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The new iPad constantly losing cellular data connnection

My new iPad (3rd gen), 4G (AT&T) cannot seem to maintain a cellular data connection. The AT&T signal meter is still there (and shows 3 bars), but the "4G" disappears, and I get a "could not activate the cellular data network" error. I know it's not my location because it happens both at work and at home, and because my iPhone 4S and 1st gen iPad don't have the problem. I have already toggled cellular data on and off, restarted the iPad, reset network settings, and restarted again. No luck. Each time I restart, the connection works for about 30 seconds, and I can check my email, but then it immediately goes out again. Has anyone else had this problem?

iPad, iOS 5.1

Posted on Mar 19, 2012 1:50 PM

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606 replies

Feb 12, 2017 4:19 AM in response to scholarwilliams

Sorry, I wish I could help! I've tried everything but I cant hold on to my 4G signal for long before it drops out. my customers loose interest and I get frustrated. It seems like there are lots of us in the same boat. It might be time to swallow my pride and return to Microsoft... there will be no iwatch purchase or new iPhone or iMac or replacement MacBook Pro for apple to gloat about in there annual ye ha meeting. Sorry, I did like my iPad... and just as I was thinking of upgrading this year...

Mar 19, 2012 1:55 PM in response to scholarwilliams

If you are not in an LTE area, make sure you turn that off. 4g is not LTE. See if that makes a difference.


It could also be that your sim card has come unseated. You can open that. Make sure it's seated properly, and reinsert. It might also need a new sim card ( they can get fried for various reasons) and you would get the from your data provider.

Mar 22, 2012 8:30 AM in response to scholarwilliams

Same issue for me, though once I turn the toggle off, then on, the connection seems to hold until the iPad is back in sleep mode. I will try turning off the LTE switch, since my area will not have LTE for about another two months. However, that concerns me a bit because the iPad is supposed to fall back from LTE to HSPA+ to 3G seamlessly. So, why doesn't it (assumption here is that turning off LTE resolves this)?

Mar 23, 2012 7:09 PM in response to scholarwilliams

UPDATE: Although I could not understand why it would make any difference, I toggled LTE off, and suddenly my cellular data connection worked fine. This would suggest that this is a software issue, and it would not affect the iPhone because the iPhone does not yet have an LTE option. Now, I have a stable cellular data connection, and the speed on my iPad is as good or better than on my iPhone 4S. Although I am disappointed with the hassle, I am now having the experience I expected - my iPad 3rd gen is better in every way than the iPad 1st gen that it replaced. Hopefully this is just a software issue and Apple fixes it fast . . .

Mar 25, 2012 9:00 AM in response to scholarwilliams

i have the exact same problem too... when in my house on the WIFI, i walk out, and go smoewhere... shows LTE as its not anymore on the WIFI, but as soon as i try to use internet, i get the error message, no internet, no cellular data yada yada yada... very annoying. my ipad 1 worked better.


for those of you who turned LTE off, did you mean turn on and back on? or just off? in that case, you lose the advantage of the LTE?


hope there is a fix

Mar 25, 2012 10:08 AM in response to scholarwilliams

I posted in another thread about identical problems here on my ipad3. My wi-fi connection at my home is rock solid. I have owned the ipad3 for three days and as mucgh as don't want to- it more than likely is going back. I am on Verizon, 64gb wi-fi/LTE model. I called both VZ and Apple and reset network settings at least three times and have reset ipad as many times as well. Yesterday, I took my ipad to my sons soccer game. Even though I am in Dallas, TX LTE coverage was spotty at best. When it defaulted to 3g, pages took forever to load.


What I do not understand is: my iphone4s works fantastic on 3g. So, even if I turn off LTE on ipad the comparison of iphone4s on 3g to ipad on 3g(identical location) is well, a joke. How is this possible? Apple really didn't help much other than suggest bringing it back.


I am no expert, but it seems there is a problem w/ the antenna in ipad.

Mar 25, 2012 10:25 AM in response to sebless

Turned LTE off and left it off. Not a big deal for me now, since AT&T does not have LTE in my area. However they will in about three months, so then it will be more of a concern. I called Apple yesterday on a separate issue but also passed along this one to them, along with this thread ID number, and so they have the issue documented...again. Not sure that means anything but we'll find out.

Mar 27, 2012 6:58 AM in response to scholarwilliams

I'm in St Louis, MO and having the same issues. I've spoken with Apple on the phone twice, At&t once and they were supposed to call me back with a solution and have not called back. I went into the Apple store and they changed out my new ipad3 for another new ipad3, but I overheard the manager tell the tech that was helping me to stop doing that because it won't make a difference. Evidently, there's something not working correctly here and it's affecting a lot of people. Of course, Apple is saying it's an At&t problem...At&t is saying it's an ipad problem. Just curious...are all of the users that are having problems with the 3G/4G connection with the ipad3 working with At&t? Or, are we seeing this with other carriers, too?


I've turned off the LTE (as noted in posts above) and will give that a try to see if it at least allows me to have a connection when I'm away from my wi-fi.


Between this and charging issues...I'm now wondering if I jumped the gun too quickly in getting the ipad3. I'm appreciating my ipad1 right now and it's lack of issues for the past two years.

Mar 27, 2012 7:08 AM in response to scholarwilliams

its doing it for me too with Rogers in Canada. im at my 3rd ipad3 as of now. the first one had the LTE issue that we're talking about here, my second one stopeed recognizing the sim card altogether after a few hours, and they changed it again for another one which has the same LTE issue as the first one...


not impressed... especially since i had to change my iphone 4S 4 times since it came out in october.

The new iPad constantly losing cellular data connnection

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