“Apple Inc.’s new iPads come preinstalled with a universal SIM, meaning that the devices are able to work with any telecom carrier providing cellular coverage. No more will users need to physically remove and swap multiple SIMs when switching between carriers,” Simon Zekaria reports for The Wall Street Journal. “Instead, users can simply pick a new carrier through the device’s on-screen settings.”
“This theoretically frees up consumers to pick and choose carriers based on price, service, signal strength or any other preference,” Zekaria reports. “Well, that’s the theory anyway.”
“In the U.S., AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile U.S. have signed up. But Verizon is sitting it out and AT&T says it will lock the Apple SIM to its network if the user chooses the carrier—meaning an AT&T customer will now have to put in a new SIM anyway if switching to a rival operator,” Zekaria reports. “In Europe, where consumers can order the new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 from Apple’s online stores, only one carrier — EE — has signed up to offer its services to Apple’s universal SIM. That’s one operator out of dozens of carriers.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
How iPad’s soft SIM lets Apple pit carriers against each other – October 27, 2014
AT&T locking carrier-interchangeable Apple SIMs in iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 – October 24, 2014
New ‘Apple SIM’ could significantly disrupt the wireless industry – October 17, 2014
Apple SIM card in new iPads challenges mobile networks – October 17, 2014