Initial EPS Bearer Settings - Additional Settings
Description of the feature
Regarding the initial eps bearer settings, currently as I understand both of these settings are available:
- NM_SETTING_INITIAL_EPS_BEARER_APN
- NM_SETTING_INITIAL_EPS_BEARER_CONFIGURE
Currently there are other 5G networks there that can only be enabled by setting these credentials.
- apn
- ip-type
- allowed-authorization
- user
- password
Ideally these should be added in addition to the already implemented initial eps bearer settings.
These would also be integrated with APN setting on Gnome for Ubuntu which currently lacks the feature.
Description of the use cases
Network Manager already implements NM_SETTING_INITIAL_EPS_BEARER_APN and NM_SETTING_INITIAL_EPS_BEARER_CONFIGURE.
Ideally, ip-type, allowed-authorization, username and password could be added.
Even through nmcli, the only settings available are these: gsm.initial-eps-bearer-apn, gsm.initial-eps-bearer-configure
which is insufficient for this purpose.
Currently using ModemManager CLI (mmcli), you can set additional authorization settings using this command:
mmcli -m 0 --3gpp-set-initial-eps-bearer-settings=apn='<apn_name>',ip-type='<ip_type>',allowed-auth='<auth_type>',user='<user_name>',password='<password>'
So using a CLI approach through mmcli is not ideal, since gnome community would probably not accept it as a solution.
The target implementation of this is to give linux OS, specifically Ubuntu, the same capability to set initial eps bearer settings through InternetAttach/Attach
feature that is found in Windows, specifically through modification of APN settings in Gnome settings.
Also,currently APN settings in Gnome settings are set through NetworkManager.
For an example on which network uses these additional settings aside APN to be set through initial eps bearer setting, one network is AU 5G network in Japan.
References and other resources
Network manager initial eps bearer settings
https://discourse.gnome.org/t/initial-eps-bearer-apn-format/17491
https://networkmanager.pages.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/nm-settings-dbus.html
nmcli
https://www.networkmanager.dev/docs/api/latest/nm-settings-nmcli.html
mmcli
https://github.com/linux-mobile-broadband/ModemManager/blob/main/cli/mmcli-modem-3gpp.c
https://www.mail-archive.com/modemmanager-devel@lists.freedesktop.org/msg07148.html
InternetAttach/Attach Feature
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Networking#apn-mobile
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntu-system-settings/+bug/1435360
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/network/mb-lte-attach-operations
Gnome Settings current wwan setting
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/-/blob/main/panels/wwan/cc-wwan-data.c?ref_type=heads
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/-/issues/2948