In Japan models of the 3G iPad will be SIM-locked to Softbank Mobile, which has evidently negotiated an exclusivity deal on the device, reports “All Things D” (http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100510/ipad-3g-sim-locked-to-softbank-in-japan/?mod=ATD_rss). Softbank is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Japan.
This is a bit surprising since NTT DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada said during an earnings call last month that the company would sell iPad-compatible micro-SIM cards in time for the device’s launch in the country. But “evidently, Apple has been pleased enough with Softbank’s support for the iPhone to tweak the multiple carrier distribution plan it had intended for the iPad outside the states” or “the company has always been open to international SIM-lock exclusivity deals,” says “All Things D.”