ipadfamily2013 UK Carrier Three has announced that it will be the first British carrier to offer cellular models of the iPad Air on November 1 and the iPad mini with Retina Display upon its release, reports Engadget.

The carrier will offer an entry-level 1GB data plan starting at £7.50 per month on contract, in addition to the £499 up-front cost for the tablet itself. For £25 a month, the carrier is offering a 15GB data plan, which will also be offered on contract. Initially, celluar models of the iPad Air purchased on the carrier will be restricted to 3G data, as Three will begin rolling out its faster 4G LTE networks in December, with service first launching in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Reading.

Three also announced that cellular versions of the Retina iPad mini will be avaliable through its services with the same data plans offered alongside iPad Air, however it still remains unclear as to when specific release of the second-generation iPad mini will be due to tight supplies.

The iPad Air will be available beginning on Friday, November 1, with initial online orders beginning at 12:01 AM Pacific Time in the United States and at varying times in other countries. Apple retail locations will open at 8 AM local time on Friday to begin in-store sales.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

Mums Avatar
160 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NowConverted Avatar
160 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!

I completely agree. Prices are perfect, service is amazing, coverage is good (I can talk for London), and you forget about this stupids data caps.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
160 months ago
Three is kicking a** in the UK. Nobody else comes close to price or quality of coverage. Keep it up 3!

I am hoping to move to Western Scotland and their 3G coverage (according to their maps) beats everyone else. Got a PAYG SIM to try it out when next there.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve-p Avatar
160 months ago

Assuming you are going to be carrying a phone around and paying for the phone connection and data anyway, why elect for a cellular iPad and pay every month for an extra connection, rather than just having a WiFi iPad and tethering it - any suggestions?

Because tethering for any length of time kills your phone battery, which may be inconvenient.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GWIM2 Avatar
160 months ago
Three coverage, price, plans ....

Vodafone coverage is / was marginally better than Three's, as I noticed when I switched, but I have hopes for the 4G rollout in the next twelve months.

Why would anyone pay £25 per month for a 15Gb limit on the iPad, when they could just buy the iPad, plus a 'ONE' plan micro sim with all you can eat data from Three, and put that in the iPad for unlimited data at the same £25 per month?

Better still, put the same sim in your iPhone and tether it to a cheaper WiFi version of the same iPad and get phone and iPad effectively unlimited for the same price. When are you going to be walking around with an iPad when you don't have your phone on you to tether it to?

Or am I missing something ?

Oh, and potential Three customers please note, you need to have your phone and account up and running for sixty days before you can unlock it for use outwith the UK - understandable but REALLY annoying as it applies to contract as well as PAYG.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gav2k Avatar
160 months ago
It's the complete opposite in London, unfortunately. Terrible coverage from 3 here.

----------



Hmm that's strange because I find their coverage is terrible in London, at least for 3G Internet anyway. I tried them for a month two years back and it was terrible. I've had other people complaining about their coverage here too and not being able to get Internet, with one friend complaining about it last month. :S.

London is a big place and in all fairness everywhere I frequent in London I've had no issues with on three
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...