Thanks a lot!

I'm living in Greece and have not been able to use another sim card in my iPad 2 (purchased in the US with ATT sim card) and, in fact Apple told me to check into an international plan with ATT (this advice came from a support call supervisor!) which made me laugh as they had just told me it's an unlocked device. However, I see on this forum that some folks have to initialize the iPad and I have seen other discussions talking about changing the APN settings a topic about which I'm not conversant.

I will be going to the States for a bit and plan to talk to Apple about this frustration but any thoughts or ideas or recommendations are appreciated!

Try Cosmote, many locations for SIM cards:

COSMOTE: Mobile Internet on your computer

AT&T iPads should be unlocked.

Carriers in some countries sell locked iPads, but those are sold subsidized, so they're locked so that the carrier can recoup its subsidy by locking buyers into a data contract. If you paid full retail for your iPad, it shouldn't be locked.

Originally Posted by Kaykaykay

Try Cosmote, many locations for SIM cards:



AT&T iPads should be unlocked.

Carriers in some countries sell locked iPads, but those are sold subsidized, so they're locked so that the carrier can recoup its subsidy by locking buyers into a data contract. If you paid full retail for your iPad, it shouldn't be locked.

Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I have tried Cosmote twice and the tech inserting it says it is not working despite comparing it to his own iPad there in the store (so he knows what he's doing apparently); is there something else we need to do other than simply insert a new sim card--e.g. change some settings?

Originally Posted by grapesx2

Thank you so much! Unfortunately, I have tried Cosmote twice and the tech inserting it says it is not working despite comparing it to his own iPad there in the store (so he knows what he's doing apparently); is there something else we need to do other than simply insert a new sim card--e.g. change some settings?

There are some settings that need changing sometimes, but I don't know which. I bought my iPad in one country and used it in another for the first time, and the guy in the carrier shop knew which settings to change. But I don't know whether that's necessary for all countries, because I've also gone to some other places and was able to use my iPad by just changing SIM cards. Maybe you should try another shop or another salesperson, because they might know different things. The guy whom you dealt with might not know to adjust settings.

There are no settings that must be changed to use an iPad purchased in one country in another country.

There are some things like International keyboards and local time zones you may want to adjust, but all you need is a SIM card with a data plan and you are all set.

Originally Posted by thewitt

There are no settings that must be changed to use an iPad purchased in one country in another country.

There are some things like International keyboards and local time zones you may want to adjust, but all you need is a SIM card with a data plan and you are all set.

I wouldn't make blanket statements like this unless familiar with carrier details in all countries. I remember seeing a carrier store guy adjusting my settings after replacing my SIM card, and it wasn't time or date, which I later adjusted myself. In some countries, there's also a 24-hour wait period before a SIM card is activated. But that again varies from country to country, and perhaps depending on where you bought your iPad and where you're trying to use it.

OP, have you tried borrowing a SIM card that you know is working in another device? That might help you test.

OP, this might shed light:

iOS: Installing carrier settings updates

Additional Information
Note: If you insert a new SIM or micro-SIM card into your iPhone or iPad, you'll need to download the carrier settings for the new carrier wirelessly. Carrier settings are available only for iPhone support carriers and iPad partner carriers. If you're not using a partner carrier, you will need to set up the carrier's settings manually. Refer to your carrier for appropriate settings. iOS: About cellular data network settings (viewing or editing the APN)

APN username and password settings are not unique to the iPad or iPhone. If the carrier needs to set these, I would expect the technician in the cell phone store to understand this already - as he would have to set these for every device, not just an iPad.

Nothing specific to the iPad needs to be adjusted to use it with any data plan and GSM carrier.

We've set up hundreds of devices purchased is several different countries on both carrier partners and non-partners in over a dozen countries.

OP, see if you can nudge your carrier store people in this direction, to see whether APN is your prob:

APN Settings for iPad 3G | Touch User Guide

This list might be outdated, but it might get them pointed in the right direction if they haven't tried.

And if they haven't already offered to swap out a SIM card that they know is working on another device, they've overlooked a quick way to check whether the SIM card or the hardware might be the prob. Often, SIM cards are just duds, even when new.