So anyone know what this is not possible??
Buy from somewhere in Europe unlocked and use your PAYG sim in the UK
Buy from somewhere in Europe unlocked and use your PAYG sim in the UK
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Buying a iPhone 3G from Europe for use in the UK
- Thread starter johnrs
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If you can get one actually unlocked, that would work. That may or may not be possible - as far as I know the iphone is being sold locked everywhere right now.
assuming you could get a contract free from from somewhere in Europe and that the iPhone Dev Team can unlock them.
Does anyone know if its actually possible to order the iPhone 3G from Europe and have it delivered to the UK
Does anyone know if its actually possible to order the iPhone 3G from Europe and have it delivered to the UK
I know Europe's not a country. Does it matter where in Europe (excluding the uk) you get one from as long as its contract free and able to be delivered to the UK
Fear not, there is hope! News broke in Italia yesterday that Vodafone and TIM will be selling the iPhone completely unlocked there (neither SIM-lock nor operator-lock).
You merely have to connect to iTunes every time you switch SIM cards - but apart from that, there will be no restrictions whatsoever. Seems only fair, since at €499 (8GB) and €569 this pre-paid offer will be the most expensive one in Europe so far.
It should be no problem for foreigners to buy it in Italy (I'm planning to do this myself). However, you might be asked for a "Codice Fiscale" - but I was given the tip that you can generate yourself online (http://www.comuni.it/servizi/codfisc/), which should work just fine.
You merely have to connect to iTunes every time you switch SIM cards - but apart from that, there will be no restrictions whatsoever. Seems only fair, since at €499 (8GB) and €569 this pre-paid offer will be the most expensive one in Europe so far.
It should be no problem for foreigners to buy it in Italy (I'm planning to do this myself). However, you might be asked for a "Codice Fiscale" - but I was given the tip that you can generate yourself online (http://www.comuni.it/servizi/codfisc/), which should work just fine.
Yes, Vodafone does sell it online as well, but I doubt that they'd ship it abroad. Anyway, I guess Italian iPhones will also pop up on eBay pretty soon for a small premium.
Personally, I booked a 30 Ryanair flight to Bergamo. That way I'll get it 100% legal with receipt and everything. Plus, I'll get to enjoy a day with great Italian food and landscape
Personally, I booked a 30 Ryanair flight to Bergamo. That way I'll get it 100% legal with receipt and everything. Plus, I'll get to enjoy a day with great Italian food and landscape
you booked a 30 Ryanair flight to Bergamo Nice.. where from and what day as I looked and was about £132
and your sure they will sell you one?
and your sure they will sell you one?
I'm flying form Hahn (near Frankfurt) on the 17th, but I already booked the flight on June 11 when it was still cheap.
Actually, I later booked a flight to London as well as I had decided to dump Bergamo since the leaked UK O2 PAYG prices turned out to be much cheaper (never saw that coming, usually anything priced in GBP is very expensive for us continentals).
But now that O2 delayed PAYG and Italy's iPhones will be unlocked, I'm ditching the London flight and am back to Bergamo
I've done quite a bit of research and have discovered nothing that could prevent from buying PAYG phones in Italy. There were even several reports from non-EU citizens who bought PAYG cards during trips to Italy.
By law, the operators are required to register your personal details for PAYG due to security concerns (terrorism, etc). This includes the Italien "Codice fiscale". You could even obtain such a codice legally as a foreigner, it would just involve some bureaucratic hassle. However, most mobile phone shops should be able to generate you a semi-official (but functional) code on the spot, if you're a foreigner. That's possible because the codice is basically just a unified format for presenting your name, date of birth and place of birth. Therefore, you can even generate yourself your personal codice on the website I mentioned above.
So, while for example buying the iPhone in Switzerland as a non-resident could be difficult (it's not EU after all, and the Swiss have a few peculiar rules anyway), it should be pose no problem in Italy.
And - in the worst case - you can always grab yourself an Italian, have him do the purchase in his name and let him keep the SIM card and a small reward
Actually, I later booked a flight to London as well as I had decided to dump Bergamo since the leaked UK O2 PAYG prices turned out to be much cheaper (never saw that coming, usually anything priced in GBP is very expensive for us continentals).
But now that O2 delayed PAYG and Italy's iPhones will be unlocked, I'm ditching the London flight and am back to Bergamo
I've done quite a bit of research and have discovered nothing that could prevent from buying PAYG phones in Italy. There were even several reports from non-EU citizens who bought PAYG cards during trips to Italy.
By law, the operators are required to register your personal details for PAYG due to security concerns (terrorism, etc). This includes the Italien "Codice fiscale". You could even obtain such a codice legally as a foreigner, it would just involve some bureaucratic hassle. However, most mobile phone shops should be able to generate you a semi-official (but functional) code on the spot, if you're a foreigner. That's possible because the codice is basically just a unified format for presenting your name, date of birth and place of birth. Therefore, you can even generate yourself your personal codice on the website I mentioned above.
So, while for example buying the iPhone in Switzerland as a non-resident could be difficult (it's not EU after all, and the Swiss have a few peculiar rules anyway
), it should be pose no problem in Italy. And - in the worst case - you can always grab yourself an Italian, have him do the purchase in his name and let him keep the SIM card and a small reward