Configuring GSM phones so that data aware Java applications like gMail, UC Browser and Opera Mini can connect to the Internet is a total disaster. Opera Mini is an amazing mobile browser that gives almost any phone iPhone like Internet capabilities. But many people have trouble getting it to work. They download it from mini.opera.com, it installs without error but when they try to run it they get the error “Failed to connect to the internet“. The same thing often happens with the UC browser, gMail, Picomail, Google Maps, eBuddy Nimbuzz and other mobile Java applications. Because the user can surf the web with the phone’s built in browser, they clearly have a connection to the web. So why doesn’t the app work? Although it’s natural to blame the app, in almost all cases, it’s a setup issue caused by brain dead GPRS data configuration model.
Many mobile operators who are more than happy to sell you an “unlimited” data plan deliberately put roadblocks in the way of using 3rd party data aware applications to reduce data traffic on their networks. Even setting up unbranded, unlocked phones is a hassle. Phone manufacturers do a terrible job of documenting how to configure handsets so that Java applications can connect to the network. The terminology and menu options vary from one phone to the next even from the same manufacturer.
This post is an attempt to demystify the process by explaining the concepts and providing links to sources of operator and phone specific setup information. You won’t find instructions on how to set up your phone here but I’ll try to point out the best resources for finding the right settings for your phone and operator.
First of all you need a phone that can run Java, meaning that it has a Java runtime (JVM) installed in firmware. Most recent GSM phones have Java, but many CDMA carriers including Verizon, MetroPCS, Cricket and US Cellular in the US use Qualcomm’s BREW application platform rather than Java. There’s nothing technically wrong with BREW but its security model is completely hopeless when it comes to installing 3rd party applications. The only way to get BREW applications is to buy them from your carrier, there are no free BREW applications. My advice, if you want to be able to run free, state of the mobile applications like gMail and Opera Mini, is to avoid the BREW carriers. GSM phones from most operators, CDMA phones from Sprint and iDEN phones from Sprint/Nextel and Boost Mobile all support Java.
Unlike GSM phones Sprint and Boost Mobile CDMA and iDEN handsets don’t require or allow any sort of user data configuration. Java applications usually just work on these phones. When Opera Mini or another Java app installs but won’t connect on a CDMA or iDEN phone, it means that packet data is not provisioned on the carrier side. There’s nothing the user can do except call and try to convince customer support to escalate the issue to a data specialist who can actually fix the problem.
GSM phones, in addition to requiring provisioning by the carrier to turn on data, have many data configuration settings that all have to be correct for data aware applications to work. Having a working browser is not an indication that data is set up correctly. Many built in mobile browsers connect to a WAP/GPRS access point or gateway that doesn’t provide the direct socket or http connectivity that applications need.
Just about all GSM phones support multiple data profiles, each of which is a collection of settings which can be assigned to the built in browser, MMS or applications. Different phone manufacturers call these profiles by different names. Common ones are:
Nokia: Access Points
Samsung: Browser Profiles
Motorola: Data Sessions
LG and Sony Ericsson: Internet Profiles
Blackberry: TCP Settings
A data profile contains dozens of settings, most of them optional. The ones we need to be concerned with are:
Profile Name: A user selected unique name for the access point.
APN or Access Point Name: the hostname or IP address of a switch or server within the carrier’s network which routes data between the mobile network and the Internet.
Bearer: The type of connection like CSD or GPRS.
Username: often but not always blank.
Password: blank if the username is blank.
WAP Gateway IP address and port: Required with some low end and older phones.
Some carriers also require data traffic to pass though a proxy server which has an address and a port.
Proxy Address: The IP address of a proxy server.
Proxy Port: The HTTP port used by the proxy server.
There must be a data profile assigned to your applications. How this is configured varies from phone to phone. There might be a menu option within the data profile setup called Packet Data Access Point or Default Access Point or the profile might need to be set in an Application Manager’s context menu or in an Options menu at the individual application level. Motorola’s are unusual, Java applications will look for and use a data session named Java Session.
Your carrier or phone manufacturer may be able to push all the required settings to your phone. This is the easiest and usually the best way to configure your phone, if it’s available. I recommend trying the carrier first as they should always have the most up to data settings. Check the support section of the carrier’s web site, looking for “send settings to your phone” or something similar. The carrier may offer a choice of several different types of settings like WAP, MMS, Internet or GPRS Data. For applications you generally want Internet or GPRS Data if they are available and WAP as a last resort. When in doubt have all the settings sent.
A few phone manufacturers including Sony Ericsson and Motorola can also send settings for many different carriers.
Recent Nokia phones have a built in Settings Wizard containing settings for most operators. Instructions on using the settings wizard are at here.
Many times having the settings sent to your phone is all you need to get Opera Mini working. If it doesn’t work with your carrier’s settings try the manufacturer settings and vice versa. If Opera still can’t connect don’t give up. It’s possible to enter the settings manually. here’s how:
1) First you will need to find the right settings for your carrier and data plan. Usually they can be found on the carrier web site or by calling customer support. Many third party application vendors sites provide lists of settings for operators around the world. Some good ones include: Opera, eBuddy and Nav4All. It doesn’t matter whether you are using the vendor’s app or not, the settings are the same for any Java or native application. If you can’t find your operator’s settings anywhere else, try doing a Google search for “<Operator Country> GPRS Settings“, i.e. MTN South Africa GPRS Settings.
For US users here are the current settings for the national GSM operators AT&T and T-Mobile:
AT&T:
APN or Access Point Name: wap.cingular
Bearer: GPRS.
Username: <leave blank>
Password: <leave blank>
WAP Gateway IP address: 66.209.11.61
Proxy Address: <not required>
Proxy Port: <not required>
T-Mobile USA:
APN or Access Point Name: wap.voicestream.com or epc.tmobile.com
Bearer: GPRS.
Username: <leave blank>
Password: <leave blank>
WAP Gateway IP address: 216.155.165.050
Proxy Address: <not required>
Proxy Port: <not required>
2) Once you have the settings, enter them on your phone manually. The process varies from phone model to phone model. The phone manual should have this information, but often it doesn’t. eBuddy has step by step guides for setting up popular phone models.
Some mobile operator’s sites including, AT&T, O2 and Sun Cellular also have good instructions for setting up many phones. These operator guides are helpful for figuring out the often arcane setup menus. Of course, if you are using instructions from an operator other than your own you need to substitute the actual setting values specific to your operator that you found in step 1 for the ones provided.
If you can’t find setup instructions for your specific model try looking through the instructions for similar models from the same manufacturer to find one that has the same menu structure. For example all Nokia s40 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th edition phones have the same setup menus and are set up the same way. For obscure phone models you might have to resort to a Google search for “<phone make phone model> GPRS setup”.
Note: If you have a Nokia S40 phone and your operator’s settings specify a proxy IP and/or proxy port, manual set up may not work because Nokia stupidly does not provide any way to enter the proxy settings. If this applies to you try doing the setup without the proxy settings, as in some cases including AT&T and T-Mobile USA, the proxy isn’t actually necessary.
If the proxy really is required, you must use the Nokia setup wizard, if it exists on your phone. or have the settings sent to the phone by your operator or phone manufacturer.
It is also possible to send the proxy settings to your phone yourself using Bluetooth. It’s a somewhat complicated process and requires that your phone support Bluetooth and that you have a Bluetooth equipped computer or computer plus a second Bluetooth phone. The procedure is documented on the web at: Howard Forums, NXG and Mobilomania. I’ve never actually had to do this myself so you are on your own if you try this.
If you have tried everything and you still can’t get it to work I recommend asking for help on one of the many mobile users forums like The Opera Mini Forum, Howard Forums, Mobiledia, Esato or country specific forums like Nairaland for Nigeria or Talk.ph in the Philippines. When using forums it’s important to follow forum etiquette to avoid being “flamed”. Before posting a help request, use the forum’s search function to be sure your question hasn’t already been answered. If you do post asking for help on a forum be sure to give as much information as possible including, make and model of phone, carrier, country, the name and price of your data plan and the exact text of any error messages.
You can also leave a comments on this post if you get stuck. I try to answer as many questions as possible. I’m not able to answer questions about settings for specific operators or phones as I do not have them. Comments asking for operator or phone settings will be ignored. You need to do your own research using the resources in this post.
Please don’t ask me for “cheat” codes or other ways to enable free browsing. Comments asking how to browse for free will be deleted.
Last Updated: 15-Mar-2012 – fixed some link rot.
Does opera working with CDMA ?? if yes then please tell me how to configure?
Opera works with CDMA networks. There’s nothing that’s user configurable on most CDMA phones. If the phone has the operator’s approved firmware and you have the correct data package on your account it should work with no configuration. If it doesn’t there’s a provisioning issue that only the operator can fix and you need to call them.
but despite all the above instructions , which port is the best for data traffic through wap? I mean faster, reliable..
9201,9203 , 80 , 8080 .Remember that there is a call to the server *99#..can this number change? to which one?
THX
Most operators only support one port. If yours offers more than one their is unlikely to be any speed difference between them. You would have to test to see which, if any, is fastest.
*99# sounds like a dial string used for tethering. These vary from operator to operator. If #99* works for you changing it will most likely cause the connection to fail.
no work to opera mini icon for my nokia 2700classic
I got Opera mini 4.2 working (both the proxy address and gateway IP were wrong) but it still doesn’t allow me to install opera mini 5
Did you try changing the midlet name in manifest.mf as described in the “renaming Java Applications Tutorial here: http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=221224 If that doesn’t work then Mini 5 is probably incompatible with the phone.
I have a Fly Ying F006 (chinese iphone clone) that came with opera mini 4.2 as one of it’s apps but not the main browser. I already input the correct settings but still get the failed to connect message when I try to run opera mini 4.2 but I can run opera mini 3.1 without any problems. Also when I try to install opera mini 5 beta I get a message that says Can’t update java game (all java apps are recognized as games by the phone). I don’t know if this helps but the OS is Nucleus Plus. Anu help will be greatly appreciated.
I’m not familiar with that phone or OS but:
Try switching Opera Mini’s 4.2 connection to http if it’s on socket. If that doesn’t help your setting are incorrect
To install Opera Mini 5 you may have to either
– uninstall 4.2 if that’s possible or
– rename Opera Mini 5 before installing by following these instructions: http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=221224
can u pls help me..? i have opera mini version 5 beta. can u pls send me the opera mini version 5 beta http connection? i cant access to the enternet bec. i accidentally deleted the http. connection.. pls send it to my email [email protected] tnx and Godbless
Please re-read the article, connection settings depend on which mobile opperator you are using. I don’t track settings for all operators in the world but the article explains how to find them for your operator.
hi im aesha and my phone is n70 i cant use my opera mini 5 plss send me some settings and proxy to activ8 it so i can download on my phone thnx heres my email [email protected] thnx agin
What is the difference between ‘http connection’ and ‘socket connection’?
If you choose to use “socket connection”, Opera Mini will keep an open connection to the Opera Mini servers. This means that pages will load quicker, and the Opera Mini servers can push updates (for example new bookmarks through Opera Link) directly to Opera Mini on your phone.
If you choose “http connection”, Opera Mini has to establish a connection to the Opera Mini servers every time you load a page. New updates to Opera Mini will also not be pushed to the phone until a new page is loaded. Note: not all phone models and mobile networks allow socket connections. If you have problems with your connection, try to use “http connection” instead.
Thanks for reply Dennis, I don’t have any problem with connection because I am able to connect to internet with my phone’s existing brower(Polaries) and connection is stable . But while i use opera mini 5 ,4.2 or 3.2 it is able to connect to internet for a short time and connection lost after this. While I clicked on test connection link it shows success but afeter some time it gives the massage not able to connect.
I am using the corby with reliance CDMA and MINI OPERA is downloded there , i am able to surf with MINI OPERA4.2 browser, but after surfing some amount of data (aprox 240 to 460 kb) my connection is lost , and it happens every time. How can i make the stable connection with opera server.(I have tried with both HTTP and Socket connection)
There’s nothing other than socket vs. http that you can change in Opera Mini and CDMA phones don’t let you modify the connection settings. It’s got to be either a phone or a network problem. Have you contacted Reliance about the issue? See if they can reset your data connection or replace the phone.
plz help me to have an internet connection on my phone nokia2700,,…how can i subscribe to packet data?
The “Subscribe to packet data” message can either mean that the phone isn’t setup correctly or that you need to add a data plan to your account. The article above tells you everything I know about setting up data on phones. If you have gone through the all steps to find and apply the settings and it still isn’t working, call your operator or visit one of their shops and ask if data is provisioned on your account. If it’s not they should be able to add it, at an extra cost, of course.
hi i have a motorola v3i dolce and gabana
my mom bought it in dubia, and brought it back to south africa
now i can not go on the internet. i am on mtn and i have called my service provider, the can not help me. please help me setting up wap on my phone
thank you
Hi Den,
I have a Nokia 2700 classic and am able to connect to the internet just fine thru Opera however, none of my 3rd party java applications can connect to the internet. Could you please please help me with the same?
I live in India and am a Vodafone user.
sir…I m using n72.. I have to download using ucweb & operamini browser .. Bt i cant do that.. There is some error like java application error permission failed etc .. So plz help what to do.. I m surfing bt cnt downloading
Either use the Symbian version of UCWEB or the signed version of Opera Mini (see: How to Download Opera Mini Signed Versions. If using Opera Mini signed, open the phone’s Application Manager and set Opera’s security permissions for ”Read user data” and ”Edit user data” to at least ”Ask every time’
thank you very much!!
please tell me how to install properly in my nokia 5300.
1. Go to Menu > Settings > Configuration
2. Choose Personal configuration settings
3. Press Options
4. Select Add new and Access point
5. Fill in any Account name
6. Select Access point settings
7. SET DATA BEARER TO GPRS
8. Select Bearer settings
9. Enter GPRS access point (APN): bplgprs.com
10. Set Authentication type to Normal
11. Enter User name as: bplmobile, leave password blank
12. Press Back 3 times
13. Choose Options and Activate
14. Go Back
15. Set Preferred access point to the access point you just made.
16. Set Default configuration settings to Personal config.
17. Select Activate default in all applications and Yes
IDONT HAVE NO.7 BECAUSE THERE ARE 2 AND IT IS GSM DATA,AND POCKET DATA ONLY!! PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION TNX
Use packet data. It’s the equivalent of GPRS.
I use Nokia N72. The Opera mini 4.2 and the Opera mini 5.0 Beta used to work on my phone but both browsers stopped about 3 months ago. Only the default browser is working. I’ve downloaded Opera mini 5.0 but its not working. Each time I tried its installation, it will stop half way. I live in Nigeria and I use the MTN network. What can I do?
That sounds like the issue discussed here: http://my.opera.com/community/forums/topic.dml?id=474701
Summary: MTN’s data network is reportedly having some issues currently. The solution is said to be:
Use the settings:
Access Point Name: web.gprs.mtnnigeria.net
Username/Password: web
Proxy [IP:Port]: 10.199.212.2:8080
And have another connection active in the built in browser when installing or using Opera.
Iam use nokia 7210.iam connect to operamini. But phone blance low. and not connet operamini
That sounds normal. Most operators require a minimum balance for browsing.
I have nokia 5130 i want downloading than write on screen link not avilable wap connection ended. why?
please i need opera proxy for sunny ericson k750i please kindly send settings to
me thanks
dear sir
i have a nokia 2600 classic but it doesnt instal opera mini and it doesnt download java games. please solve my problem. i will be very thankful.
Saad
Fail to connect to internet,using Nokia 2860s.Thanks!
Pls i need mtn Nigeria ip address and the proxy for opera mini4.2
Ma problem is… I’ve opera software in ma mobile..& download(save) option is also shows for saving any files. But wen i select to save option den file is not saving properly means wen file capacity is 398kb,mb,or gb or any capacity file.it downloads only 2 or 3 kb..so file is not opened. So plz anyone tell solution plz plz plz. If u get any solution of my opera mobile problem (look 27th) den contact me wid my email.
Lot’s of people have problems downloading with Opera Mini. It seems to be a bug related to specific mobile operators. There is no known solution. Try using UCWEB, Bolt or the phone’s built in browser all of which tend to have fewer download issues than Opera Mini.
Incidentally, posting your email address on the internet is a bad idea unless you like to get lots of spam. Posting your phone number is worse as scammers can use it to send premium SMS to your phone costing you real money.
Thanks for such a wonderful post.
I was not able to use opera mini on my nokia 6233 but after going through your post I got the hint to make it work and it worked.
Thanks once again
Ajay
What setting did you change to make opera work on nokia 6233. i am using vodafone connection. Thanks in advance
I don’t have a nokia 6233. But you should be able to follow the step by step guide for the 6233 here: http://www.nav4all.com/site2/www.nav4all.com/eng/install_settings_nokia_6233.php?m=6233
Thanks for clear description of setup internet connection for mobile phones. Usually we may meet with difficulties even with original brands, not speaking at all about hundreds Chinese copy where before connecting to Internet, owner should spend about 1 hour to make all settings correct.
i have my operamini version 2.06..
when i connect to the internet, i cant enter in the website..
Sometimes network error: access is not permitted..
or error:
what should i do..?
its been a long time but i do not use this but i don’t stop.
help please!!!!!!!!
hi, I am using operamini 4.2. It’s work after I download it but in a few min. it doesn’t work. it appear the message failed to connect to the internet…
hi, i am using opera, nimbuz, like application and i am charged too much from the operator and when my balence gets less than 30p, all applications stop working. can you tell me how to use it for free, my operator apn is: airtelgprs.com . my email id is: [removed] please help me
I was using nimbuzz till it stoped; and since I tried to change the proxy Ip no result help me please!!. I’m using MTN Cameroon.
And I have the same problem with opera mini
i have an unlocked sgh t469 mobile.i have downloaded opera mini and other application but all of them failed to install indicating the reason connection problem.how can i solve this?
Marvin and others asking for settings. I don’t know the settings for your phone and network. Read the article, it’s full of tips on where and how to find the information.
i used sun cellular can u help me how to used operamini for my phone
help for my phone n6630 i cant connect wat can i do
Thanks for your help Dennis. I will try that.
Cheers.
i cant unblock my email help plez
Carlos, It’s not the connection settings that are keeping other apps from working.
The problem is that the phone’s security model prevents unsigned apps from opening a connection. You can’t change that though settings.
It *might* be possible to hack the phone to defeat Java security. If you are interested in doing that a good place to start your research is the Samsung sub-forum on HowardForums.com http://howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=40
Dennis,
Thanks for the reply. I was able to install version 4.2 with multiple certificates and worked just fine. I am still interested in changing the data settings in order to run other 3rd party applications which I am not able to do now. If you could point me in the right direction???
Thanks again
Hi Carlos, I noticed you were able to get Opera 4.2 working on your Gravity 2. I have the same phone and am still having trouble. Would you mind posting the steps you took to resolve the issue to help me? I really appreciate it!
Lyndsay, Are you using the double signed version? That’s what Carlos says solved the problem.
Hi Dennis. Thank you for your comment. I notice that Carlos mentioned he downloaded the version with multiple certificates, but I’m not familiar with how to locate the double-signed version. I’ll try searching some more information about this specific version. Do you have any idea where I can find this specific version?
Lyndsay, to download the double signed version of Opera Mini 4.2:
1.Visit http://mini.opera.com using your phone browser.
2. Click the “Other download options” link to get a screen showing a long list of available downloads. Scroll to the bottom of that screen below where it says “Options for Opera Mini 4.2:” and click the link ” Select Code-Signing Certificate”
3. On the next screen click the link “All Certificates”
4. On the next screen click the link: “Download Opera Mini 4. (English (USA))”
For more details and screen shots see: How to Download Opera Mini Signed Versions
Thank you so much, Dennis! It worked!
Lyndsay, Congratulations on getting Opera Mini working, glad I could help.
Hi. I’m having big problem to connect with third parties applications. My mobile is Nokia 2700 Classic which is a S40 phone. I think it’s 5rd Edition. well here is my WEB configuration settings:
Orange World
Data bearer: Packet data
Packet Data Access point: orangeworld
As you see, I use Orange as operator and I live in Mauritius. I can’t connect to eBuddy. I want only eBuddy to be connected. All JAVA applications which use WEB connection don’;t connect except those which use WAP. I can surf on my browser with no problem, in fact I can use Opera Mini old version which is 3.1, but not eBuddy and others. help me to create a proxy settings or how to solve this problem. thank
i have installed the opera mini 4.2 but yet it’s not working,anytime i tried 2 open it page not found displayed appeared.
Carlos, I’m not familiar with that phone specifically but most T-Mobile US non-smartphones are crippled to block all 3rd party apps, including signed ones, from accessing the network.
If the t469 is not crippled and you are using the double signed version of Opera Mini it should work without changing anything.
I tried installing Opera Mini 4.2 double signed on several phones in a T-Mobile shop last month. It worked on both the Sony Ericsson phones that T-Mobile currently sells. It didn’t work on a couple of entry level Nokias and a Samsung (I think it was the original Gravity.
Dennis, I have the Samsung SGH-t469 (Gravity 2) with T-Mobile and the T-zone data plan. I found the data settings for the t459 model (the previous version) in the Opera website but have not found instructions on how to configure the phone. I called T-mobile but of course they would not help me out. The P2KTool does not work with my phone so this instructions are not solving my problem. Any ideas on how to configure my phone?
Dennis, OK I spent hours trying to solve the problem on my nokia but at last, I don’t know how it fixed. Now the problem is on my mom’s old Motorola V3, I downloaded it and while it is attempting to install it says that it can’t connect to the web, the built in browser works. I took it to the phone company and they only said that it simply wouldn’t work on this phone, I think they don’t want me to use it and instead they want me to use the built in browser. Can you tell me what should I do?
Louis, Try asking your operator to send the settings for using 3rd party app taht require an internet ( not WAP) connection.
If that doesn’t work, try setting up the access point manually:
1. Read my original post for tips on determining the correct settings, which depend on your operator.
2. Once you have the settings follow these directions to apply the settings to your phone (they are for the 2600 but it and the 1680 are both S40 5th edition and the menus should be the same. http://www.nav4all.com/site2/www.nav4all.com/eng/install_settings_nokia_2660.php?m=2660
Instructions on creating a prov file can be found at: http://www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100008
hey..
I need the *.prov for nokia 5130 XM
new account: Mensajes Multimedia
web server: http://mms.itelcel.com/servelets/mms
user:
pass:
proxy: on
148.233.151.240
port: 8080
data packets access point: mms.itelcel.com
APN: mms.itelcel.com
user name: mmsgprs
pass: mmsgprs2003
I don’t have idea how to put the *.xml file and *.prov
PLEASE! HELP MEE!!!
Hi, I had Opera mini for like 5 days until some strange text messages came from my carrier that had wap configurations. I applied those configurations and then opera wouldn’t work. I have a Nokia 1680, and under the menu messaging there is an email option, I had it configured with gmail, and that doesn’t work either! I called the carrier and forgot to tell them that I used opera mini because they said that I had wap available. The nokia browser works but its really slow and I depend alot on using the mobile net.
I’m not familiar with the Instinct but every phone has a way to change application permission settings.
You can usually find it by highlighting the app in the menu and pressing the softkey or on screen button labeled “Options” or “Edit” or by pressing the menu key if the phone has one. Then look for “permissions”, “rights” or something similar.
A few phones have the permission settings in a separate “Application Manager” usually under “Settings” or “Tools”.
okay so i have the samsung instinct s30… i have opera mini but then is asks me “do you want to allow the extra time to connect to the internet?” i always press yes but today i accidentally pressed, NEVER ALLOW! now i cannot use the internet on opera mini at all!!!!! WHAT DO I DO???????????????????????????????????????????
i will like if i can have an update on how to download it and mobile settings that goes with motorola V360. THANKS
Pls,sent me hints to change IP on operamini 4.2