Apple iPad, Picture: Phone Guide Germany

By the end of May the Apple iPad will be available in the German market, both the WiFi model and the WiFi + 3G model. Even though we don’t know for what purchase prices Apple will be selling the iPad in Germany, first mobile phone providers have already put together special prepaid starter packages. These prepaid packages include a mobile data plan for accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS over a German mobile network as well as the micro SIM card which fits into the iPad (and maybe into the upcoming Apple iPhone 4G). Here is a short overview of prepaid starter packages for the Apple iPad 3G as far as they have already been announced by German providers.

German no-frills provider Simyo will offer a limited edition of the micro SIM card for the Apple iPad with credit of EUR 3.00 for a purchase price of EUR 14.90 and provide mobile internet access via GPRS, EDGE or UMTS over the network of operator E-Plus for EUR 0.24 per megabyte. Alternatively, iPad users can book a flat rate tariff with 1 GB data volume over 30 days for data transfers with EDGE or UMTS speed for EUR 9.90. In this case, the prepaid starter package includes a credit amount of EUR 5.00. At the Simyo website interested users can already register for one of these iPad micro SIM cards.

Blau is another low-cost provider using the network of E-Plus and marketing micro SIM cards for the Apple iPad. The prepaid starter package of Blau includes the micro SIM card and credit of EUR 10.00 and will be available at www.blau.de/microsim for EUR 12.90. Blau customers can choose between the standard tariff (EUR 0.24 per megabyte), a 100-MB tariff option (EUR 3.90 over 30 days), a 1-GB tariff option (EUR 9.90 over 30 days), or a flat rate tariff (EUR 19.80 over 30 days. The Blau prepaid starter package for the Apple iPad can already be ordered but will not be delivered before June.

Operators T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2 Germany will also market micro SIM cards for the Apple iPad. However, they haven’t announced any information on purchase prices and data plans yet. According to my colleague Markus Weidner at www.teltarif.de, T-Mobile will focus on postpaid price plans with a long term commitment, but offer one prepaid price plan to users of the Apple iPad. This prepaid price plan is called “Xtra web’n'walk DayFlat” and costs EUR 4.95 for every day the subscribers accesses the internet via GPRS or UMTS over the network of T-Mobile.

Like T-Mobile, O2 Germany will probably not introduce any special tariffs for the Apple iPad so that iPad users will be able to choose between the existing “Internet-Pack” tariff options with 30 MB (EUR 5.00 per month), 200 MB for data transfers with EDGE or UMTS speed (EUR 10.00 per month) and 5 GB for faster data transmissions (EUR 25.00 per month). Vodafone will release micro SIM cards at the end of May – this is all we know so far.

Fonic will start selling micro SIM cards for the Apple iPad in June, too. The prepaid starter package will include the micro SIM card for the network of O2 Germany and credit of EUR 2.50 and cost EUR 9.95. For accessing the internet via GPRS or UMTS, iPad users will be charged EUR 0.24 per megabyte, EUR 2.50 per day or EUR 9.95 for 30 days (with 200 MB for data transfers with 3G speed).

For an updated overview of iPad price plans in Germany please read:

Apple iPad: Purchase Prices and Dedicated Mobile Data Plans in Germany