How to : Make your iPad 3G to work with other Sim cards

If you are reading this article, you must have bought an iPad recently. If you bought the 3G version, you might be wondering how to use it to connect to your country's mobile operator. This article will help you to set your iPad to work with a SIM from a GSM operator in India. Continue reading to see how...


What you need :
.3G iPad, any storage capacity
.A template of a micro SIM (also known as the 3FF SIM). If you bought your ipad from the US, it comes with an AT&T Micro Sim inside it and you can use this as a size template.

Note that the SIM that you will use to place in the iPad needs to be preactivated for Data (3g or GPRS) and you should have the APN name from your service provider. I am listing the few APN names that I know in the article. The names listed below are not hacks and will not give you free internet. Data plan has to be enabled on your SIM by your service provider. It has to be activated seperately on your SIM. If you have any updated info, please let me know and I will update the same in my article.

The link below gives a detailed video on how to cut the standard SIM to the Micro SIM size (since the micro SIM and the Standard SIM share the same electrical connectors). It's pretty detailed, so I need not waste any more time explaining it.

Cut your Sim to Micro Sim
Video Courtesy : www.engadet.com

Or you can buy a SIM cutting tool from cutmysim.com for about $30

On your iPad, goto : Settings -> Cellular Data -> APN Settings

Here, you need to enter the APN settings of your service provider.
Note : Don't place "www." before the apn names). Your best bet for the right APN name would be the customer care. I cannot test all of them myself and the APN name can vary between a prepaid and a postpaid.
#Airtel :
APN: airtelgprs.com
DNS: 202.56.240.5 & 202.56.230.5

#MTNL 3g : One of the following APN would work :
APN: pps3g, ppshsdpa, mtnl3g, mtnlhsdpa
Proxy: 172.16.31.10
username: mtnl
password: mtnl123

#Idea Cellular
APN: internet
DNS: 10.4.42.15
username: guest
password:guest

#BSNL
APN: celloneportal
DNS: 192.168.051.163
Username: guest
Password: guest

# Tmobile (USA)
APN: epc.tmobile.com