Insight on Unlocked Iphone 3GS

[PandaOnslaught]

how does the whole unlocked iphone work?, is it worth spending an extra 100$ to get an unlocked and not have to pay the 30 a month fee, i know of ways to get out of paying the 30$ a month for other phones but i was told that iphones contracts are much different than any other phones, the plan to get out of other phones is, you buy the phone at the desk with a new plan, you pay 3 months of the data(theres some fee that you get charged before 3 months) and then you say you lost your phone and they add your older cellphone on file, afterwards you just swap sims and put it back into the iphone. my friends did that with like the HTC pure and Hero and just used the wifi on campus like i want to. will this work with the iphone aswell?

i know this is a strange thread, but i really like the iphone but i don't really want to pay for the data plan that goes with it seeing that i would be more inclined to use my on campus wifi, the plan for 2 years costs roughly 720$ for just data, and i can't really justify that when i have wifi everywhere on campus : /

 

[mcruzader]

Well if you have ATT and just buy the iPhone straight up without a contract you won't have a problem, just put your sim in and use it without the data and only on wifi. Now if you purchase the iPhone with an ATT contract there are ways (which I won't discuss how) to get the data plan dropped off, but if you are on another network such as T-Mobile then you need to have an unlocked phone.

 

[goosnarrggh]

How do unlocked iPhones work? Normally iPhones are "locked". That means that they will only work with SIM cards from one particular carrier. If you insert a SIM card from any other carrier, the iPhone will reject it and won't function properly.

An unlocked iPhone has either been modified by a 3rd party, or updated by Apple via iTunes, to allow it to accept SIM cards from other carriers, provided those other carriers use a compatible technology (either GSM or HSPA) and operate on a compatible broadcast frequency.

Anyway, AT&T does not sell unlocked iPhones to anybody under any circumstances. Other carriers around the world do, but AT&T doesn't. AT&T does not instruct Apple to unlock customers' iPhones via iTunes upon request for anybody under any circumstances. Other carriers around the world do, but AT&T doesn't. All iPhones sold by AT&T are sold with a SIM lock that they never intend for you to remove. Ever.

Regarding data:
The actual terms and conditions you agree to when you start up a normal postpaid account with AT&T are the same no matter what model of phone you purchase when you sign up, or even if you don't purchase any phone at all. That includes the iPhone.

The price plans available to you may vary depending on what type of device you plug your SIM card into, though. The contract specifies that certain types of price plans are eligible (and sometimes mandatory) for certain classes of devices. For data plan purposes, the iPhone is grouped into the same class of devices as the HTH Pure and Hero.

IN THEORY, if you don't have the $30 data plan, and AT&T knows for sure that your SIM card is plugged into a smart phone such as an iPhone, then they have the responsibility to inform you of the fact that you're violating their terms and conditions. Then, they have the right to take certain corrective actions if you don't pro-actively correct the situation first. However, anecdotally, it seems that AT&T often chooses not to use its right to take corrective actions.

If you set up your iPhone on a GoPhone prepaid account (I won't go into how you'd do that, but it has been done), then you are not bound by the contract terms I'm talking about here.