One of the main features of the new iPad is its 4G LTE capability, but in theory, this shouldn’t be available in Europe for a while due the lack of infrastructure in place. Others have also suggested that the current iPad will never be able to pick up 4G in Europe due to the different frequencies that will be used (even though this isn’t yet certain).
However it isn’t all bad news for us people based in Europe, as we can still get some of the benefits of fast internet speeds using HSPA+, which is faster than 3G, but admittedly slower than 4G LTE.
With the huge number of different bands the iPad 4G can operate on, buying one isn’t such a stupid idea, as you will get the fastest speed possible whatever happens, seeing as it supports every band up to 4G. So, if like me you’re in Europe and don’t have access to 4G, depending on what carrier you use, you should still be able to get faster-than-3G speeds using the new iPad, something that’s impossible to obtain with the iPad 2.
As for the availablilty of 4G, in the UK at least, Everything Everywhere, a collaboration between T-Mobile and Orange, say that if they can get approval, they could be rolling out 4G speeds before the end of the year, meaning that you wouldn’t have long to wait if everything goes as planned and the frequencies are the same
Having said that, other mainstream networks seem to be estimating 2013 as a realistic timeframe, so we’ll have to see what happens over the next 12 months with regard to faster speeds. I’ve already ordered my 4G capable model, as I still think it will be useful, both for now and in a year or twos time.
