3G Mobile Data
Our mobile data services provide a proper connection to the legacy Internet, with a fixed IPv4 address, on your mobile device, whether it is a phone or an iPad or anything in between.
- Sensible pricing with no minimum term. Pay for what you use.
- Real fixed IP addressing
- No filtering
- No NAT
- L2TP relay to corporate network
- Blocks of IP addresses
Pricing
The SIM has a one-off cost of £10.00+VAT and an ongoing cost of £2.00+VAT pcm. Charges for data usage are on our main call prices page and are typically 2.5p/MB+VAT (UK). There is no minimum term. You can purchase the SIM unactivated and only start paying when you activate the SIM on-line (takes up to half an hour).
No more top-ups that run out at inconvenient moments, or paying for usage every month when you only use data some of the time. The service normally has no caps on usage (even when roaming). You just pay for what you use.
Real fixed legacy IP
Normally a data SIM is allocated a single fixed legacy IP address. This is used when you connect and you do not need to set any username, password or APN to use the SIM in the UK. Simply insert in to your equipment (which must be 3G capable).
The service has no filtering. The combination of fixed real legacy IP address and unfiltered connection gives you a real connection to the Internet. No longer will you have trouble accessing a site that your mobile provider has mistakenly decided has adult content. No longer will you have problems sending an email via your corporate mail server because port 25 is blocked. This is a real Internet connection on your mobile device. You can even control the reverse DNS for your IP on our control pages. There is no NAT involved, you can ping your iPad!
Broadband backup
You can specify a username and password for a DSL line and receive routing for the IP addresses for that line - this allows the data SIM to be used in a 3G router to provide a backup for DSL lines with full legacy IP routing including blocks of IPs, and full 1500 byte MTU support.
IPv6
IPv6 is not yet available directly, but can be routed via IPv4 (protocol 41) tunnels if required. We hope to have native IPv6 soon and so provide a full Internet access service on mobile data.
Technical details
SIMs are currently conventional small SIM cards, and have printing for micro-SIM outline to use in products like the iPad. Cutting the SIM down is easy but at your own risk, so we suggest doing so before you activate the SIM. Micro SIM cutters are available in the Internet but otherwise small straight bladed nail scissors work well.
The APN need not be set in the UK, but for roaming must be set to m2m.aql.net to allow correct connection (see roaming details below). Username and password are not normally needed unless using as ADSL backup or with corporate L2TP relay (see below).
The legacy IP is allocated automatically. The remote legacy IP (i.e. our end of PPP link) is usually not meaningful and may show as 10.64.64.64. We can route blocks of legacy IPs as well. Full 1500 byte MTU is supported.
The SIM only works on 3G, and is using the Three network. Do check their web site for coverage details.
Corporate L2TP relay
We can arrange for any SIM to hand over to your own L2TP server (e.g. a FireBrick FB2700). This allows you to fully control authentication and IP addressing.
You need to advise your server's IP address(es) and authentication details, and we will hand off connections to you. Note that a reduced MTU is required unless you have direct baby-jumbo links to us in London (e.g. via datahop).
The APN is not passed through and shows as m2m.aql.net for UK data. When roaming is properly available the calling number will be used to indicated roaming and which country/rate applies.
The ICCID of the SIM is used as calling number and it is recommended that you use this as the main means of authentication.
If a username and password are provided by the mobile device, this is passed as proxy authenticated PAP or CHAP (depending on the device). We may also connect with no proxy authentication requiring LCP and authentication negotiation on your part. Your LNS will need to accept proxy and non proxy as well as PAP and CHAP. When username and password are not sent, you will find authentication is provided using a mobile number and the password of password.
Do not use a password of password in the mobile device, as we will not even see the connection come in to us. Yes, this is crazy, live with it.
Do not attempt to re-negotiate authentication if it has been proxied as this will not work.
You can negotiate any legacy IP endpoints, but your IP may appear to the mobile device as 10.64.64.64 depending on the timing. Yes, also crazy.
You can send and receive any legacy IP packets regardless of IP with no anti-spoofing or filtering. This includes routing blocks of legacy IP.
You cannot (yet) negotiate or pass native IPv6 or indeed any other protocols than legacy IPv4.
LCP echo replies are faked by the network, and cannot be used to tell the mobile is out of coverage. A mobile that is turned off or loses coverage may seem to be on-line for some time (even hours).
Roaming
In theory roaming should work, but there has not yet been a suitable way to manage the billing for this, so it is disabled at present. We hope to be able to enable this and publish prices soon.
