How to Set a Device’s APN for Super SIM
What is the Super SIM APN?
super
de1.super
sg1.super
You will need to configure the device into which you have fitted your Super SIM with the identity of the server through which it will transfer data. This is the SIM’s configured Access Point Name (APN). Super SIM’s default APN and distributed Internet breakout APNs are shown above.
Support for distributed Internet breakouts are now available to all customers. Using a distributed breakout is key to achieving low latency. We offer a breakout in Frankfurt for Super SIM customers in Europe and Africa, and another breakout in Singapore for Super SIM customers in Asia Pacific. More locations will follow.
The APN you use determines your breakout point. The default APN, super, causes traffic to break out to the Internet from the Twilio Mobile Core in Ashburn, Virginia in the US. To make use of the Frankfurt breakout, set your device’s APN to de1.super instead of super. To make use of the Singapore breakout, set your device’s APN to sg1.super rather than super.
How to set your device’s APN
If you know how to configure the APN on your device, go ahead and make the change now. If not, here are some guides to help you:
- If you are using an IoT device that supports AT Commands, see here for details.
- If you are using an Android device, see here for details.
- If you are using an iOS device, see here for details.
In addition to configuring the APN on your device, you need to ensure that you have roaming enabled.
The Twilio APN does not require any authentication, so you should always leave username and password fields blank.
How do I set the APN with AT Commands?
Refer to your device’s user manual to learn how to use AT commands, then issue the following command to your device’s cellular modem:
AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","super"
If you need to check that a given device contains a Super SIM in order to apply the correct APN, please see How To determine Whether a Device Contains a Super SIM.
Setting the APN with AT commands via SMS
If you’re using a device that allows sending AT commands via SMS, you can use our SMS Commands API resource to send a machine-to-machine SMS to the Super SIM. You can use a command line tool such as curl or the Twilio CLI to transmit an API request which contains the AT command shown above.
Example
In this example, AliceSmithSmartMeter is the unique name of the SIM as set in Console. The AT command you use to set the APN is included in the Command field.
The optional CallbackUrl field takes an endpoint on your server to which Twilio will send the final response once roaming has been enabled; the initial request will generate a 200 OK response on the successful receipt of the request, or an error if the request was malformed. If an error is reported, the callback will not be triggered.
Here is the initial request, made via curl and containing the APN-setting AT command:
curl -X POST https://supersim.twilio.com/v1/SmsCommands \
-d 'Sim=AliceSmithSmartMeter' \
-d 'Payload=AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","super"' \
-d 'CallbackUrl=https://example.com/api' \
-u 'ACxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:your_auth_token'
Here is the same request but this time made with the Twilio CLI. The --sim option’s argument is the Super SIM’s SID.
twilio api:supersim:v1:sms-commands:create \
--sim AliceSmithSmartMeter \
--payload 'AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","super"' \
--callback-url https://example.com/api
The request will cause the following response to be posted to the optional callback URL. The sid, sim_sid, account_sid, and url fields will contain true values:
HTTP/1.1 202 ACCEPTED
Content-Type: application/json
{
"sid": "HCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"sim_sid": "HSxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"payload": "AT+CGDCONT=1,\"IP\",\"super\"",
"status": "queued",
"date_created": "2019-05-23T15:42:04Z",
"date_updated": "2019-05-23T15:42:04Z",
"account_sid": "ACxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
"url": "https://supersim.twilio.com/v1/SmsCommands/HCxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
Many devices do not support setting the APN via SMS. Refer to your device’s user manual to see if this action is permitted and how to format the message.
Where do I set the APN on my Android device?
Whatever version of Android you are using, you set set the APN broadly like this:
- Go to Settings > More settings > Cellular networks > Access point names.
- Tap the menu or + icon to edit an access point.
- Enter
Twiliounder Name and entersuperunder APN. - Tap your new Twilio APN to set it as your active APN.
Subtle differences between Android versions mean that you may not see UI elements with exactly the same names as those shown above, but they will be similar.
Adding an APN with MCC and MNC values
Some versions of Android require you to provide a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC) for an APN. This is to help match the APN to the IMSI being used by the device. Every Super SIM has multiple IMSIs that it will switch between depending on the country in which the device has been deployed, or whether or not it has been able to connect in the past. To ensure that you can connect with any of the IMSIs used, please add all of the following APN and MCC-MNC combinations to your device.
As you enter each of these values, they may be immediately hidden by Android and so you will not see them. You must enter all four of these entries to ensure proper operation.
| MCC | MNC | MVNO Type | MVNO Value | APN |
| 232 | 10 | SPN |
Twilio |
super |
| 234 | 10 | SPN |
Twilio |
super |
| 234 | 50 | SPN |
Twilio |
super |
| 732 | 123 | SPN |
Twilio |
super |
You can also enter SPN for the APN’s MVNO Type setting and Twilio for the MVNO Value setting. By adding these MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) settings, Android will be able to correctly select the APN without having to prompt the user.
Where do I set the APN on my iOS device?
Every Super SIM has multiple IMSIs that it will switch between depending on the country in which the device is being used. For some IMSIs, iOS, particularly on iPhones, may prevent you from changing from the APN. If you cannot change the APN to super you will not be able to use data. Tools like Apple Configurator can help you get around this limitation if iOS is preventing you from setting the APN: you’ll find our guidance here.
The process for setting the APN depends on which version of iOS your device has.
- If the system language is English (US/Canada), go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Network.
- If the system language is English (UK), go to Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Network.
- For other languages, use the appropriate menu path.
- Tap APN and enter
super. - Leave the Username and Password fields blank.
You can find more information about viewing and editing APNs in iPhones and iPads on this Apple support page.
Verify you’re connected to the network
You will know your device is correctly configured if you can send and receive data. Try pinging www.twilio.com, or open your favorite web browser and navigate to www.twilio.com/wireless/super-sim.
If your ping is unsuccessful or if you cannot load the web page, review the instructions above and make sure you have also enabled roaming on your device.
Need some help?
We all do sometimes; code is hard. Get help now from our support team, or lean on the wisdom of the crowd by visiting Twilio's Stack Overflow Collective or browsing the Twilio tag on Stack Overflow.
