220-1101 Question 158
Single answerCellularA field technician is setting up a company-issued tablet so it can submit work orders from remote job sites without relying on Wi-Fi. The carrier confirms the employee has an active cellular data plan, but the tablet shows no cellular connectivity and no carrier information. The technician notices the tablet has a cellular radio and an empty SIM slot. Which action should the technician take FIRST to restore cellular service?
- A
Install the correct SIM card for the carrier into the tablet
- B
Enable Bluetooth tethering from the employee's smartphone
- C
Configure the tablet to use a static IP address for the cellular adapter
- D
Replace the tablet's Wi-Fi antenna because cellular and Wi-Fi share the same radio path
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best first action is to install the correct SIM card for the carrier. On A+ Core 1, candidates are expected to understand basic mobile device connectivity, including the role of SIM cards in cellular service. A SIM stores subscriber identity information used by the carrier to authenticate and provision service. If a cellular-capable tablet has an active plan but no SIM installed, it generally will not register on the carrier network or display carrier information. This aligns with standard mobile device troubleshooting best practices: verify physical components and service prerequisites before moving to more complex steps. In real deployments, some devices may use eSIM instead of a physical SIM, but this scenario specifically mentions an empty SIM slot, making the missing SIM the clearest root cause.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A cellular-enabled tablet typically requires a SIM card (or eSIM provisioning) so the carrier can authenticate the device on the mobile network. In this scenario, the carrier has confirmed service is active, but the tablet has an empty SIM slot and shows no carrier information, strongly indicating that the device is missing the SIM needed for network registration.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Bluetooth tethering could provide internet access through another device, but it does not restore the tablet's own direct cellular service. It is a workaround rather than the first step to fix the actual problem described.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Cellular interfaces do not typically require manual static IP configuration by the user. Mobile carriers assign addressing dynamically through their network. Choosing this option reflects a misconception based on troubleshooting wired Ethernet networks.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Wi-Fi and cellular are separate wireless technologies, and a missing SIM card would prevent carrier registration regardless of antenna condition. Also, the scenario specifically identifies an empty SIM slot, which is the most direct and likely cause of the issue.