If you have LOCKED phone it will not work with another SIM. Has nothing to do with phone itself, it is ATT or Verizon etc who got locked your phone to use another SIM's. In most countries there is street services where you could pay $20 and people will unlock it and you could use it with any card.
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iPhone 5 is not a world phone
- Thread starter Whipper666
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If you have LOCKED phone it will not work with another SIM. Has nothing to do with phone itself, it is ATT or Verizon etc who got locked your phone to use another SIM's. In most countries there is street services where you could pay $20 and people will unlock it and you could use it with any card.
LOL. I can see English is not your first language, you obviously have a MAJOR reading comprehension FAIL.
The gray market is the only reason why phones are sold locked. otherwise you sign a contract, and leave without paying. that caused a creation of a gray market (either selling or using the phoen itself with a $300-$400 profit.) Gray markets include buying a phone and jumping to another carrier if unlocked.
Essentially you just repeated what I said yet called it nonsense with the exception of understanding the gray market.
And here in the states they are sold both locked and unlocked, it is just since there are unlocked ones sold by VErizon for full price, apple didn't need to sell unlocked themselves initially.
My point was about the countries where locked is forbidden. that just creates less choice. those laws were passed by populist politicians who didnt realize such laws harm the consumer because the price will be full retail, instead of choice between either retail or subisdized.
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Uhm in the US we had unlocked iPhone from day one. Everyone knows and knew that the Verizon is the unlocked model. We have been discussing it here since day one. I has been notod on every tech and review site.
In many places in worldwide there is still no unlocked model so you have it backwards.
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Also wrong. apple has sold MILLIONS of totally unlocked Iphone 5 worldphones, in the US already. they started on day one. they are called Verizon iphone
But you can't buy an unlocked iPhone 5, marketed as such, in Apple stores. You are going to a carrier (Verizon) that happens not to lock theirs. But they're not advertised. It's just a nice side effect.
You still can't buy an unlocked A1428 iPhone in the US (supporting LTE bands 4 and 17). Meaning that you can't buy an unlocked iPhone 5 working on AT&T's LTE, or on the Canadian LTE networks.
The difference is that in other countries (like Switzerland) Apple stores *only* sell unlocked phones and have no ties whatsoever to the carriers.
What difference does it matter how it is marketed. it is a stone cold tested fact since the first unwrappings on day one.
And as far as the 1428, it is an extreme outlier due to ATT using a weird LTE band not used by most US carriers and by almost no other carriers worldwide.
And in Europe it is because of the carriers, because of their needs and interests , and not because of consumer needs that there is some unlocked availability. In every major city center in Eruope there are guys with little stands unlocking phones. If apple only had locked there people who wanted unlocked woudl be getting phoens and jumping contracts left and right causing overheads to carriers (not just subsidy loses by line and account set up costs). I know I spent about half the last ten years in Europe.
Right. I just think it's nice to have an official choice in Europe. You want unlocked? Go to Apple, pay the full price. You want a subsidy? Go to a carrier, get tied to a 24 month contract, and spend less up-front. I know both kinds of people: those who want to spend more and be free, and those who want to spend less and have a contract. Whatever suits you.
I'm a bit of a hybrid myself: I always keep the same carrier (because I'm happy with it) but I want a new iPhone every year (just because). So, every other year I get a new 24 month contract, and the other year I just suck it up and pay the full price.
I think we are on the same page. I initially jumped in to explain the difference in the US carrier models and policies, as well as real world findings of those who have put sims in.
I mentioned "no locked" laws, because it is an observed phenomena that it lowers model and pricing choices for customers -- and provides zero benefit.
As far as the US, you and I and everyone rational knows that normally both are available at the same time but certainly Apple commitments of numbers to carriers on launch, as well as perhaps QC issues, resulted in a shortage. Apple had no commitment to provide an unlocked unit to John Doe, but may have had a legal commitment, with penalties, to provide so many K-units of each of the six models to each of the three carriers. That created a unique situation for a few weeks.
If OP was roaming, then the carrier he was using in the area he was in in Canada was probably in roaming coverage. Other than that, this story is completely false.
, i just used my ip5 bought in the us. verizon.. which is unlocked.. in CA. outside my region..
maybe the phone purchased in hong kong was activated on a CDMA carrier, he puts in a GSM sim and expects it to work.. while the imei is sitll tied to the original carrier.. thus causing it to roam.....
You can't "leave without paying". These contracts all have that shut closed. Either you pay an early termination fee or you pay the remainder of the contract, depending on what the carrier wants.
If you do that, sure you can sell the phone. But not enough people do that for it to be anything the carriers are worried about.
You are so wrong it's not even funny.
Verizon only sells unlocked CDMA iPhone 5s because it is legally required to. There is no way to get a factory unlocked GSM iPhone 5 (AT&T model) at this point, nor can you get one from Sprint. You can buy an unsubsidised phone from ATT and that'll be unlocked, sure, but that's not the same.
Thanks for proving you have no idea of how these other countries work. Indeed in countries where locking is forbidden, you must pay full price for a phone if you're intending to use pre-paid. There's no way to subsidise then. With a contract, this is not the case. As seen in many countries where the phones on-contract are sold unlocked (even if there is no legal requirement).
Now, if you were to get a phone at full price, you'd get a lower price on your plan because you aren't financing your phone. In the end, when the contract is up, you've paid for the phone either way. The difference is only in if you paid for it in terms or in full up-front.
Hahaha. This is even funnier. The Verizon iPhone 5 is unlocked because the US government REQUIRES it be. You're completely counter-acting your own point here (invalid though it may have been.)
Also, Apple won't sell you that phone unless you have a Verizon plan to go with it.
That's not entirely correct. There's no such thing as a "CDMA iPhone 5". All iPhone 5s support CDMA and GSM. The only difference is that a Verizon unlocked iPhone 5 will not work on AT&T's LTE band. But it will work with every GSM/3G network, provided that you put a SIM in it.
Well, all iPhone 5s have the hardware to support CDMA. This is true. However, those models not sold by (or for) Verizon or Sprint have CDMA disabled. This is why Apple mentions "A1429 (GSM)" and "A1429 (CDMA)". Identical hardware but different baseband software.
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they will too. have them do it as device only, easypay.
some reps just might not be informed
Nope.
From Apple's website. The A1428 model does not support CDMA, neither does the "GSM Model" A1429. So yes, there is such a thing as a "CDMA iPhone 5." Apple even refers to it that way (the "CDMA model A1429").
But then if I'm not mistaken it won't activate because you'd need the Verizon plan. It's sold imei unlocked (i.e., unlock happens after actiation), not factory unlocked (comes unlocked in the box), right?
(I don't have Verizon so for this I have to go with what I read.)
that sounds about right,
i just know i was able to purchase my phone off contract with verizon.. for verizon. Didnt have to give them my account info, called verizon gave them my IMEI # and sim # and was able to get it online.
I wonder if you can restore/give them the #s and it would work with other carriers.
Of course you're right. What I meant, for the sake of the discussion, was that there is no "CDMA only iPhone 5", as all iPhones do support GSM.
Hi - I have a contract free iPhone 5 on Orange here in the UK, I'm fresh back from business trip in California and in and around LAX I was roaming on AT&T 4g with a speed of around 1.5mb ... As soon as I left LAX I was on either T-mobile or AT&T at low speeds but working ... The issue I was having was poor signal strength and low speeds in the area I was working . . .
KjF
KjF
The Verizon phone is GSM unlocked. Works on ATT and any other GSM network. It does not support ATT's LTE network - that is the ONLY network limitation. It is also a similar limitation in the international version - won't work on ATT's LTE network.
Fact: Verizon's iPhone 5 is GSM unlocked and works on 3G/H+ for ATT and other carriers out of the box.
Ok now I know you dont know anything about GSM, wordlphones nor the APPLE iPhone models.
Literally your entire screed is incorrect on the facts.
The ATT is the phone that WILL work least well in Europe.
LOOK at the thread title! The ATT is NOT A WOLRDLPHONE and Apple cant sell it as such . it will be selling unlocked versions of the SPRINT and VERIZON as Worldphones.
An unlocked world phone, the most capable and using the most common combination of type and frequency is already being sold right now in the US. it is the verizon iphone. Buying it out of contract is the exactly buying an iPhone 5 unlocked worldphone.
You proved to everyone here you have understanding whatsoever of what those of us who travel the world for a living know.
FYI it is slight cheaper to buy a Version with contract and cancel than it will-ever be to buy one directly marked as unlocked. That is why there may never even need to be one marked as unlocked!
Millions of unlocked Apple iPhone 5 worldphones have already been sold in the US!
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Exacalty. All of us understand this here except one troll who doesnt understand the GSM/LTE set up in Europe and the differnt models Apple is making
more incorrect info. Apple will sell you a verizon without a new contract and it will activate right there with a sim card from a European carrier no problems
@ran7 You don't really seem to understand the European market very well.
What you are missing is that with a SIM only contract you can buy a full price Iphone and when added to the full price of an unlocked phone you save money over two years.
I lived in the US for many years and what is missing from the big carriers there is a differential in pricing for those that bring their own phone to the carrier.
You are also suggesting that by forcing unlock phones that somehow everyone is going to abandon their carrier agreements and be jumping ship constantly. What you do not seem to realise is that a binding two year agreement with a carrier is a binding agreement unlock phone or not. In addition in the UK for example you cannot walk into a carrier office and walk out with a phone and agreement without signing up to a direct debit.
In case you do not know what a direct debit is, you provide the details of your bank sort code and account number and sign an agreement that the carrier can deduct money from your bank directly.
Right now in the UK you can buy a SIM only contract from a couple of carriers for between $30 and $35 a month depending on exchange rate for unlimited data, unlimited voice and unlimited text.
I would not go to a bank for a cell phone and I am not going to a carrier to borrow Money. What you take a supsidised phone from a carrier you are borrowing money from them.
What you are missing is that with a SIM only contract you can buy a full price Iphone and when added to the full price of an unlocked phone you save money over two years.
I lived in the US for many years and what is missing from the big carriers there is a differential in pricing for those that bring their own phone to the carrier.
You are also suggesting that by forcing unlock phones that somehow everyone is going to abandon their carrier agreements and be jumping ship constantly. What you do not seem to realise is that a binding two year agreement with a carrier is a binding agreement unlock phone or not. In addition in the UK for example you cannot walk into a carrier office and walk out with a phone and agreement without signing up to a direct debit.
In case you do not know what a direct debit is, you provide the details of your bank sort code and account number and sign an agreement that the carrier can deduct money from your bank directly.
Right now in the UK you can buy a SIM only contract from a couple of carriers for between $30 and $35 a month depending on exchange rate for unlimited data, unlimited voice and unlimited text.
I would not go to a bank for a cell phone and I am not going to a carrier to borrow Money. What you take a supsidised phone from a carrier you are borrowing money from them.