Unlocked iPhone works with other countries sim card !!

[tsjoemie]

For people who were wondering if an unlocked iPhone sold in Belgium (and Italy, other countries?) would work with another countries sim card....

I can confirm: today i used my official unbricked Belgian iphone with a dutch Vodafone sim card, and its works !!

Vodafone is a competitor of T-Mobile which is the only company to sell exclusively iphone in Netherlands.

The iphone was legally unbricked in Belgium by the Apple retailer store were it was bought.

 

[frosse]

For people who were wondering if an unlocked iPhone sold in Belgium (and Italy, other countries?) would work with another countries sim card....

I can confirm: today i used my official unbricked Belgian iphone with a dutch Vodafone sim card, and its works !!

Vodafone is a competitor of T-Mobile which is the only company to sell exclusively iphone in Netherlands.

The iphone was legally unbricked in Belgium by the Apple retailer store were it was bought.

How much did you pay?

 

[tsjoemie]

525€ 8gb - 615€ 16gb

 

[koloman]

Great news

I can confirm: today i used my official unbricked Belgian iphone with a dutch Vodafone sim card, and its works !!

This is great news indeed. I am looking to buy an iPhone 3G myself but would rather not get a locked one. I also don't see a problem with paying the full retail price in order to avoid being locked to a specific carrier or having to fool around with unlocking the phone myself.

Can anyone comment on the status of iPhones purchased sans contract in other European countries, e.g. Italy, Switzerland or France?

This Apple support document lists several European carriers as being "authorized" to unlock the phones (whatever that is supposed to mean). Italian carriers are even listed as not being locked to a carrier in the first place.

There has been talk of some iPhones being tied to a specific country instead of a carrier (e.g. the Belgian ones, proved incorrect here). Is this actually done somewhere? From the carrier's point of view this does not seem to make much sense since the phone is already not locked to their network, but perhaps it might be something that Apple insists on to keep completely unlocked phones from seeping across borders and messing with their precious business model.

 

[kis]

Can anyone comment on the status of iPhones purchased sans contract in other European countries, e.g. Italy, Switzerland or France?

Switzerland: All phones sold by Orange (with or without a contract) are indefinitely locked. Swisscom sells an unlocked version (or one that they unlock after you purchase it) for 899 CHF and 1199 CHF (8/16gb). All other phones (including Swisscom's prepaid package) are sold locked.

 

[kis]

There has been talk of some iPhones being tied to a specific country instead of a carrier (e.g. the Belgian ones, proved incorrect here). Is this actually done somewhere?

Yes, the 1st gen iPhones sold unlocked in France were actually country-locked. As they haven't launched the 3G one, I don't know if that is still the case.

 

[Sniperbob]

Does anyone know if the unlocked iphones in France are country locked i'm thinking of buying one and use it in Canada

 

[koloman]

Switzerland: All phones sold by Orange (with or without a contract) are indefinitely locked. Swisscom sells an unlocked version (or one that they unlock after you purchase it) for 899 CHF and 1199 CHF (8/16gb)

Thank you for the information. Since I might be coming to Switzerland sometime in the coming weeks, I hope you won't mind answering a few additional questions.

1) Do you have an idea of the availability of the iPhone in Switzerland at the moment?

2) Would buying an iPhone in a Swisscom store, assuming they had one available to sell me, be as simple as walking into a store and asking for an unlocked one to take home?

3) What is the rationale for one carrier selling the phone locked while the other sells them unlocked? Price?

 

[onemanarmy333]

The iphone was legally unbricked in Belgium by the Apple retailer store were it was bought.

hi im going to belguim next month do you need to sign up to anything when buying

 

[Luap]

Well, that is generally what 'unlocked' means. I'm not sure why you are so surprised?

 

[Kevrani76]

Yes, the 1st gen iPhones sold unlocked in France were actually country-locked. As they haven't launched the 3G one, I don't know if that is still the case.

They weren't country locked. My ex went to a lot of trouble to get a legit unlocked iPhone from Orange France (they don't make it easy!) and he now uses it on T-Mobile in the US.

 

[Sniperbob]

So an unlocked Iphone in France would work within North America? Has orange confirmed they will be selling unlocked phones can't seem to find any info.

 

[kis]

They weren't country locked. My ex went to a lot of trouble to get a legit unlocked iPhone from Orange France (they don't make it easy!) and he now uses it on T-Mobile in the US.

I personally bought mine in France and it wouldn't work on any Swiss network until I unlocked it.

 

[kis]

1) Do you have an idea of the availability of the iPhone in Switzerland at the moment?

2) Would buying an iPhone in a Swisscom store, assuming they had one available to sell me, be as simple as walking into a store and asking for an unlocked one to take home?

3) What is the rationale for one carrier selling the phone locked while the other sells them unlocked? Price?

1: there are none in stock anywhere. They're reportedly getting another delivery before August but they're expecting only 8gb iPhones and those won't go into open circulation (there are about 20'000 preorders they need to fulfill first). Swisscom is expecting to resume normal sales by the end of August / early September.

2. If you're willing to pay 1199 for the unlocked one - yes. You can also get a prepaid package and unlock it yourself. I have seen several non-Swiss nationals buy these without a problem in the Swisscom stores. The prepaid packages are only sold in Swisscom stores, btw, not in partner-shops etc.

3. Well, Orange sells theirs at 1/3 less but it's locked. I guess that one's mainly targeting those Orange customers who are locked in a contract but still want to buy an iPhone. Other than that: no idea!

kis