Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
What are my best options for 3g data service for iPad if I'm visiting five different countries in Europe? Is there a sim card that will work in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, and Spain without roaming charges? We'll be travelling for six weeks with a week in Italy, a week in Spain, a week in Holland (one day in Belgium), and two weeks, not concurrent, in France.
iPad 2
1) buy a pre-paid micro-SIM card for iPad service in each country you visit
2) use one micro-SIM card for iPad service, but be prepared to pay for roaming charges
3) use this sort of service, but I cannot vouch for them, also compare prices:
http://www.maxroam.com/Shop/Product/Detail.aspx?ProductId=787&cur=EUR
As an example, in Belgium you can buy a pre-paid ("Pay&Surf") micro-SIM card for the iPad from this company:
http://customer.proximus.be/en/Surf_Ipad/SIN_Rates_Ipad.html
1) buy a pre-paid micro-SIM card for iPad service in each country you visit
2) use one micro-SIM card for iPad service, but be prepared to pay for roaming charges
3) use this sort of service, but I cannot vouch for them, also compare prices:
http://www.maxroam.com/Shop/Product/Detail.aspx?ProductId=787&cur=EUR
As an example, in Belgium you can buy a pre-paid ("Pay&Surf") micro-SIM card for the iPad from this company:
http://customer.proximus.be/en/Surf_Ipad/SIN_Rates_Ipad.html
Had the same problem with my o2 sim. I was told that there is no agreement on iPad re 3G in Europe. Not sure if that makes any sense as my iPhone works OK. Seems a nonsense. Only solution is to buy pre paid for each country but what a pain..!
Thanks. Most of the advice that I am getting is to wait until in country to get the sim card. This is fine when first getting to Italy, but then driving to each subsequent country it will be a royal pain to have to stop and find a place to get a new sim card every time we cross a border. My instinct is to get all of the sim cards online prior to departure.
paul15 wrote:
My instinct is to get all of the sim cards online prior to departure.
I was about to suggest this.
Make sure there is plenty of time to receive the cards.
Another possibility would be to check whether free (or possibly paid) Wi-Fi hotspots are available where you are traveling.
Here is an example:
http://www.free-hotspot.com/index.php?lang=en
Don't count on finding an unsecured Wi-Fi router, almost all people have fortunately secured their routers these days!
If you own an iPhone you could consider the cost of tethering the iPad via your iPhone, but roaming charges might again apply here.
You may also want to check out this company.
They claim to offer service "in over 50 countries around the world".
Make sure to compare prices critically, because they do not appear to be cheap:
iPad 3g in Europe
