ipadfamily2013 UK Carrier Three has announced that it will be the first British carrier to offer cellular models of the iPad Air on November 1 and the iPad mini with Retina Display upon its release, reports Engadget.

The carrier will offer an entry-level 1GB data plan starting at £7.50 per month on contract, in addition to the £499 up-front cost for the tablet itself. For £25 a month, the carrier is offering a 15GB data plan, which will also be offered on contract. Initially, celluar models of the iPad Air purchased on the carrier will be restricted to 3G data, as Three will begin rolling out its faster 4G LTE networks in December, with service first launching in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Reading.

Three also announced that cellular versions of the Retina iPad mini will be avaliable through its services with the same data plans offered alongside iPad Air, however it still remains unclear as to when specific release of the second-generation iPad mini will be due to tight supplies.

The iPad Air will be available beginning on Friday, November 1, with initial online orders beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time on Friday to begin in-store sales.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

Mums Avatar
144 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NowConverted Avatar
144 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!

I completely agree. Prices are perfect, service is amazing, coverage is good (I can talk for London), and you forget about this stupids data caps.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
144 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!

I am hoping to move to Western Scotland and their 3G coverage (according to their maps) beats everyone else. Got a PAYG SIM to try it out when next there.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve-p Avatar
144 months ago

Assuming you are going to be carrying a phone around and paying for the phone connection and data anyway, why elect for a cellular iPad and pay every month for an extra connection, rather than just having a WiFi iPad and tethering it - any suggestions?

Because tethering for any length of time kills your phone battery, which may be inconvenient.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GWIM2 Avatar
144 months ago
Three coverage, price, plans ....

Vodafone coverage is / was marginally better than Three's, as I noticed when I switched, but I have hopes for the 4G rollout in the next twelve months.

Why would anyone pay £25 per month for a 15Gb limit on the iPad, when they could just buy the iPad, plus a 'ONE' plan micro sim with all you can eat data from Three, and put that in the iPad for unlimited data at the same £25 per month?

Better still, put the same sim in your iPhone and tether it to a cheaper WiFi version of the same iPad and get phone and iPad effectively unlimited for the same price. When are you going to be walking around with an iPad when you don't have your phone on you to tether it to?

Or am I missing something ?

Oh, and potential Three customers please note, you need to have your phone and account up and running for sixty days before you can unlock it for use outwith the UK - understandable but REALLY annoying as it applies to contract as well as PAYG.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gav2k Avatar
144 months ago
It's the complete opposite in London, unfortunately. Terrible coverage from 3 here.

----------



Hmm that's strange because I find their coverage is terrible in London, at least for 3G Internet anyway. I tried them for a month two years back and it was terrible. I've had other people complaining about their coverage here too and not being able to get Internet, with one friend complaining about it last month. :S.

London is a big place and in all fairness everywhere I frequent in London I've had no issues with on three
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
airtag purple

New AirTag Rumored to Launch in Mid-2025 With These Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
M4 MacBook Pros Thumb

M4 MacBook Pro Uses Quantum Dot Display Technology

Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results. Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
iCloud General Feature

Apple Acknowledges iCloud Notes Disappearing and Explains How to Fix

Saturday November 16, 2024 9:45 am PST by
Earlier this month, we reported about some iPhone users temporarily losing all of their notes in the Notes app after accepting Apple's updated iCloud terms and conditions. Apple has now indirectly acknowledged this issue in a new support document that outlines steps to follow if your iCloud notes are not appearing on your iPhone, iPad, or Vision Pro. Fortunately, the notes can be re-synced...
iPhone XS Max Black Background

Apple Adds iPhone XS Max and More to Vintage/Obsolete Product Lists

Friday November 15, 2024 8:09 am PST by
Apple today added a few older iPhone and Apple Watch models to the vintage and obsolete products list on its website. Apple has now classified the iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone XS Max as "vintage" worldwide. Apple considers a device to be "vintage" once five years have passed since the company stopped distributing it for sale. Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers sometimes offer repairs...