T-Mobile iPhone UK on T-Mobile in the USA?

[dualcore]

anyone know if you could buy a UK iPhone and pop in a USA t-mobile sim card?
i dont live in the states its just an interesting thought if people could import them and no unlocking needed.

[CD3660]

anyone know if you could buy a UK iPhone and pop in a USA t-mobile sim card?
i dont live in the states its just an interesting thought if people could import them and no unlocking needed.
The U.K. iPhone will be locked to o2. Do you mean a German iPhone which will be T-Mobile?

[Tweak3D]

that is an interesting idea and worth a shot. I know 3 of my phones here in the US were not unlocked but work fine with my prepaid t-mobile card from germany so there is a chance but we cannot say how big of a chance it is.

[CD3660]

.....there is a chance but we cannot say how big of a chance it is.

Yes, it's pure guesswork at the moment.

[dualcore]

haha yes right the germany t-mobile. my mistake.
anyone out there willing to try it?

[7on]

USA T-mobile and German T-mobile are (for all intensive purposes) separate companies. They only share branding.

Germany it's Deutsche Telekom and in USA it is VoiceStream. Their SIMs aren't the same.

At least I'd only assume. :-D

[gkarris]

USA T-mobile and German T-mobile are (for all intensive purposes) separate companies. They only share branding.

Germany it's Deutsche Telekom and in USA it is VoiceStream. Their SIMs aren't the same.

At least I'd only assume. :-D

Nope....

http://www.t-mobile.com/Company/CompanyInfo.aspx?tp=Abt_Tab_CompanyOverview


Ownership: T-Mobile USA is the US operating entity of T-Mobile International AG & Co., the mobile communications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG & Co. K.G. (NYSE: DT). Deutsche Telekom is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, with more than 80 million customers worldwide.

[gkarris]

haha yes right the germany t-mobile. my mistake.
anyone out there willing to try it?

You'd have to activate it with your German iTunes account and get it assigned a German T-Mobile number. I guess you can put a US (or any T-Mobile) SIM card in it afterwards and it'll work... just don't try to update the phone - it'll see a non German T-Mobile SIM in it...

[peharri]

Nope....

http://www.t-mobile.com/Company/CompanyInfo.aspx?tp=Abt_Tab_CompanyOverview

They both share the same parent, but the OP was right, they're different companies: T-Mobile USA is Voicestream, T-Mobile DE is Deutsche Telekom.

The two operators have little in common except branding. The SIM cards they provide are not compatible with phones locked by the other.

[gkarris]

They both share the same parent, but the OP was right, they're different companies: T-Mobile USA is Voicestream, T-Mobile DE is Deutsche Telekom.

The two operators have little in common except branding. The SIM cards they provide are not compatible with phones locked by the other.


If this is the case, they would mention it on their website. They could've been bought out like Cingular, etc...

[thorsten]

Different T-Mobile subsidiaries in different countries are legally separated entities for well, legal purposes. They are all still owned by Deutsche Telekom. Deutsch Telekom bought VoiceStream a couple years ago.
I am a T-Mobile customer in the US and Germany. In my US SIM locked T-Mobile phones I was able to use my German T-Mobile SIM card when traveling over there. This does work with my Blackberry and Motorola Raizor phones. Same is true when my (German) parents come over here with their locked German T-Mobile phones and plug in a US T-Mobile SIM card.
So there is a big chance that a German iPhone will work with a US T-Mobile SIM card.