Taking US Iphone 3G to UK and changing phone number to local UK number for 5 months

[twink1etoes619]

Hi,
I am going to be studying abroad in London for 5 months and I would like to get a UK phone number to use on my iphone 3G that I bought in the US. I have looked into it but keep getting confused with how to go about doing it. From my research I would have to go through the o2 service provider but can I get a plan that is only temporary? Basically, can this be done and if so how?
Thanks!

 

[sparkyms]

For this to be done you would need your iPhone unlocked, and your carrier (AT&T) would really not be willing to do that for you.

Your main option if you want to use an iPhone in the UK is to buy it on Pay As You Go over here, but for the 16GB model that runs in at around $800 for you.

 

[MST]

I'd say your best option would be to buy a "piggyback" SIM e.g. TurboSIM, HyperCard, HyperSIM, China3GPP, StealthSim and MagicSIMetc, I've been reading lots about the Rebel SimCard which apparently supports 2.1 and seems widely regarded as the "piggyback" of choice for iPhone 3G users.

http://rebelsimcard.com/virtu/

I just looked at the Rebel SimCard site (URL above) and it's £30 ($55) for a package including:

3 x UK SIM cards
3 x RebelSimcards
1 x Rebel cutter
1 x Rebel USB programmer

I don't think that's bad; infact I'm now seriously thinking of getting 1 for myself, plus it's a good $745 cheaper than sparkyms' suggestion

Then all you need to do is stick a PAYG SIM in and there you have it, you might even be better signing up to O2's simplicity offer; it's a SIM only contract [which obviously means you don't get a handset], it's not a fixed term contract and you only have to give 31 days notice to cancel, plus you get 600 minutes, 1000 texts and unlimited internet for £20 ($37) a month:

http://shop.o2.co.uk/tariffs/sim_only

 

[sparkyms]

Didn't even think of rebel/turbo SIM.

Oops! lol

 

[twink1etoes619]

Thanks for the rebel sim idea. Its the perfect solution.

 

[MST]

You're very welcome

 

[karinalina]

disadvantages

Wow this post was so helpful. I know it's an old post, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages to the rebel sim card. I was thinking of moving to London for awhile and just got a 3G here in the US. I was just wondering if anything on the phone (apps, etc.) are affected by the rebel sim? Thanks!

 

[ppc750fx]

Wow this post was so helpful. I know it's an old post, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages to the rebel sim card. I was thinking of moving to London for awhile and just got a 3G here in the US. I was just wondering if anything on the phone (apps, etc.) are affected by the rebel sim? Thanks!

Yes, the main disadvantage of a SIM proxy is that it costs money. Now that the 3G is software unlockable, paying for a less-stable, more dangerous solution is a bit of a poor idea.

Jailbreak the phone, install yellowsn0w, and be done with it.