Using AT&T iPhone 3GS in Australia

Yes.

I did the same thing not too long ago, but I already had mine jailbroken with T-Mobile here in the US. I used a Yes Optus SIM card.

Telstra Pre-Paid? You'll be pre-paying a lot. Telstra are super expensive though the network is really good.

I'm on Optus Pre-Paid on my iPhone and get a pretty good deal out of it.

The iPhone is available on the five major networks down here and none of them will have any issue with you bringing an unlocked phone to the network.

It's expensive in comparison to the US prices but still reasonable in the grand scheme of things. Things to remember:

1. You do not pay for incoming calls or texts. Any company who tried to implement such a system would be run out of town.

2. Most plans will give you a bunch of money to spend however you want, none of this minutes + SMS stuff. Make sure you're aware of the calling and flagfall rates of all the networks so you can figure out exactly what you'll be paying.

3. There is no such thing as long distance or local calls from a mobile. All mobile phones have the same (04) prefix so you can tell if you're calling a mobile and calls within Australia are the same price regardless of origin.

I've just unlocked my phone and am using a vodafone sum but the 3g won't work. Only edge. I am looking for a fix. Does anyone else have an idea.

So my advice would be to go with optus.

rtc872 said:

I've just unlocked my phone and am using a vodafone sum but the 3g won't work. Only edge. I am looking for a fix. Does anyone else have an idea.

So my advice would be to go with optus.

Click to expand...

Where are you? Voda's 3G network is terrible outside of major cities.

Telstra have a network that covers about 98% of the population and goes up to 21Mbps.

Optus goes to maybe 14Mbps (Maybe 7.2Mbps) and covers about 96% but costs about a third of what Telstra charge.

Virgin piggy-backs off Optus.

Voda have terrible 3G but it's growing, they do have the advantage of their own edge network though.

3 have reasonable 3G coverage, great prices but once you're off their 3G network you roam on Telstra 2G at about a million billion dollars a bit.

I'm in bowral between Canberra and Sydney. I have just heard that my problem may be that I need to set the apn. All I know is that despite telstra's speed the cost is rediculous.

rtc872 said:

I'm in bowral between Canberra and Sydney. I have just heard that my problem may be that I need to set the apn. All I know is that despite telstra's speed the cost is rediculous.

Click to expand...

That's where my family is from, I get decent Optus 3G in town but I'm pretty sure there's no Vodafone 3G in the highlands.

Telstra's cost is indeed "rediculous" (spelt ridiculous by the way )

EDIT: Voda shows the whole of the highlands covered (I think it's a load of bollocks) but it shows 2100MHz 3G coverage almost everywhere until you get south of Mossy.

Check your network settings, you may need to reset them.

Chundles said:

Where are you? Voda's 3G network is terrible outside of major cities.

Telstra have a network that covers about 98% of the population and goes up to 21Mbps.

Optus goes to maybe 14Mbps (Maybe 7.2Mbps) and covers about 96% but costs about a third of what Telstra charge.

Virgin piggy-backs off Optus.

Voda have terrible 3G but it's growing, they do have the advantage of their own edge network though.

3 have reasonable 3G coverage, great prices but once you're off their 3G network you roam on Telstra 2G at about a million billion dollars a bit.

Click to expand...

21 Mb/s??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I wish I would fly over there and use my iPhone to experience it.

jav6454 said:

21 Mb/s??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I wish I would fly over there and use my iPhone to experience it.

Click to expand...

The iPhone 3GS only supports 7.2Mbps.

21Mbps is available in the capital cities and only with 3G modems for computers. It's pretty quick though.

They're going to 42Mbps sometime this year.

Chundles said:

The iPhone 3GS only supports 7.2Mbps.

21Mbps is available in the capital cities and only with 3G modems for computers. It's pretty quick though.

They're going to 42Mbps sometime this year.

Click to expand...

That's the point, trying to use it at full 7.2Mb/s.

Chundles said:

Telstra Pre-Paid? You'll be pre-paying a lot. Telstra are super expensive though the network is really good.

I'm on Optus Pre-Paid on my iPhone and get a pretty good deal out of it.

The iPhone is available on the five major networks down here and none of them will have any issue with you bringing an unlocked phone to the network.

It's expensive in comparison to the US prices but still reasonable in the grand scheme of things. Things to remember:

1. You do not pay for incoming calls or texts. Any company who tried to implement such a system would be run out of town.

2. Most plans will give you a bunch of money to spend however you want, none of this minutes + SMS stuff. Make sure you're aware of the calling and flagfall rates of all the networks so you can figure out exactly what you'll be paying.

3. There is no such thing as long distance or local calls from a mobile. All mobile phones have the same (04) prefix so you can tell if you're calling a mobile and calls within Australia are the same price regardless of origin.

Click to expand...

Eh? Telstra expensive on prepaid? It's actually one of the great bargains in Australian mobile telephony...

For $40 every 30 days on Talk and Text, I get:
- 150 minutes (none of the 'spend $20, get $100 credit* *$90 for calls to other mobile users with us, $10 for calls to anyone, calls charged at $1/min, 50c flagfall' crap that plagues another carrier that springs to mind)
- 150 SMS
- the ability to use the $40 credit to buy data packs totalling 400MB (100MB/$10) (you need to access voicemail by dialling your own number though)
- free tethering to burn through those data packs
- unused credit and bonuses rolling over provided I recharge before 30 days
- access to the only 850MHz 3G network in Australia (which means 3G pretty much everywhere, and significantly better battery life from not switching between 2G and 3G).

It's actually difficult to find a better deal than Telstra pre-paid IMO.

I am in a similar situation and will be moving to sydney for 12 months. I'm still in the states. How do I unlock my ATT iPhone? Will I still be able to use it here once I unlock it?

Also what is a pretty good plan I can get on in Sydney for phone and data? I'm willing to spend around $75 a month. I'll be doing some domestic and international travel while I'm there.

Thank you soooo much for any help and advice you can share!! Thanks!!

Or you could get an official unlock from one of the tele company there.

No he can't, he has to Jailbreak and unlock to unlock the phone. The foreign carrier will not unlock the iPhone. iPhones can only be unlocked by the carrier they are purchased from, in the country they are purchased in, and that country has to have a law against selling phones locked, or if they offer a factory unlock. AT&T does not offer this.

AppleHack23 said:

No he can't, he has to Jailbreak and unlock to unlock the phone. The foreign carrier will not unlock the iPhone. iPhones can only be unlocked by the carrier they are purchased from, in the country they are purchased in, and that country has to have a law against selling phones locked, or if they offer a factory unlock. AT&T does not offer this.

Click to expand...

Weird. They asked if my iphones need to be unlock or not when i walked in to get a prepaid card from Vodaphone. They say they can do it for me. But my phone is already unlock so i said no.

According to Apple's website, Australia company is allow to unlock iphone.

gngan said:

According to Apple's website, Australia company is allow to unlock iphone.

Click to expand...

Ok hang on I want to make sure I got this right. I'm currently in Japan with a 3GS. What you are saying means when I go to Australia, I can waltz up to a phone store and say "Please unlock this for me, I wanna sign up with yer network" and they'll do it? No jailbreak/yada necessary?

Coz that would be cooooool.

aki said:

Ok hang on I want to make sure I got this right. I'm currently in Japan with a 3GS. What you are saying means when I go to Australia, I can waltz up to a phone store and say "Please unlock this for me, I wanna sign up with yer network" and they'll do it? No jailbreak/yada necessary?

Coz that would be cooooool.

Click to expand...

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937

Click Asia-Pacific and look at Australia. It says, "Carrier offers
authorized unlocking".

This is intersting! So, I'll be travelign to Australia the first week of July and will have a 3g that is no longer activated on ATT since I'll have my iphone 4 by then.

I'd like to be able to have a phone to use while over there that I can call back home on (probably skype or something) as well as tether up to my netbook if needed. So would I be able to walk up to a store (or whatever) and have them unlock my phone and put a pre-paid SIM in there? Would I lose all my contacts and apps with the new SIM?

I woudl imagine that woudl have to be cheaper than using ATT and international voice and data rates....

gngan said:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937

Click Asia-Pacific and look at Australia. It says, "Carrier offers
authorized unlocking".

Click to expand...

I would be very surprised if they would unlock an AT&T iphone. Don't count on this unless you contact the Australian carrier and have them confirm the unlock. I think they can only unlock iPhones sold in Australia.
I have several iPhones including 2 with AT&T for use in USA and a couple with Telstra in Australia. I had no luck getting my AT&T iphones unlocked in Sydney.

this from the Vodaphone site in Australia...

Vodafone can only unlock devices purchased from a Vodafone outlet in Australia.

Your device may be locked to the Vodafone Australia network. If you wish to use your mobile on other networks, Vodafone will supply your device unlock code.

There may be a charge associated with unlocking your device.

The unlock code can be obtained online via the vodafone.com.au/unlock website or by calling Vodafone on 1555 or dialling 1300650410 and selecting the device unlock option. Both options require you to have a credit card to make the payment. Accepted cards are Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Diners.

Issues Unlocking?

If you experience any issues once the Handset Unlock instruction page is presented, please click on the grey 'Difficulties' button to submit your issue for resolution by the Unlock team.

By requesting to have your device unlocked online you'll save $25 on any unlocking fees.

The unlock fee is structured as follows for devices:

A basic fee of $50 to unlock the device at any time, reduced to $25 if you obtain your unlock code using Vodafone's website at vodafone.com.au/unlock. Plus additional $50 to unlock your device within six months of purchase.

See below for Apple® iPhone™ 3G Unlocking.

If Apple® iPhone™ 3G is less than 6 months old and if:

Unlock is via self-service on website, the charge is $75 dollars

Customer care completes unlock request, the charge is $100 dollars

If Apple® iPhone™ 3G is Older than 6 months and if:

Unlock is via self-service on website, then charge is $25 dollars

Customer care completes unlock request, the charge is $50 dollars

For Prepaid Mobile Broadband Customers:

If you unlock your Prepaid Mobile Broadband device online within the first six months of purchase, your unlock fee will be $75.

If you unlock your Prepaid Mobile Broadband device online at any time after the first six months of purchase, your unlock fee will be $25.

Please Note: The Blackberry Storm is locked to the Vodafone network and cannot be unlocked.

jrm27 said:

This is intersting! So, I'll be travelign to Australia the first week of July and will have a 3g that is no longer activated on ATT since I'll have my iphone 4 by then.

I'd like to be able to have a phone to use while over there that I can call back home on (probably skype or something) as well as tether up to my netbook if needed. So would I be able to walk up to a store (or whatever) and have them unlock my phone and put a pre-paid SIM in there? Would I lose all my contacts and apps with the new SIM?

I woudl imagine that woudl have to be cheaper than using ATT and international voice and data rates....

Click to expand...

Carriers can only unlock phones locked to their network. Vodaphone Australia cannot lock an ATT phone or any other carriers phones.