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DunnMaui

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 15, 2010
75
0
Maui, Hawaii
just wondering when the iPad 3G arrives if AT&T's 3G Network will work in other countries, specifically Austraila ?
 
Um no, mainly due to the many thousands of kilometres between the nearest AT&T 3G tower installation and the lovely shores of Australia...

But more to the point, why are you asking if AT&T 3G will work in Australia? The question itself makes little sense so I guess you are in fact a little confused on the 3G subject itself.

If your question actually is "Will the US 3G iPad work with Australia's 3G networks?" then the answer would be a tentative "yes". I refuse to say "yes" without qualification until it is proven true. However, all evidence currently points to the answer being "yes".

Your biggest issue will be with microsim. As no Australian network provider is currently stocking them you would need to cut down a minisim or wait until the 3G release in Australia at which point our carriers should have some micro's available (I believe Vodafone has confirmed an iPad deal of some sort).
 
I am definitely challenged when it comes to wifi vs 3G ! I know 3G is AT&T's network and wifi are other various networks. I guess I needed to know if it was worth paying for the 3G service for the iPad before traveling to AU in May? Or should I just try to find wifi hotspots ?
 
Ah ok in that case I can now answer your question better.

If you are coming to Australia for a visit then your best bet will be to go with 3G and once in Australia buy a pre-paid sim from one of our carriers. By May most of them should have microsim and at least Vodafone will. The sim will probably cost about AU$10 + whatever you charge it up with. Charge cost will likely be something around AU$30 for 2GB with a 1 month expiry or something like that (just an educated guess at this point).

Doing this is likely to cost a lot less than "roaming" on an AT&T plan from the US.

Public WiFi hotspots are not big in Australia yet (there was talk of one in Sydney CBD but not sure if it ever happened as I don't live there).

Also with 3G, most of our carriers only provide coverage in high population areas such as capital cities, with fallback to the older CDMA system out of coverage (and at a premium). Telstra, our gluttonous monopoly king, has much wider coverage but the pricing on their services is utterly disgusting.

If any fellow Australians would like to dispute my advice, please do, as I do not claim to be an expert on our mobile networks.
 
I am definitely challenged when it comes to wifi vs 3G ! I know 3G is AT&T's network and wifi are other various networks. I guess I needed to know if it was worth paying for the 3G service for the iPad before traveling to AU in May? Or should I just try to find wifi hotspots ?

I'm gonna assume, you mean to ask whether or not it is capable of connecting to another carrier in another country. Yes it will.. however your roaming costs will be astronomical.
 
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