

VPN service is allowed on the MTN GPRS service, but there is a problem with NAT as pointed out by one of the previous users.

MTN is working on a permanent resolution and hopefully soon.

Regards,
 
Update:
My VPN connection has been working since Thursday/Friday. No connection problems all weekend!

Sometimes downloading stops completely (still connected), only to resume by itself a minute or 2 later. Irritating, but not 2 bad.

Will we be seeing a solution similar to Vodacom's "internetvpn" APN?
 
GPS said:
Update:
My VPN connection has been working since Thursday/Friday. No connection problems all weekend!

Sometimes downloading stops completely (still connected), only to resume by itself a minute or 2 later. Irritating, but not 2 bad.

Will we be seeing a solution similar to Vodacom's "internetvpn" APN?
Click to expand...

What is the name of the VPN enabled APN to use? Must all the other settings be the same?
 
Johan, if your interested in the Vodacom "internetvpn" APN, check out their forum on this site.

In short, from Vodacom3g himself: " If you have a situation where the NATed IP on your system won't work with your application, typically when using a VPN client on your laptop, you need to switch to a different APN.

Please call 082 155 and ask to switch you over to the 'internetvpn' APN, from your current 'internet' APN.

You then need to edit your dashboard profile and change the 'internet' APN to the 'internetvpn' APN."



Hopefully MTN brings out a similar "dedicated" APN solution.
 
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