“AT&T isn’t the only company hoping to cash in on wireless service for Apple’s iPad,” Olga Kharif reports for BusinessWeek.
“In the runup to the Apr. 3 U.S. release of Apple’s highly anticipated tablet computer, Wi-Fi service providers and cellular carriers are angling to sell consumers and small businesses that buy iPads add-on wireless data services,” Kharif reports. “The services would be alternatives to monthly 3G cellular plans from AT&T (T), which is Apple’s chosen data-plan provider for the iPad.”
“Sprint Nextel the third-largest U.S. cellular carrier, plans to market to iPad owners its Overdrive mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, which for a $60-a-month subscription lets users connect as many as five mobile computing devices to its next-generation 4G cellular network,” Kharif reports. “‘In our view the iPad will make a very compelling 4G device,’ says Sprint spokesman Scott Sloat. Sprint says its 4G network offers download speeds that are as much as 10 times as fast as AT&T’s 3G network.”
Sprint courts iPhone owners:
Direct link via YouTube here.
Kharif continues, ” 3G-enabled iPads could conceivably work on other carriers’ networks, including that of T-Mobile USA, which uses similar network technology as AT&T. There are no technical limitations that would preclude that, says Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris. She wouldn’t comment on whether Apple is in discussions with other U.S. carriers to offer iPad service plans. T-Mobile didn’t return a request for comment.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “JES42” for the heads up.]
$60 per month? What a joke.
The more the merrier
Why can’t we just buy an amount of data? It would be a much fairer system. Data would cost so many £ per MB. You pay for some data up front, and get to use it as and when you like.
Like pay as you go.
What’s the problem?
Canada has free iPhone tethering! But will it work with iPad?
fred – $60 per month? What a joke.
No it’s not because you can use the one device to provide ALL your internet connectivity. How much are you currently paying for home service, a mobile data plan and phone service? $60 a month is a lot less than I currently pay Verizon and Sprint combined AND you get to take it with you when traveling.
@fred: I pay $49.99 a month for wired broadband into my home. $10/month more to be able to carry more broadband anywhere with me is not a bad deal at all.
Hmmm, let’s see. $60 per month vs $30 per month. I gotta think about this for awhile.
Besides the $60 vs $30 price difference I like the month to month availability. Will I be signing up for a year of sprint just for the days on the road? I don’t think so. I also don’t see sprint as a replacement for the cable modem at the house. I’m certainly not going to have two so the family can have one at the house while I’m traveling. This dog just isn’t going to hunt.
If they’ll give me the option of month to month with a two tiered plan, say 500mb for $15 and unlimited for $30, then we’ll talk. I’d love to use a mifi or similar, but at $300 plus $60/month, that’s just too steep. Might as well wait for the 3G iPad and buy the service when I need it.
Actually $60 for up to 5 devices isn’t that bad a deal; if you’re a Sprint user and already have a Blackberry or two in the family especially.
I pay $50 a month for an unlimited 3G Verizon plan ( carry over from Alltel with no contract) and it is a bargain. It’s faster than AT&T;’s dog slow network, works everywhere and saves me from the ripoff WiFi charges on the road. It also keeps my private info off the work network when I’m on call @ the hospital where I work.
As to an earlier comment about paying for data volume, that makes no sense for most users. The common limit for metered plans is 5GB/month. Download 3 movies from iTunes and you are basically done with your monthly allotment.
yes but all 5 devices have to be moving together, I have a 3 iPhone 2Pods Touch, family with possible 2 iPads this year, the only time I can use 4 devices at the same time is at home, where we have Fast Broadband, so who will be the lucky one each day to carry the Mifi?
I rather have an iPhone, with an additional cost to share with my Ipad or to whoever is with me at the same time.
Actually the sprint deal makes sense to me. It is more expensive than the $30 for the iPad plan, but now I don’t have to spring for the extra $ for an iPad with 3G. And as a bonus, I now have connectivity for my macbook when away from home. For the business traveller who may have to pay $10-20 per day for wifi use at a lot of hotels, it also makes sense.
I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I think Sprint is going the wrong way.
I was thinking that somebody like TMobile could come in and offer an unlimited EDGE plan for $15. I’m thinking about an iPad for my parents, and I think getting “Dial up” pricing for the internet could offer a viable alternative to the aggressive pricing by ATT.
Although $60 per month, if its truly unlimited, would definitely be good for a single home and on the road solution. The problem is you would want to test it at home first to make sure the connection is good, which doesn’t work in the current wireless world. Plus, I doubt it’s unlimited service.
If your wireless carrier allows iPhone tethering in your country, of COURSE it will work with the iPad.
What Steve said, is that AT&T;will not allow tethering TO the iPad, because that would make it the cheapest wifi hotspot around, for only $30 for unlimited data with NO contract.
$60/month seems rather exorbitant. I use Clear (aka Clearwire), which is a WiMax (4G) service, for my home broadband and I pay $30/month. If I add their version of Sprint’s Overdrive, I pay a total of $45/month for both home broadband and mobile broadband.
No wonder Sprint is fading fast.
I cam across this info about a no-contract MiFi card from Virgin. I think it’s bloody brilliant.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10470656-233.html
It uses the Sprint network, but there is no contract. You spend $200 on hardware (the mifi card and the cradlepoint hub). After that it’s wireless internet a-la-cart.
There are situations where a 3G iPad would be much more convenient, but if you have multiple devices to connect, I think this is the way to go.
Image a roadtrip with one of these. You can have laptops, iPads, iPod Touches, etc… all connected to the internet through this one hub. Pretty cool.
The ipad3g plan is a cool deal but it’s not for me. Before the ipad was even announced I posted here that I saw no reason why the tablet should be tied to a carrier. This is when verizon tablet rumors were flying.
My reason was and still is the wifi options that are taking off.
Though not perfect they are making progress quickly.
It’s nice to have options and not be locked down by one company.
The wifi only ipad is perfect for me because of things like this. I have no reason for the 3g model. It will be useful for a lot of people for a year then it will be obsolete.
Sprint is advertising the heck out of their 4G network. But if you thought ATTs 3G was sparse, Sprint’s 4G is downright nonexistent. Nor does Sprint have any plans to begin offering 4G anytime soon in most areas, including Los Angeles.
Today In iPhone the other week made mention of an app that can be used on a jailbroken phone that turns it into a wi-fi hotspot.
No! 🙁
Well, when I looked at the capability vs the extra bucks, ordering the 3G version made sense. Yes – there’s open wifi available in a lot of places. But I just spent 5 days in a Sheraton in Chicago — the cost of access in the Sheraton (unless I wanted to stay in the lobby) for two 5 day trips pays for adding 3G to an iPad. A single day’s consulting fee pays for more than a year of AT&T unlimited. So why not go for the 3G version? (That question is rhetorical since I already ordered a 3G.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> )
You are missing the point. It means increased competition, which means prices are going to come down in general. ATT exclusivity is going out of chimney. Prepare for cheaper and cheaper data plans. The Cat is Out of the Bag. Availability of these devices + wifi + internet telephony is about going to radically change how much we are going to be charged. Celebrate!