4G iPad Mini and 4th generation iPad will be EE exclusives, sort of…

Looking to pick up one of last night’s two new 4G packing Apple tablets, the iPad Mini and iPad 4th generation? In a first for UK iPad fans, you can! Both the iPad Mini and iPad 4 will be available on the UK’s new superfast mobile broadband network from EE.

But only through EE. And only EVER through EE, unless further models are introduced. That’s not due to any exclusivity deal with EE’s brand-spanking new 4G mobile data plans, or at least not officially. It’s down to the signalling LTE bands used.

The new iPads are limited to 1, 3, 5, 13, and 25 LTE bands, meaning that when the 4G spectrum is expanded for the likes of O2 and Vodafone on the 800MHz and 2.6GHz frequency bands, these new iPads won’t be compatible with their 4G networks.

So, if you’re after a 4G iPad and you buy one of the new ones, you’re setting yourself up to be tied to EE pretty much forever with it. If you’re after a 4G iPad on one of the other mobile data provider’s proposed forthcoming networks, you’ll have to keep your fingers crossed that Apple eventually offer refreshed models.