GLOSSARY
Mobile proxy
A mobile proxy sends traffic through a device or modem connected to a mobile carrier's network, so websites see an address from a cellular provider. Many customers of a carrier share each such address.
Why it matters
Because carriers put thousands of users behind a small pool of addresses using CGNAT, websites hesitate to block a mobile address, since doing so could cut off many real people. That makes mobile proxies the hardest type to block, and the most expensive. Speed varies with signal, and addresses change as modems reconnect.
In practice
Mobile proxies are used for testing mobile-only content and adverts and for other tasks where a carrier address matters. Verify the result: the IP lookup should show a mobile carrier's name as the owner. Be aware that shared addresses mean the reputation of the address depends on what other users of it have done.
Related terms
- CGNAT: Carrier-grade NAT is NAT performed by an internet provider, not by your own router.
- Residential proxy: A residential proxy sends your traffic through an IP address that a home internet provider assigned to a household.
- Rotating proxy: A rotating proxy gives you a different IP address from a pool, either on every request or at set intervals, while you keep using the same connection details.
- ISP: An ISP is the company that connects you to the internet, whether through a cable, fibre, DSL, fixed wireless or mobile network.