Need help activating 3GS for my brother, just want to make it work

[gustavoizq]

Hi folks,
I know this is long but please bare with me because this is my brothers christmas wish
My problem is my brother has been given this iphone, 3GS, from Spain, and he even has the SIM card from there. It has never been jailbroken or unlocked, worked perfectly in Spain.

Now in the US, he tried to unlock it, but as far as I know, he couldn't because of the firmware version. So he started messing with the thing, ran programmes and stuff and eventually ******** it, to the point where it wouldn't even turn on.

I plugged it into my Mac (I have an Iphone 4 jailbroken and unlocked), downloaded the latest version of iTunes and Restored the 3GS. Boom!, now it turns on, and it shows me this menu where I have to activate it, put my country, my WiFi connection and then it says "Trying to activate, this could take 3 minutes" or something like that. I've tried to do it both in wifi and itunes mode, both times with the spanish SIM and my brothers Tmobile card (which was working on a Samsung). And it won't activate.

What are my options as far as making it work (menu screen etc) or get it to even make calls, do I need to purchase another tmobile SIM made for iphone or something? whatever will work is weel received and thanks in advance.

Cheers

 

[Crystal-RX]

Why do you hactivate it with Redsn0w so you can by pass the activation screen?

My concern is that since this phone can't read other sim meaning it is locked to a particular sim and since you have updated it to the latest firmware, the baseband has also upgrade to where Ultrans0w is no longer working on it. So, in order for you to unlock it, you will have to install Ipad baseband onto this phone.

 

[gustavoizq]

hhhm I think I understand it.
What you are saying is that restoring fixed whatever was done on it, but it used the latest firmware to update it, which is still to be jailbroken right? And this is not a version that can be unlocked without having to jailbreak it right?

So right now all I can do is use the iPad bb, which won't let me use GPS and that stuff? and wait for someone to find a way to jailbreak it and fix the GPS and everything

But what about this... When I first came to the US, my iPhone 4 was jailbroken but in a firmware that didn't allow me to unlock it, so I used a service in Spain that cost like 20 bucks and they did smething and in 2 or 3 days I had it unlocked. Is there a way to get the 3GS to work, without losing GPs capabilities and all, and then do this thing I did with the other iPhone to unlock it?

Man I don't know if I am making any sense at all, I hope I got it clear. The GPS thing is pretty important...
Thanks for replying I am going nuts with all the posts in all the forums...

 

[Crystal-RX]

Since your 3GS came from Spain, there is possibility that you can call the carrier in Spain to unlock this phone for you. Once you have done that, then your 3GS is unlocked and you can use it with any sim and you can update to the latest firmware without fearing of loosing the unlock.

If the phone comes form AT&T in US, AT&T will not unlock it at all.

 

[gustavoizq]

okay buddy I think we are about to crack this up
In Spain there is this service that uses the IMEI number to unlock your iphone (and it works apparently because it worked for me). Right now, I am in the setup screen. If I unlock it that way, then insert the Tmobile sim card, and it should work perfectly right? I still have to wait until we can jailbreak it (the version that's been installed in the 3GS), but all the stuff will work right away like if I bought it here?

Thank you man you are helping me out a lot, let me know what you think.
The other alternative is to redsnow it and have it with ipad baseband, but will in the future be another way to fix it and get it to work properly?

Oh,and by the way, another important thing, which is the version I have installed right now? It should be the latest one, since I just restored it.

 

[gngan]

okay buddy I think we are about to crack this up
In Spain there is this service that uses the IMEI number to unlock your iphone (and it works apparently because it worked for me). Right now, I am in the setup screen. If I unlock it that way, then insert the Tmobile sim card, and it should work perfectly right? I still have to wait until we can jailbreak it (the version that's been installed in the 3GS), but all the stuff will work right away like if I bought it here?

Thank you man you are helping me out a lot, let me know what you think.
The other alternative is to redsnow it and have it with ipad baseband, but will in the future be another way to fix it and get it to work properly?

Oh,and by the way, another important thing, which is the version I have installed right now? It should be the latest one, since I just restored it.

If the carrier unlock your brother's 3GS then you won't have to jailbreak it unless he wants to. There is already a jailbreak for iOS5 but it's tether unless it's an old bootroom 3GS.

Who knows if there will be a way to fix the ipad baseband. No rumors about it and i doubt it.

Obviously, your brother's 3GS will have the latest software when you restore it.

 

[gustavoizq]

Ok thanks for the comments.
I have now initiated the process of unlocking the iphone, let's see what happens. My hope is that once it is unlocked there'll no more problems. Thank you both once again, I'll let you know what happens!

Cheers