so what keeps you from using your current iPhone plan with iPhone 3G

[ejrizo]

what keeps anyone from plugging in your current sim into a new iPhone?

Does the network limit you to Edge?

I am thinking of buying the phone and canceling the contract and using my old plan.

Anybody have any insight?

I know I might have to bypass activation or unlock it for this to work.

 

[TStewart422]

It won't work unless you have a "3G" SIM card from AT&T. I had to get one a few years ago when I upgraded to a LG CU500 (one of the EARLY American 3G phones). I'm not sure if it will work without it.

 

[Aravintht]

because first you have to get your hands on the phone

only way possible is to sign up to a contract/payg

 

[ejrizo]

because first you have to get your hands on the phone

only way possible is to sign up to a contract/payg

i will sign up for the contract and cancel and pay the early termination fee which will be about $200 which is ok plus it already has a 3G sim card.

 

[bacaramac]

i will sign up for the contract and cancel and pay the early termination fee which will be about $200 which is ok plus it already has a 3G sim card.

Doesn't the current locked iPhones deactivate when you change sim cards? If not, you may be on to something here.

EDIT: Don't think you can get 3G unless you have 3G plan. I sold my original iPhone and was using the crappy LG Vu for a few days. When I called AT&T to ask them why 3G was so slow they said you are on a 2G (edge) plan from original iPhone that I sold. They changed/updated my plan/account to 3G and it worked great.

 

[mkrishnan]

If it turns out that the iPhone is available through channels where you're not already at the store and forced to activate it there (which may not be the case), then AT&T has also non-specifically threatened to "fine" users who fail to activate their 3G iPhones.

 

[FSUSem1noles]

i will sign up for the contract and cancel and pay the early termination fee which will be about $200 which is ok plus it already has a 3G sim card.

Are you using 2 different phone lines? Because, once you sign the contract your plan automatically upgrades to 3G price plan.. so your old sim card whether it works or not, will still upgraded to the new pricing plan..

 

[ejrizo]

Are you using 2 different phone lines? Because, once you sign the contract your plan automatically upgrades to 3G price plan.. so your old sim card whether it works or not, will still upgraded to the new pricing plan..

will be siging up as a new line... then cancel keeping my old line in tact

 

[meagain]

Doesn't the current locked iPhones deactivate when you change sim cards? If not, you may be on to something here.

EDIT: Don't think you can get 3G unless you have 3G plan. I sold my original iPhone and was using the crappy LG Vu for a few days. When I called AT&T to ask them why 3G was so slow they said you are on a 2G (edge) plan from original iPhone that I sold. They changed/updated my plan/account to 3G and it worked great.

Did they charge you more for the 3g?

 

[waterskier2007]

It won't work unless you have a "3G" SIM card from AT&T. I had to get one a few years ago when I upgraded to a LG CU500 (one of the EARLY American 3G phones). I'm not sure if it will work without it.

that is not the reason it wont work, because the SIM in the current iphones IS a 3G SIM card

 

[pcguru83]

This is a very good idea, and one that I had considered myself. If I knew 100% sure that it would work, I'd probably do the same. Quite frankly, I"m surprised not many others have considered (or at least spoken about) this option.

 

[elistan]

Hello. I am another who has considered this, yes.

Some thoughts:

1) Back when the iPhone first came out, I recall reports of people taking their first-gen iPhone SIM and putting it into a 3G device, and getting 3G service. On the other hand, bacaramac says he tried that and only got EDGE speeds, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

2) Currently, if you transfer an active iPhone SIM between two iPhones, you need to connect the iPhone to iTunes to reactivate it. (Not sign up for a new AT&T plan or anything, just to activate the iPhone.) I would assume the same process if you swap SIMs from one 3G iPhone to another 3G iPhone. At this point, it's pure speculation on what would happen if you take an active first-gen iPhone SIM and put it into a 3G iPhone. Could be you'd just need to connect to iTunes and activate - or, could be that iTunes has been coded to detect this sort of activity and will refuse to activate the 3G iPhone.

3) Therefore, I plan on waiting until after the 3G iPhone comes out - I suspect that there will be plenty of people trying to use a 3G iPhone on their old $20/mo plan, so I'll just wait to see what they come up with.