I am going to Turkey for 2 weeks and wonder if my 3G iPad can work there. Anyone know who the carrier might be and if I can get a sim card for there while I am still here in the US? I will leave for the UK (london area) next week and be there for one week before going to Turkey. Thanks.
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3G sim card for Turkey
- Thread starter Castalia
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Hey,
Although iPad is not sold officially in Turkey, all three major wireless carriers have micro sims available for sale. (Turkcell -which is the biggest carrier here-, Vodafone -they are good too but still i prefer Turkcell- and Avea)
I hope you'll have a lovely trip. Are you going to Istanbul?
Although iPad is not sold officially in Turkey, all three major wireless carriers have micro sims available for sale. (Turkcell -which is the biggest carrier here-, Vodafone -they are good too but still i prefer Turkcell- and Avea)
I hope you'll have a lovely trip. Are you going to Istanbul?
Yeah that was like 600 years ago before Turks took over. It is now called Istanbul, so please don't start saying controversial stuff.
Hope it helps!
Hope it helps!
I was in Turkey throughout the summer for some internship and I can truly say that it is such a wonderful country.
I brought my iPad 3G with me and I was able to use it without any problems. I bought a prepaid plan from Vodafone, 5 gb for around $30. And most importantly, they have micro-sim!!! It was pretty easy to get the job done. Somebody above just said that all have micro-sim but I don't think the same. Turkcell didn't have and none of the salesman had any idea about what a micro sim is!
God, I can truly say that At&t sucks compared to the 3G speeds in there.
I don't think you can do that from UK or US, I know that all the carriers in both countries have agreements with Turkish carriers but data rates will be very expensive I suppose. You can do it easily after you got to Turkey. It took me less than 15 minutes to activate it.
If you have any more questions you can pm me..
I brought my iPad 3G with me and I was able to use it without any problems. I bought a prepaid plan from Vodafone, 5 gb for around $30. And most importantly, they have micro-sim!!! It was pretty easy to get the job done. Somebody above just said that all have micro-sim but I don't think the same. Turkcell didn't have and none of the salesman had any idea about what a micro sim is!
God, I can truly say that At&t sucks compared to the 3G speeds in there.
I don't think you can do that from UK or US, I know that all the carriers in both countries have agreements with Turkish carriers but data rates will be very expensive I suppose. You can do it easily after you got to Turkey. It took me less than 15 minutes to activate it.
If you have any more questions you can pm me..
History fact-check
The "not Constantinople" line refers to a song, "Istanbul (not Constantinople)", first sung in the early 1950s and covered by Bing Crosby, Frankie Vaughan and - much more recently - They Might Be Giants. No controversy here, just song references.
Actually, it wasn't until 1930 that Turkey declared the name to be Istanbul; until then Constantinople was one of a number of accepted names for the city. By the 19th century the name 'Stamboul' was used by some outsiders, but Turks only used that to refer to a specific part.
The "not Constantinople" line refers to a song, "Istanbul (not Constantinople)", first sung in the early 1950s and covered by Bing Crosby, Frankie Vaughan and - much more recently - They Might Be Giants. No controversy here, just song references.
I was in Turkey in September. I bought a normal sized SIM from TurkCell and cut it down to microSIM size. It worked perfectly and TurkCell's coverage was great. (I was sailing the coast near Marmaris and never lost coverage.)
I could have purchased a microSIM from Vodaphone at the Istanbul airport, but I decided I wanted a TurkCell plan. That turned out to be a bit of a hassle as I had to find one of the larger TurkCell stores and had to remember to bring my passport with me to purchase the plan.
I could have purchased a microSIM from Vodaphone at the Istanbul airport, but I decided I wanted a TurkCell plan. That turned out to be a bit of a hassle as I had to find one of the larger TurkCell stores and had to remember to bring my passport with me to purchase the plan.
I went with TurkCell because I heard that they had the best coverage. At the time, it certainly would have been less hassle for me to go with Vodafone. I was wishing I had simply bought their MicroSIM in the airport as I was trudging around Istanbul, trying to find the right TurkCel shop. (It didn't help that I had arrived right at the end of Ramadan which is a big holiday.) These days, it might be just as simple to buy a TurkCel microSIM in the airport on arrival.
We had two different kind of SIM cards within our travel group of four. I can say that Turkcell had a slightly better coverage than Vodafone, although they are both good at city centers. Turkcell would do better in also rural areas.
Also, a colleague has suggested to take a look at the All Day Wifi as a mobile internet option in Turkey, they seem like a young local company, but have good reviews on TripAdvisor.
Also, a colleague has suggested to take a look at the All Day Wifi as a mobile internet option in Turkey, they seem like a young local company, but have good reviews on TripAdvisor.
I was in Istanbul on September for 2 weeks and after a little search on the web, we rented that Alldaywifi and got a little device on the airport when we arrive Istanbul. It is pretty cheap ( 5 USD for 1 day and unlimited data) compariong to SIM Card companies and you don't have to do any paperwork. I also found another company like this but Tripadvisor reviews of Alldaywifi convinced us.
My wife and I were in Istanbul last January. At the Istanbul Ataturk Airport there were 3 stores who sells simcard.
The prices are almost same 80 Turkish Lira for just simcard. But they are overcrowded.
We finally rent a mobile hotspot from iugo gadgets for rent at the arrival terminal.
We paid total of 40 Euros for 7 days. The mobile hotspot had unlimited data.
It was cheap comparing to other simcards..
We dropped the device back to the store before our flight.
www.iugo.travel
http://sharkingforchipsanddrinks.com/10-things-you-should-know-before-visiting-istanbul/
The prices are almost same 80 Turkish Lira for just simcard. But they are overcrowded.
We finally rent a mobile hotspot from iugo gadgets for rent at the arrival terminal.
We paid total of 40 Euros for 7 days. The mobile hotspot had unlimited data.
It was cheap comparing to other simcards..
We dropped the device back to the store before our flight.
www.iugo.travel
http://sharkingforchipsanddrinks.com/10-things-you-should-know-before-visiting-istanbul/
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I am back in Turkey with my family after 2 years and I see that a lot has been changed. I wanted to update this thread with my recent experience so you do not experience the frustration we had at the airport. Having the opportunity to compare both simcard and mifi options, I decided to go for the mifi. I searched for iugo at the airport but appearently they are closed since a while. I did not want to buy a sim card as we are a family of 4 and we all want to have internet on our devices. I will book now online from alldaywifi - wish I have done before I arrive- and I hope it will be delivered to our hotel soon.
Edit: My package is delivered in less than 2 hours and the connection is by far great.
Edit: My package is delivered in less than 2 hours and the connection is by far great.
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