Bringing unlocked Australian iPhone 4 to USA

[jsavini]

I am an Australian who will be moving to the USA in the future. I will be buying the iPhone 4S unlocked here in Australia. How will this work when I move to America?

1. Will the phone work in the US, and on any network.

2. What are my options for networks? I understand there is ATT, Sprint, Verzon, and T Mobile. I checked out their sites, and most pricing is for when you sign a plan for two years. I will be bringing my own phone. Since the carrier won't have to subsidise my phone, how do I go about finding a suitable competitive plan?

 

[miles01110]

Go to a store and talk to someone. It'll be the easiest way. If you're moving to a major city there are Verizon and AT&T stores on every other block...

 

[dontwalkhand]

1. Go into AT&T and pick up a Micro-SIM
2. Just pick any plan, as long as it has data and you're good to go. All it means is that you don't have a 2 year contract to deal with, so you can go ahead and upgrade to the next iPhone and sign a contract with that one instead.

 

[nebo1ss]

If you are going to be in the US for at least two years I would suggest you wait and buy it on contract from one of the US carriers. The big difference between the carriers in the US and the rest of the world is that they do not offer any benefit to those who own their phone outright and need sim only service. You pay exactly the same for your plan as a contract user does.

Buying your phone outright therefore has little benefit in the USA.