Private APN for IoT SIMs
Short answer
A private APN is a dedicated gateway that only your SIMs' traffic flows through, connected directly to your corporate network or cloud via site-to-site VPN. Your devices never appear on the public internet: they talk to your backend over a private logical network, with addressing you control and firewall policies you define.
What a private APN is for
It isolates IoT traffic from the public internet and confines it between the SIM and your data center. That means: reduced attack surface (devices aren't reachable from outside), easier compliance (GDPR, sector frameworks), and stable addressing (you assign private ranges to SIMs and route them as another subnet of your corporate network).
- Traffic stays off the public internet
- IPSec, WireGuard, or L2TP VPN to your DC
- Private addressing you control
- Per-SIM firewall and filtering policies
How it's set up
We activate the dedicated APN at the operator, configure the site-to-site VPN against your firewall (IPSec with BGP is the cleanest for HA), hand you a private range for your SIMs, and stay on as network-side support (NAT, routes, ACLs). SIMs connect to the private APN instead of the public one without any device change.
Private APN vs static IP vs on-device VPN
Static IP: one stable address reachable from outside; useful for inbound access. Private APN: ALL the SIM's traffic flows through a dedicated channel into your network; useful for secure bulk flows. On-device VPN: the device builds the tunnel; eats CPU and RAM, often unreliable on low-end M2M routers. When you can, private APN is cleaner and more scalable.
Validate private APN for your project
Tell us how many SIMs, the traffic type (ports, backend), and what firewall you have. We confirm technical feasibility, sizing, rollout time, and a quote.
Frequently asked questions
How long does private APN setup take?+
1 to 3 weeks, depending on the complexity of the site-to-site VPN to your side. Turn-key: you give us your firewall parameters and we coordinate with the operator.
What's the minimum SIM count to justify it?+
Economically from ~100-200 SIMs. Below that, static IP plus on-device VPN or a cloud VPN aggregator may be cheaper. We'll tell you which fits your case without overselling.
Does it work in roaming?+
Yes. The private APN keeps the addressing even when the SIM connects through a local network abroad. One of its main advantages over on-device VPN solutions.
SLA and monitoring?+
Yes, formal SLA in Enterprise plans. We monitor APN availability, aggregate throughput, and latency, with alerts when thresholds are breached.
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