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I have a mobile phone already, and I have a nearly unlimited data plan already for that mobile phone. I currently can have my laptop access the Internet using the mobile phone's 3G data plan, using data tethering over Bluetooth.

Would I be able to do the same with the Apple iPad? That is, will the Bluetooth capability in the iPad permit data tethering to another Bluetooth device, for the purpose of getting access to the Internet?

Frankly, I'm not interested in having to buy two data plans, one for the phone and one for the iPad! I'd also like to avoid having to buy the 3G edition of the iPad.

edited Mar 9 at 5:18

Krisztian Gyuris♦♦
1,379●10

asked Jan 28 at 2:15

Chris W. Rea
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+1 Good question! – Krisztian Gyuris♦ Jan 28 at 5:27

It is no word on tethering, so far, but I would not bet on it knowing Apple. – Krisztian Gyuris♦ Jan 28 at 5:36

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Chris you should be able to add the bluetooth tag yourself as there are fewer than 100 tags so far – Rich Seller Jan 28 at 15:04

Krisztian Gyuris · Accepted Answer · 2010-03-09 05:24:45Z UTC

I guess we need to wait until the iPad will be available and see if they are allowing tethering. I would hope that they do and the iPhone is already capable of tethering

According to the latest rumors it seems that the tethering will not be possible with the iPhone

AppleInsider article

Steve Jobs appears to have fired off a tersely worded email reply to a user in Sweden who asked whether the WiFi-only iPad could be tethered to the iPhone: "No."

Jezper Söderlund of the Swedish website Slashat.se reports that he sent Apple's chief executive an email identifying himself as an Apple customer before adding, "I'm also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question: Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?"

The full email headers Söderlund forwarded to AppleInsider appear to indicate that Jobs sent his one word reply at 8:30 AM from his iPhone.

maxheadroom · Answer 2 · 2010-02-17 18:51:11Z UTC

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As I heard the iPad only accepting smaller sim cards than the regular phones. So, you have to sacrefice your present sim-card and cut it to fit in the iPad. Thanks Uncle Steve!

answered Feb 17 at 18:51

maxheadroom
116●3

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But my question is: What if I already have a mobile phone with Internet? Can I use tethering over Bluetooth (not transplant the SIM card) to access the phone's data plan? – Chris W. Rea Feb 18 at 1:27

With any Android device you can create your own hotspot and tether to your iPad – Krisztian Gyuris♦ Jun 14 at 19:12

Lanyards · Answer 3 · 2010-06-07 17:56:04Z UTC

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Hey, I am getting the ipad in the mail today.. Hope I like it. I was under the impression that using the 3G model you can access the internet. thank you

answered Jun 7 at 17:56

Lanyards
11●1

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Yes, you can. you will need to add a microSIM to your iPad and it will work with 3G – Krisztian Gyuris♦ Jun 8 at 6:05

Can Apple’s iPad access Internet via Bluetooth data tethering to 3G mobile phone?

3 Answers