iPad 3G & Etisalat Dual Sims
I am extremely excited because FedEx has somehow switched gears and and has managed to move my iPad 3G from Philadelphia to Dubai in about two and a half days. Shipment happend on Friday 12am Dubai time and I had it in hand earlier today around 5:30 pm.
Early last week, I managed to acquire two sims for my number courtesy of etisalat’s Tawa’am service.
After some careful trimming, I have managed to get my second sim to fit into the iPad and voila, we have etisalat 3G. I initially had some issues with the iPad throwing up a message that the cellular network was unavailable, but I sorted this out by:
- Making sure that the second sim was active (see etisalat’s Tawa’am page) for both phone calls and sms (since the iPad can receive neither this isn’t a problem)
- Ensuring that I had etisalat.ae in as the iPad’s APN
- Quick iPad reboot
Pictures after the break.
iPad 16GB Wifi and iPAd 32GB Wifi + 3G side by side.
Good old Etisalat on the iPad
AT&T, My trimmed Sim B, and my iPhone Sim, iPhone Sim Holder and the iPad Sime Holder.
AT&T Sim, Trimmed Sim B and iPhone Sim.
If you do decide to import an iPad and choose to trim your sim, use the AT&T sim as a guide. I would suggest cutting off the larger bits of plastic, remeasure and then continue cutting as you go along. Patience will pay off.
You will also notice that etisalat’s sim card has larger chip surface in comparison to the AT&T sim. While I initially thought this would be a problem, careful trimming of the plastic on the edges allows you to get it down to the right size. Ensure that you do not cut the chip itself at any point!
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