This guide is intended as a relatively easy step by step guide to:

• Create a auto start bash script to start the mobile broadband connection at boot time as a startup service without needing to log in as a user.
• * Update: Added version 2 of the script that will also auto re-connect the mobile broadband connection if the connection is dropped, disconnected or lost for some reason.

Requirements:

• Ubuntu 12.04 LTS machine with a USB GSM 3G Modem

1. Setup a new Mobile Broadband Connection and connect.

• After you have set up a new Mobile Broadband Connection it will appear in the network connections (click on taskbar network icon).
• In this case our new connection name is : 8ta 
• ​Connection 'name' should contain only alpha-numerical characters and no spaces to avoid problems.
• Make sure the "Enable Mobile Broadband" is activated. (see below)
• Connect to the internet with your Mobile Broadband connection by clicking on the connection name. In this case 8ta

2. Create a Network Manager CLi startup script for your connection.

• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mobile-broadband-connect

• Add the following into the startup script file and save: 
• Note: Replace the YourMobileBroadbandConnectionNameHere with the name of your connection. In this case our service provider is: 8ta
• Note: If you want the script to also auto re-connect the connection if lost rather use version 2.
• Note: If you do not see a codeblock right below this text or see a small empty box before step 3 - please reload this page.

​3. Change the startup script file permissions.

• By default a new file is not allowed to be executed - so we need to modify the permissions to allow us to run the script at startup..
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/mobile-broadband-connect

​4. Update system startup defaults to include your new script as a service.

• To update the startup services, open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo update-rc.d mobile-broadband-connect defaults

• The script is registered as a system startup service so you can start, stop, or check the status of the script with :

sudo service mobile-broadband-connect start

sudo service mobile-broadband-connect stop

sudo service mobile-broadband-connect status

​5. Reboot to complete installation and auto connect.

• Reboot your system to complete the installation.
• After reboot it takes up to 60 seconds before the USB device is active.
• When active - The Mobile Broadband Connection will be activated and auto connected.

6. Troubleshooting.

• If it does not connect on startup the most likely problem is that the connection is not available to all users at startup.
• Click on "Edit Connections..." in the Network Connections Manager dialog window, select Mobile Broadband, select your connection, and click on "Edit".
• Make sure that the "Available to all users" is selected and click on Save

* Version 2: How to Auto Re-Connect the Mobile Broadband Connection.

• The script in step 2 is only to establish a connection once the GSM modem becomes available on the system, usually during boot, but can also be in the form of a USB modem that is plugged into the computer.
• If the connection is dropped for whatever reason the script does not automatically re-connect the modem.
• The script was updated in version 2 below to allow for this event. It will keep running in the backgroud and keep trying to establish a GSM connection if it finds the modem disconnected for some reason.
• Edit the script file created in step 2, by opening a terminal window and entering:

sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mobile-broadband-connect

• Then replace the original code with the code below and save: 
• Note: Replace the YourMobileBroadbandConnectionNameHere with the name of your connection. In this case our service provider is: 8ta