Apple SIM Cellular Data Plans Now Available in Over 90 Countries

Apple has reached a partnership with mobile connectivity company GigSky to expand Apple SIM cellular data plans to over 90 countries and territories around the world. iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 users that have Apple SIM installed can now purchase short-term data plans while traveling in a long list of countries throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, South America and other regions worldwide.

GigSky Apple SIM
Apple SIM is now available for purchase at Apple Retail Stores in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Apple SIM cellular data plans were previously limited to participating carriers in the United States and United Kingdom, including AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the U.S. and EE in the U.K.

"With Apple SIM in iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi + Cellular models, you get the convenience of choosing a cellular data plan from select carrier partners right on your iPad. And when you travel abroad, Apple SIM gives you the added flexibility to stay connected in more than 90 countries and territories around the world. So when you reach your destination and want to check your email, find directions, or send a message back home, you can purchase a cellular data plan for the duration of your trip — whether it’s a day, a week, or a month."

GigSky cellular data plans are available on a pay-as-you-go basis with no long-term commitments. Exact prices are listed on GigSky's website and vary based based on the country, data amount and length of plan. Given that iPads are unlocked, travelers can also insert a SIM card belonging to a local carrier if preferred.

Apple has posted a full list of countries with Apple SIM coverage on its website.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

dlewis23 Avatar
110 months ago
This in the iPhone would be awesome.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yg17 Avatar
110 months ago
Those plan prices are a ripoff compared to what you'd pay if you just got a SIM from a local carrier at the airport.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lincolntran Avatar
110 months ago
The beginning of Apple cellular network
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CmdrPuffin Avatar
110 months ago
It's a pretty cool system but it's really overpriced compared to just getting a sim directly from a local carrier. Looking at the UK plans it's $25 for 400MB with GigSky. If you just get a pay as you go SIM directly from Three you can get 10GB for £15/~$24. I'm sure the other countries are pretty much the same.

Handy for convenience I guess but I'd love it if Apple just opened the AppleSIM up to local carriers worldwide so we could get the best possible prices when we travel without having to juggle a bunch of nanoSIMs.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yg17 Avatar
110 months ago
Neat, but I've never once left the area that was covered by AT&T but covered by someone else, so roaming has never come up for me in the States. I think most people in the States have had the exact same experience, so we don't really consider roaming to be a particular problem 99.9% of the time.
This SIM card isn't for people who stay in their country. It's for people who travel internationally (and are too stupid/lazy/rich to bother researching the much cheaper alternatives out there).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
katbel Avatar
110 months ago
Did you look at the prices?! Not competitive at all!
I'm Canadian and when I go to the States I pay 25$ for 1 gb per 3 months
Gigsky charges 50$ for 1 month
In Europe with 3 TRE ( England and Italy) I pay 5 Euros for 1 GB per month.
Gigsky charges 10 $ for 3 days and 75 mb in Italy

BTW just today there is a good news about Europe ('http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33325031')going to end roaming charges in 2017.
From April 2016, telecoms operators will be able to add a surcharge of no more than:

* €0.05 (3.5p) extra per minute for calls
* €0.02 extra per SMS sent
* €0.05 extra per megabyte of data used

The cap would make roaming within the EU 75% cheaper during the interim period, the European Commission said.

When are we going to have something similar in North America?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iphone 5g mmwave

Apple's Work on 6G Connectivity Already Expanding

Monday December 4, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple's work on implementing 6G cellular connectivity on its devices appears to be ramping up, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is increasingly turning its attention to 6G, even amid its widely reported difficulties developing a custom 5G cellular modem. In 2021, the first highly specific Apple job...