"iPad 3G is Here" - so is the Extra Load on AT&T?

 

Apple is selling the 3G iPad since Friday. We already saw the impact the WiFi model has on university networks (as they offer full WiFi coverage over the campus - see "IPad - A Traffic Management Problem for Universities"  - here) so what will be the impact on AT&T ?

The iPad 3G option is sold for extra $130. AT&T has "all you can eat" plan for $30 (here) and a byte-cap plan ($15 for 250MB over 30 days).

AT&T explains:

"With the on-device management system, you can check your data usage in Settings>Cellular Data on your iPad at anytime. Also, for the $14.99 plan, iPad will even let you know when you’re about to reach your 250 MB data limit. You’ll get three alerts — at 20 percent, 10 percent, and zero. With each alert, you can choose to add more data [upgrade to the unlimited plan?] or wait and do it later. If you do exceed the amount of data in your plan, your plan will expire, but it’s easy to add another one. Also, with domestic plans, you can wait until the 30th day from your purchase when your plan will automatically renew going forward (here)

First day sales reports are not yet available, and it seems that lines were shorter compared to the non-3G launch day - see ("Lines form for Apple iPad 3G, even at 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon" - here). It is not easy to compare the network load the iPad will generate on AT&T to the iPhone - as number of devices and the traffic generated by each are very different. However, a non-limited plan may have a major effect.

Related posts:

• "The FCC Warns: Apple’s iPad may cause Network Congestion" - here.
• "AT&T Wireless Data: "Prohibited and Permissible Uses" - here