Mobile Data

Altonet provides APN's to cover all corporate mobile data requirements.

An APN is a single account for all mobile data users within an organization, which Altonet provides via the Vodacom data network.

APN (Access Point Name) is the point where mobile devices can enter an IP network. APN’s allow mobile users to access the internet with 3G devices, which can also be enabled to give users direct access to the customer’s LAN. APN settings can be customized to authenticate users and even to provide monitored internet access via the company’s web proxy.

Altonet APN

Advantages

Data contracts are sold by cellular network providers with fixed amounts of data usage available. Such a package will be, for example, for 500mb’s of data usage. Any data not used in a month is lost and any additional data used is charged for at fairly high “out of bundle” rates. (For purpose of this explanation we are ignoring unused data which a network allows a user to carry over to the next month.)

APN’s, on the other hand, are configured on the basis of large data bundles, and any amount of users may access that bundle. The usage of individual users is aggregated so that no individual user will go out of bundle or be capped during the month. So, for example, a customer may buy a 20gb bundle and put 40 users on it, which would indicate an average usage of 500mb per user. However, since the usage of all users is aggregated or totaled and deducted from the bundle, no individual can “waste” usage or go out of bundle. The customer may buy one additional bundle per month if needed. Any excess usage over bundles purchased, in aggregate, is charged at an out of bundle rate. However, the prices for both the bundles as well as out of bundle rates are much more economical than the rates for individual packages. In addition to the savings of APN bundles, there are further savings because individual users are not wasting data or paying high out of bundle rates.

Reporting

Altonet offers all customers its extensive management tools, so that usage can be monitored, certain sites restricted or barred, individuals capped etc.