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3G on Sprint iPhone 5C in Europe?
- Thread starter arkidas
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Careful here.
I strongly advise you to consider another iPhone from a different carrier, no matter how cheap the Sprint iPhone may be.
Do not make the assumption that you can purchase this phone and then just call Sprint up to have it unlocked, or to have a third party unlock it. Sprint will not unlock it for you no matter how much you beg or plead and there is no third party unlock for Sprint iPhones.
To get an INTERNATIONAL unlock only you would need to do the following.
1. Establish service with Sprint (no ASL account).
2. Keep service and pay your bill on time for 90 days.
3. Call Sprint for your international unlock.
Sprint will NOT unlock the phone for domestic US carrier use - ever. And they will not unlock the phone for anyone who has not established service with them and paid their bill on time for 90 days.
So, if you buy this phone knowing this you are essentially buying yourself an expensive iPod Touch. The only other way around this is a Gevey, R-SIM, or other type of SIM Interposer. That, of course will cost you more money and is not a true unlock.
But assuming you do get it international unlocked, check the bands/frequencies of the carrier you intend to take it to. That should tell you what you can expect.
That's fine, as long as you are a Sprint customer here in the USA for 90 days. Otherwise, you will most likely be back here asking how you can get your 5c unlocked without involving Sprint, which again, is not possible.
As to the frequencies, Sprint uses Band 25 for LTE and 1900mhz for 3G. The 5c might be able to use 800mhz for LTE, but I'm not sure. The iPhone 5 can only use 800mhz for voice.
Neither the 5, 5c or 5s can use 2500 for LTE.
I see. What would you say being a Sprint customer for 90 days would entail?
I have contacts in the US that I could have register their name to the phone if needed.
Would being their customer for 90 days involve any costs? Do they have some sort of fixed service plans? I am just wondering how much this will cost in the end.
To get your device unlocked by Sprint, it wouldn't cost any money if you already have a service plan going for at least 90 days. Service plans will cost around $80 a month with a fixed 2 year contract. I do not know how much off contract prices would be.
Establishing service with Sprint means that you take the phone to them and have them activate it.
That means choosing a plan. Either a Framily plan or an All-In or MyWay plan. There is a $36 activation fee. You will get the first phone bill for a partial month (if you establish service during the middle or end of the billing period) and for the next month. Pay it in full on time. The next month pay the bill on time. The third month, pay the bill on time. Then you can call up Sprint (or whomever has the phone activated in their name calls up Sprint) and ask for an international unlock). Once the phone is unlocked, service can be cancelled by calling Sprint and then the phone is good to go internationally.
You or whoemever activates the phone will be on the hook for three months of service, plus the partial month. During that time the phone will have a US phone number and can be used like any other phone.
I pay $180+ for my two line unlimited family plan. It's an older plan that you cannot get any more, so any plan you choose might be cheaper especially if you do not get unlimited.
You will note that all of this is a moot point if Sprint determines that any account you establish with them is an ASL (Account Spending Limit) account. ASL accounts are limited in the amount you can be billed before Sprint will cut off service. They are usually given to customers with bad or no credit. Even if you pay your bill on time with an ASL account Sprint will not unlock the phone. That may or may not be a problem, but just so you know.
Honestly, this deal may just end up costing you more in time, money and hassle. I'd really advise a Verizon iPhone 5, 5c, or 5s. Those phones come unlocked period.
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The contracts are really only if you are buying a subsidized phone direct from Sprint. If you bring a Sprint iPhone in that has a clean ESN and can be activated it'll be month to month.
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eyoungren is your Sprint guru.
As he recommended it is easier just to go with a different carrier iPhone, preferably the Verizon model which is unlocked out of the box and supports the most LTE bands.
Sprint is the worst with their unlocking policies, yet somehow evades the FCC radar.
As he recommended it is easier just to go with a different carrier iPhone, preferably the Verizon model which is unlocked out of the box and supports the most LTE bands.
Sprint is the worst with their unlocking policies, yet somehow evades the FCC radar.
I totally agree. I detest their unlock policy, it's just draconian.
Unfortunately, there is no law against it (carriers locking their phones). The US carriers have agreed to reform of their unlock policies and will be changing this in February of next year, including Sprint. But that's mainly because the carriers saw the writing on the wall and decided to do this willingly on their own terms before the government made laws that forced them to do this under terms they would object to. It's certainly not out of the goodness of their hearts towards the consumer!
