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Comment by stanleydrew | Hacker News Reader

You can't get 3G speed on T-mobile with an iPad though can you?

Not sure, but carrier lock means that you cannot use a SIM that is not from the carrier that it is locked to ( like the iPhone ).

Carrier unlocked does not mean that it will work well with other US carriers, just that i can work with any SIM.

Point is you can take it anywhere in the world there is 3G coverage (at the right frequencies) stick a SIM in it and it will work. Not so with the iPhone (unless you bought an unlocked one, which is not possible in the US).

Yes, I'm not suggesting that the iPad isn't an unlocked device. Just pointing out that there is "effective" lock-in in terms of high speed data service.

T-Mobile and AT&T 3G services require different antennae (and possibly chips). You can use the same device to access their GSM networks and get onto Edge, but when it comes to 3G a device either supports one or the other. To my knowledge there are no phones (or devices) on the market that support both AT&T and T-Mobile in the same device.

Correct. That's why it's "effective" lock-in. I can't see any technical reason not to support all 3G frequencies, but until these kinds of devices do we'll have this effective lock-in problem.

For smaller devices (i.e. phones), the issue may just be space, since you may need to include yet another antenna, as well as possibly another chip needing to be included.

You mean the band used is different? T-Mobile is, apparently, using WCDMA and AT&T seems to advertise WCDMA/HSPA. Are there other differences in addition to this?

IIRC, that's why there is a Nexus One for T-Mobile and a Nexus One for AT&T. You can use either to connect to GSM/Edge, but you need the carrier-specific model to connect to 3G. I believe it's a band issue, but I haven't read a whole lot on the topic.

When I googled regarding alternative carriers and iPad a couple days ago I had trouble finding clear statements of this.

What I did find was the sale of $60-$100 devices/dongles that would enable you to use your iPad with T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.

Is it not only me that has trouble finding a clear statement about this (esp. on store.apple.com)?

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