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Using UK iPhone 3gs in USA

M

Mlister51

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 7, 2011
2
0
Newbie - so be gentle with me!!

Suspect this has been covered many times before, but I'm so useless I can't find it :mad:

Anyway, I have an iPhone 3gs with O2. Am off to Florida for three weeks shortly and can't face the prospect of being out of touch with good ole blighty :)

So, what are the options?

Ideally, I'd like to buy a data only deal when over there and just go with that. Quite happy to unlock the phone - not done so yet, but O2 do this quite quickly if you ask them I believe. Don't really need voice or text, but does a data only plan exist and if so where?

Am also basing my idea on the premise that to use my O2 sim over there would probably bankrupt me on my return!!

Any help welcomed, thanks in advance.
 
Mlister51 said:
Newbie - so be gentle with me!!

Suspect this has been covered many times before, but I'm so useless I can't find it :mad:

Anyway, I have an iPhone 3gs with O2. Am off to Florida for three weeks shortly and can't face the prospect of being out of touch with good ole blighty :)

So, what are the options?

Ideally, I'd like to buy a data only deal when over there and just go with that. Quite happy to unlock the phone - not done so yet, but O2 do this quite quickly if you ask them I believe. Don't really need voice or text, but does a data only plan exist and if so where?

Am also basing my idea on the premise that to use my O2 sim over there would probably bankrupt me on my return!!

Any help welcomed, thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Ask O2 to unlock your iPhone for you, they will most likely do it for a fee of $20 or something along those lines.

Unfortunately, I do not live in the USA and am not sure if AT&T (the only GSM iPhone carrier) will sell a prepaid data-only SIM.

If O2 won't unlock your phone, you'll have to do the unlock by jailbreaking, and, if your baseband (Modem Firmware under Settings > General > About) is above 5.13.04, you'll have to use Redsn0w to jailbreak and to install the iPad baseband for you to be able to unlock. You will then need to install Ultrasn0w from Cydia. This baseband comes with some drawbacks such as GPS loss and the loss of the ability to restore/update to stock Apple firmware. However, if your baseband is 5.13.04 or lower, you can just jailbreak and install Ultrasn0w and you'll be unlocked. :)
 
You can still use your iPhone, just make sure you turn DATA ROAMING off, or expect a very expensive phone bill when you come back..
 
WillEH said:
You can still use your iPhone, just make sure you turn DATA ROAMING off, or expect a very expensive phone bill when you come back..
Click to expand...

He stated that he wants data when he's over here and that he doesn't want voice or text. What you said suggests the exact opposite. :p
 
awadeee said:
He stated that he wants data when he's over here and that he doesn't want voice or text. What you said suggests the exact opposite. :p
Click to expand...

Data romaning is terribly expensive. I went to France for 1 week, and my bill was £140 because of data. God knows if he's in America for 3 weeks, his bill will be £600+ easily :(

Edit: ignore me, he's being smart and going for a plan in America ;)
 
WillEH said:
Data romaning is terribly expensive. I went to France for 1 week, and my bill was £140 because of data. God knows if he's in America for 3 weeks, his bill will be £600+ easily :(

Edit: ignore me, he's being smart and going for a plan in America ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was gonna say. :rolleyes:

That's why we were talking about unlocking. :D
 
Mlister51 said:
Newbie - so be gentle with me!!

Suspect this has been covered many times before, but I'm so useless I can't find it :mad:

Anyway, I have an iPhone 3gs with O2. Am off to Florida for three weeks shortly and can't face the prospect of being out of touch with good ole blighty :)

So, what are the options?

Ideally, I'd like to buy a data only deal when over there and just go with that. Quite happy to unlock the phone - not done so yet, but O2 do this quite quickly if you ask them I believe. Don't really need voice or text, but does a data only plan exist and if so where?

Am also basing my idea on the premise that to use my O2 sim over there would probably bankrupt me on my return!!

Any help welcomed, thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Yes go with ATT, they call it GO Phone plans. Buy a micro sim card at the ATT store tell them you want it for the GOPhone.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...ans/pyg-cell-phone-plans.jsp?_requestid=74951

enter a zip code I entered a NYC zip 10019 for ref. but basically you have to pick a voice plan, if you are there just for a bit the $2 a day sounds good, then you have to choose the data if you have iphone:

Data Feature Packages
Access the Web, email, social networks, and more! Add to your GoPhone 10¢/Minute or $2/Daily Unlimited Talk & Text plans. Smartphone users must purchase a data package with any plan to use data services on their device.

$5 for 10 MB
$15 for 100 MB
$25 for 500 MB

VodaPhone UK charged 2pounds a day for Europre data roaming and you get 20 or 25MB right....so to get 500MB thats 20/25 days x 2 pounds. so its cheaper haha in the US, and check the data might be US wide too.
 
good stuff - thanks muchly.

Few things for clarification:

I have a 3gs so assume I need a standard SIM and not a micro one?
Anything to stop me ordering it now for delivery to me in the UK?

Can unlock my phone no probs with the nice people at O2 :)

Thanks for your advice

;)
 
Mlister51 said:
good stuff - thanks muchly.

Few things for clarification:

I have a 3gs so assume I need a standard SIM and not a micro one?
Anything to stop me ordering it now for delivery to me in the UK?

Can unlock my phone no probs with the nice people at O2 :)

Thanks for your advice

;)
Click to expand...

I doubt ATT sends direct to UK, and buying online from those online stores, you never know with SIM may or may not work and they charge an arm and a leg. But I guess you can try finding new unused SIMs, I dont know if ATT use diff types of SIMs (with diff apn data etc) for GO and NON go.. so thats the thing... and 3rd party sites that claim to sell it all set up basically fleece you. If you can wait.. wait till u get to NYC...they sell SIMs at airports in Singapore.. I dont know if they do that in NYC...
 
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