HERE is a good guide to setting up Mobile SMTP servers, You may well find that Telefonica are just blocking any smtp traffic thats not related to them. Most providers do that these days to prevent spamming. The only way around blocked Smtp traffic is to set up a vpn so that the traffic becomes encrypted and thus invisible to Telefonica. "Edit" But Fred says his smtp traffic gets out, so its either you or the server your using. What smtp server software are you using on what platform?

But if all of this is just so you can manage your on emails and be able to move around a bit personally I think Cached Imap would be more up your street.

This is all above my head, but as far as I can remember there was a dollar sign somewhere instead of an @ in Telefonica. xxxx dollar sign telefonica.net

I have my domain tied in with my Mobile Me account 4 computers all tied in with various email names if I make a change on one computer ie delete an email it affects all machines. On top of that instead of using my isp`s email servers that just gets redirected to one of my Mobile Me domains. Works a treat simple and I dont trip up over duplicate emails and crap.

Correct JDR, that's in the user name which is your email address with @ substituted with $

Hi all

Many thanks for all your advice and help. I *think* the problem is solved, sort of.

It would seem that my UK host has some sort of dumbass restriction on their servers. I can send mail - if I check for incoming mail first. This will log my IP and allow me to send 'for a short period'. I guess it's a restriction I can live with - until they need me to renew my subscription.

I hope that the info you good folks have provided may be of some use to any other poor soul struggling with the same problem.

Thanks again

Ian

Actually that is a pretty normal means of authenticating a user before allowing the sending of mail.

You retrieve your email via pop3 and so authenticate yourself. The smtp server will then be open to you and allow the sending (smtp) of mail for a short period of time.

Normally there is a configuration option it the mail client to automatically attempt to get email first and so authenticate you when you hit the send button for just this reason.