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Rumor or Fact: iPad Air comes with all GSM &...

After reviewing the details of the cellular networks for iPad Air, I noticed that Apple no longer gives two different stats for the Verizon (CDMA) and AT&T (GSM) networks.

I called Applecare and they spoke with their tech services regarding whether ALL bands were unlocked no matter which version (Verizon or AT&T) was purchased. (I was thinking of getting a Verizon iPad and using it with my AT&T sim card because in the past, Verizon allowed their GSM bands unlocked, while AT&T seemed to have the CDMA bands locked up with possible firmware and not able to be unlocked...)

Applecare stated the following: The AT&T iPad Air had the CDMA bands unlocked and the Verizon iPad Air had the GSM bands unlocked.

Has anyone (ie: some of the press who got iPad Airs to play with,) read or seen this in person?

In a perfect world, I would LIKE Apple to just release a cellular version of the iPad and then let the user pop in any sim card they wanted.  Could this possibly be it?  And maybe the network designations (AT&T, Verizon, etc.) simply refer to the sim card that is with the device? And not the device's limitations for network access?

I have read all the iPad Air review articles (about 12,) and don't see this addressed - has anyone?

Thank you!

iPads have never, in the U.S. been sold locked. However, it's important to note that the concept of "locked" only applies to GSM. CDMA is neither locked nor unlocked. In order for a device to work on a CDMA network, it has to be sold by that CDMA carrier. The carrier has to have certain information about the device preloaded into its database.

What this means is that, if you buy an iPad from Verizon, it will work on any GSM carrier (I take my Verizon iPad to Canada and use a Canadian SIM). However, an AT&T iPad will not work on Verizon (or Sprint or any other CDMA carrier). Nor will a Verizon iPad work on Sprint.

If the iPads were not backwards compatible to 3G and 1XRTT, the situation would be different as everyone would just be using LTE. 

Sadly, the world is not perfect.

iPads have never, in the U.S. been sold locked. However, it's important to note that the concept of "locked" only applies to GSM. CDMA is neither locked nor unlocked. In order for a device to work on a CDMA network, it has to be sold by that CDMA carrier. The carrier has to have certain information about the device preloaded into its database.

What this means is that, if you buy an iPad from Verizon, it will work on any GSM carrier (I take my Verizon iPad to Canada and use a Canadian SIM). However, an AT&T iPad will not work on Verizon (or Sprint or any other CDMA carrier). Nor will a Verizon iPad work on Sprint.

If the iPads were not backwards compatible to 3G and 1XRTT, the situation would be different as everyone would just be using LTE. 

Sadly, the world is not perfect.

So do CDMA devices not need sim cards and actually work from the device themselves? Otherwise, why couldn't I call up Verizon and give them the info needed for an AT&T device that has a CDMA network built into it? (Just trying to understand.)

Because CDMA carriers do not accept bring your own devices unless it is one previously on their CDMA network.

Well that's not what I wanted to hear...

Do you think the Verizon iPad Air would allow access to AT&T LTE coverage in addition to 4G/HSPA+ ?

Yes.

Meg St._Clair wrote:

 

However, an AT&T iPad will not work on Verizon (or Sprint or any other CDMA carrier).

Are you certain that is still true? Previous iPad models came in two versions with different electronics for either CDMA or GSM. The iPads that were announced this month appear from the specs to come in just a single model, which includes both a CDMA and a GSM radio.

Yes, but to work on a CDMA network a device needs two things:

1. the CDMA network settings in firmware.. They do not get any connection settings from any external device like a SIM so must have those settings for the specific network flashed in firmware.

2.  That device must be provisioned by the CDMA service provider in their database of devices allowed to connect to their network.

So a device purchased from AT&T or from Apple for use on the AT&T network will not be in any CDMA carriers database and no carrier will add it - they simply do not do that for devices purchased elsewhere.  Nor will any carrier flash the firmware for you to install their connection settings.

A CDMA iPad or iPhone needs to be purchased pre-provisioned for use on the specific CDMA network you wish to use, and it will never work on any other CDMA network anywhere.

This is completely unlike a GSM device, which gets all the information it needs to connect to a new network simply by swapping in a SIM card for that network.

Spryfly wrote:

 

So do CDMA devices not need sim cards and actually work from the device themselves? Otherwise, why couldn't I call up Verizon and give them the info needed for an AT&T device that has a CDMA network built into it? (Just trying to understand.)

Most phones sold by CDMA carriers need 4G LTE SIMS for a data connection. The Verizon iPads use a 4G LTE SIM. However, where there is no 4G coverage, they drop back to CDMA 3G.

(Replying to Michael Black.) Ah, I see. Thank you. So if I bought the Verizon model of the new iPad Air and later wanted to use it on AT&T or T-Mobile in the U.S. or with another carrier overseas, I could do that, right, just by getting a sim card? If that is correct, would I have access to the GSM carrier's LTE bands as well?

George Johnson wrote:

 

(Replying to Michael Black.) Ah, I see. Thank you. So if I bought the Verizon model of the new iPad Air and later wanted to use it on AT&T or T-Mobile in the U.S. or with another carrier overseas, I could do that, right, just by getting a sim card? If that is correct, would I have access to the GSM carrier's LTE bands as well?

As long as the carrier used a supported LTE band, yes.

Thank you both for the clear answers. If I went from Verizon to AT&T and then later wanted to switch back to Verizon, I wonder if that would present a problem (if my number in the Verizon database had expired from being unused.) It's unfortunate that the carrier with the best coverage is locked into the archaic limitations of CDMA.

No, it would not be a problem. It's not the "mobile number" assigned to the device that makes it possible to activate it. What needs to be in the database is the MEID. That will stay there. I have a Verizon iPad that I take back and forth to Canada. In Canada, I use a Bell Aliant SIM, in the U.S., Verizon.

For what it's worth, from what I can determine, GSM is older technology than CDMA. But, both are old and are being superceded by LTE.

Thank you again. I believe you are right that GSM is older. There must be an interesting history in how CDMA came about in the U.S. and remained confined within its borders.

最後更新：2017-08-19 22:54:02

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