iLounge

Now that the iPad is officially available for purchase or pre-order in a number of different territories, we’ve assembled this—The Complete Guide to iPad Pricing + Service Providers—as a resource to help readers across the world understand what their options are. Below, you’ll find a clean chart showing the prices for each iPad model, as well as the low- and high-end data service prices for each 3G data service provider in each country. If a provider includes Wi-Fi hotspot access as a component of the data service plan, we’ve indicated that in the chart as well.

Please note that some carriers are continuing to update their pricing and plans in response to customer comments, complaints, and market conditions; we will be updating this article as the situation changes.

We’ll update the Complete Guide to iPad Pricing + Service Providers as additional countries and carriers are added to Apple’s list. Please e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you know of another carrier who needs to be on the list. Thanks!

Notably, users in some countries will need to pay a small fee to receive a micro-SIM for use in their iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G, while others may be able to have the card shipped to them with their iPad order directly from Apple. Also notable is the situation in Japan, where the iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G is available solely from SoftBank. All iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G units sold in Japan will be carrier-locked to SoftBank, and will be available both for an up-front price (listed above) and on a 24-month installment plan, details of which can be found in this article. As a result, the company is also offering a modest subsidy, as well as cheaper monthly data rates, for users willing to sign up for a two-year contract; this explains the discrepancy between the higher monthly rates for the 1GB, no contract plans. In addition, Movistar in Spain is offering its iPhone users on their two highest-tier data plans to apply for a free microSIM for the iPad, which allows them to share their data plan between the two devices; more information can be found in this article.