Upgrading from your ATT 3G iPad to a new ATT 3G iPad
by Troy Saxton-Getty
If you were an early adopter of the iPad 3G, when you signed up before June 7th 2010 for your data plan, you received an “unlimited” data plan option. Today you get an option for 250MB or 2GB and you pay more if you go over.
While 2GB of monthly data transfer is quite a bit for most iPad users, you most likely won’t even come close to that, but there is nothing like the freedom of feeling “unlimited” when it comes to data, it’s just one less thing to worry about when you install NetFlix or some other large data consuming application.
ATT grandfathered those early adopters to their unlimited plan after that plan did away with unlimited data and even when you upgrade to a new iPad ATT 3G, you can take your unlimited data plan with you. Simply swap the SIM card from your original iPad 3G to your new iPad2 3G and you are all set.
The internet search for this will reveal all kinds of conflicting rumors, methods etc. Some of these warn against swapping the sim card, some have lengthy processes to follow, some have you calling ATT and even then, you might get two stories from the ATT rep.
Swap the sim card, make sure you have the user name and password that you originally registered your ATT 3G iPad with so you can go to the SETTINGS->CELLULAR DATA option and view account, you will see that the unlimited account information is still there.
After experiencing this challenge ourselves with our old and new 3G ATT test iPads, we called our Apple business support rep and he said to simply swap the sim cards, the IMEI number updating isn’t required but if you are worried about it, call 1800 331-0500 and they will gladly update their own records with your new IMEI number, this is like the devices serial number for the radio. (Apple laughed at me when I told them I read about having to call-in, he said and yes, if you do, they will take about 30 minutes of your day for no reason, except to update their own records.
So why is this important? Stream 5-7 movies or stream audio from Pandora for days on end and in a month’s billing cycle you will quickly run up against your 2GB limit.
Even if you don’t have the unlimited data plan and you want to get a new ATT 3G iPad2, you can simply swap the sim cards before you activate the new sim card and your current plan is now on your new iPad. If you break your iPad and buy another, do the same thing.
