My uncle asked me a question last night that I really didn’t have the foggiest about. He is a frequent traveler to Israel, and asked if he should buy the AT&T iPad or Verizon iPad with the 3G version. I mentioned how the Verizon iPad service is better all around in the tri-state area, but wasn’t sure about compatibility for local Internet service.
After checking with my Apple expert crew, I was told to only get the AT&T iPad 2 for international traveling. Why? Verizon uses a CDMA chipset which is not found as easily as AT&T. More to the point, it is tough to find Verizon service internationally. But, after some more chats with my iPad support resources, I found that Israel does have a CDMA network, Pelephone. Cellcom, Orange, and Mirs do not offer CDMA service so the Verizon iPad 2 may not be used off these Israel wireless networks.
So, Pelephone is the saving grace for the Verizon iPad 2. However, there are three big Israel networks that are compatible with the AT&T iPad 2 so I’d still recommend going with AT&T for iPad 2 travelers. Think about it this way: If you’re in a dead spot in Israel, you’ll at least have two other big networks that can pick up your signal versus just the sole Pelephone.
What about the SIM card? With the AT&T version, you may go to Cellcom or Orange and pop in an local Israeli SIM card. You cannot do this with the Verizon iPad. So, if you’re looking to buy a month-long service in Israeli or abroad somewhere else, go with the AT&T iPad 2 model. You’ll be on the local plan and it’s easy to pop in a SIM card. There’s no sense roaming or paying long-distance charges with the Verizon iPad 2 model.
