"Unlocked" iPad Won't Work on T-Mobile 3G

When Apple says AT&T exclusive, they mean AT&T exclusive.

In a twist of the knife familiar to iPhone owners, the iPad won't run on T-Mobile's 3G network, even if you put a T-Mobile "Micro SIM" into it.

The reason, as usual, has to do with frequency bands. Apple advertises the iPad as running on UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 Mhz. T-Mobile's HSDPA network runs on the AWS band, at 1700 Mhz. No AWS band, no T-Mobile 3G.

The iPad will run on T-Mobile's EDGE network, which delivers speeds of about 120-200 kbps/sec. But that's pretty slow for Web browsing, as anyone who's had an iPhone stuck in EDGE mode knows.

Of course, T-Mobile users get the Google Nexus One, which won't work on AT&T's band. Until someone starts building chipsets that support both HSDPA bands - I haven't seen many of those yet - Americans are just going to have to remain used to their one-carrier phones.