Configuring GSM phones so that data aware Java applications like gMail, UC Browser and Opera Mini can connect to the Internet is atotal 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 phonesSprint 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.