I would like to know this as well. Is there any way to go into a VZW store, bring it home, don't activate it, and pop in a GSM SIM card?
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Verizon iPhone 5 Confirmed to Be Unlocked on GSM 3G Networks
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I would like to know this as well. Is there any way to go into a VZW store, bring it home, don't activate it, and pop in a GSM SIM card?
i still dont understand why ATT wants to luck the iphones. let's say i have a 2yr commitment and i want to leave because my phone is unlocked. if i do leave, they will bill me $250 anyways for early termination. i just want an unlocked iphone while on contract so can use when i travel 
So a verizon iphone 5 can function in Japan?
Hello folks,
I have been here for several days to make sure if a month-to-month verizon iphone 5 can be used in Japan. I need an unlocked iphone 5 because my carrier "docomo" has no contract with APPLE.
Kind people have taught me very important things so far such as the fact that "month-to-month" does not necessarily mean "unlocked", but still I am not sure if a month-to-month verizon iphone 5 can function normally in Japan.
And now that the verizon iphone has been confirmed to be unlocked on GSM/3G networks, does that mean it can fuction as well as in Japan? Or as docomo can use LTE channel 1, it can fuction better? Or the verizon unlocked iphone cannot be used in Japan in the end?
I will fly into LA from Tokyo on Oct 2 and will stay there for a couple of weeks, so hopefully I can buy one while visiting the US.
Thnak you so very much in advance!!
Hello folks,
I have been here for several days to make sure if a month-to-month verizon iphone 5 can be used in Japan. I need an unlocked iphone 5 because my carrier "docomo" has no contract with APPLE.
Kind people have taught me very important things so far such as the fact that "month-to-month" does not necessarily mean "unlocked", but still I am not sure if a month-to-month verizon iphone 5 can function normally in Japan.
And now that the verizon iphone has been confirmed to be unlocked on GSM/3G networks, does that mean it can fuction as well as in Japan? Or as docomo can use LTE channel 1, it can fuction better? Or the verizon unlocked iphone cannot be used in Japan in the end?
I will fly into LA from Tokyo on Oct 2 and will stay there for a couple of weeks, so hopefully I can buy one while visiting the US.
Thnak you so very much in advance!!
Except my friend has a HTC Thunderbolt and now a Rezound and on both phones he has been able to talk and surf on version. I think it has to do with the fact on a call he is on EVDO, and browsing is on LTE, which is more GSM based. I think its the same for their other LTE devices too, and the iPhone too, but I could be wrong?Finally!! Verizon users can talk and surf at the same time!!
Nope, you have to buy the AT&T model in order to use the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile's LTE network.
It's beyond me why anyone goes with Verizon or AT&T. Both offer the same service as T-Mobile or Virgin, at almost double the price.
But hey, you get a subsidized phone....
but hey, I get better signal everywhere I go compared to T-Mobile or Virgin
nonsense
Ahh! You just brought rain on Verizon (could not surf and talk, but could use it with some other providers) "parade". Why would you buy a phone from company, but you would rather use it with other provider. Just nonsense! Ooops ATT iPhone5 are unlocked on GSM 3G, what a surprise...
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Nope, it was not true until iPhone5. Unless you purchased "unlocked" version. Sorry.
I have LTE coverage where I live and work and ATT LTE is screaming fast and crystal clear voice calls. Even ATT HSPA+ or whatever they call it feels like a drag, not to mention Verizon slow and crippled 3G fall back network. So go ahead a buy phone from company you do not want to receive service, but bla, bla, bla...
Ahh! You just brought rain on Verizon (could not surf and talk, but could use it with some other providers) "parade". Why would you buy a phone from company, but you would rather use it with other provider. Just nonsense! Ooops ATT iPhone5 are unlocked on GSM 3G, what a surprise...
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Nope, it was not true until iPhone5. Unless you purchased "unlocked" version. Sorry.
I have LTE coverage where I live and work and ATT LTE is screaming fast and crystal clear voice calls. Even ATT HSPA+ or whatever they call it feels like a drag, not to mention Verizon slow and crippled 3G fall back network. So go ahead a buy phone from company you do not want to receive service, but bla, bla, bla...
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Maybe so, but thats not what the guys at the apple store believes. I asked on several occasions when standing in line and when i bought it. They are convinced its carrier locked.
And by the way there is usually a wait before you get to buy the phones unlocked after initial launch. typically a couple of weeks to a month.
I had read somewhere (maybe HowardForums?) that all Verizon LTE phones are sold unlocked due to an agreement that was made with the FCC when they licensed spectrum in the past few years.
So, if that's the case, I would not expect Verizon to "relock" the iPhone 5.
So, if that's the case, I would not expect Verizon to "relock" the iPhone 5.
Do you mean you paid $500+ specifically for an unlocked phone? If so, I would expect it to be unlocked.
Or did you pay less?
This is not a glitch or a result of Verizon "Being Nice" The reason it is unlocked is due to an FCC Mandate.
When Verizon licensed the rights to the 700C Block of LTE spectrum, they agreed to a very specific set of rules. One of these would be that they "Cannot configure devices to be locked against use on another network" This means that Verizon would be violating Federal law if the iPhone 5's sim slot is even partially locked.
When Verizon licensed the rights to the 700C Block of LTE spectrum, they agreed to a very specific set of rules. One of these would be that they "Cannot configure devices to be locked against use on another network" This means that Verizon would be violating Federal law if the iPhone 5's sim slot is even partially locked.
Is this true? So all of their other phones, including the popular Androids (S3 and Nexus) are also unlocked to GSM internationally/domestic (assuming the handset has a supporting radio)?
The upgrade part shouldn't matter. Anyone who has an upgrade can be upgraded, for instance if you do her upgrade to the iPhone 5 and try and swap the phones around like you're trying to it's nothing more then a device swap. Same as if let's say she broke the screen on her iPhone 4S and had another one laying around at home and wanted to swap them around on the same number, it's the same type of thing. Just make sure they both get activated on the correct phone numbers and accounts. In this type of situation AT&T has the leg up since they use the SIM cards, you can just request new ones and attach them to the phones.
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I'm sorry but the only difference between paying full price for a phone and paying the contracted price for it is the 2 year agreement that gives you the discounted price. If you paid full price for the phone but didn't specify it to be without a carrier it's still locked to AT&T, Sprint or Verizon.
What this means is regardless of wherever you are in your contract with them currently you're just buying the phone without the 2 year contract and will swap it with your current device, essentially it doesn't touch your current 2 year agreement with your carrier.
The true unlocked phone means that on any GSM carrier in the world if you put in a sim card, it will work anywhere in the world. Apple doesn't ever sell these phones until a few months after the release.
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There is no way the phone was purchased officially unlocked, Apple doesn't have the iPhone 5 unlocked yet, it won't be out for a few months.
I'm not sure how this would work besides jailbreaking the phone itself.
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This is true, there is no iPhone 5 that is currently unlocked by Apple yet. Won't be for a few months.
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You are required to activate the phone on Verizon first, then once the service is active, throw the sim in and try it out. You always have to have the main service provider be active first before any secondary activations can happen.
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i still dont understand why ATT wants to luck the iphones. let's say i have a 2yr commitment and i want to leave because my phone is unlocked. if i do leave, they will bill me $250 anyways for early termination. i just want an unlocked iphone while on contract so can use when i travel
Its all because they want to make the money back on the hardware itself over the 2 year agreement you originally made.
When they buy the iPhone from Apple they are paying the full price ($649-849) for each phone, when they sell it to you they sell it for the 2 year contracted price of $199-399 to essentially pay half that money they paid back, then over the 2 years you pay your bill with them you're paying between $75 and $200 a month, part of that goes to Apple and them. Essentially over the 2 years you're with them, Apple gets paid back for the phone itself and AT&T keeps you as a customer.
The ETF is only for people who buy the phone at the discounted price, and leave within just a few months and keep the phone. If you look at it their way you paid between $200-$400 for the phone and "promised" with the 2 year agreement that you would continue paying monthly. That ETF is only so that if you leave early Apple will get the full amount of money back for the device cost itself.
If you just want an unlocked phone to travel with wait a few months until Apple sells them unlocked and you can put the phone on any GSM carrier you want as often as you want with no 2 year agreement, you can't do this the same way with a carrier locked phone thats on contract anyways, unless you jailbreak the phone or like I said, wait to buy it unlocked (without a carrier), but even if you buy it from AT&T without a new 2 year contract (full price) you are still buying an AT&T iPhone so you can't use it on any other carrier.
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Nope, as soon as you turn the phone on the native carrier (Verizon) would need to be activated first and foremost before anything else can happen. You can't even get to the main app screen until the carrier gets activated on iPhones.
Nope, when you buy an AT&T iPhone you're buying a locked AT&T device, you can only unlock it by jailbreaking it, until Apple decided to sell the iPhone 5 unlocked without any carrier, if you buy it from AT&T, its locked to AT&T.
Thanks, guess I'll just jailbreak and unlock and go with H2O wireless or T-Mobile when they both have a nano sim.
awesome! i've had verizon for a year and few months and didnt like the fact that i had to use another device while i was in europe for few weeks. now i cant wait to get my i5 even more now!
Writing from the USA:
Once the Verizon contract has expired, 2 years down the line, can I cancel/not renew, and use it with another carrier via sim card, or does the CDMA part keep me locked to Verizon anyway?
I need a phone to work at more than 2G data speeds in the USA, UK and UAE. A UK iPhone 4 works fine in the UK and UAE (I suspect they have the same frequencies for their networks but haven't been able to find out...yet). The UK iPhone 4 will apparently only receive data on T-Mobile in the USA, and that's Edge only, (barring WiFi of course) so ridiculously slow!! My worry is that the UK iPhone 5 will be the same over here.
The Verizon CDMA iPhone 5 appears to be the same as the UK GSM iPhone 5, but with two additional LTE bands and CDMA (which we don't have in the UK, so I don't really understand), so I'm hoping it'll be the better choice globally.
(Also, in 7 months, I'm moving to the USA, so looking into a 2 year contract to subsidise the phone as I'll be here for at least 17/24 months anyway.)
Once the Verizon contract has expired, 2 years down the line, can I cancel/not renew, and use it with another carrier via sim card, or does the CDMA part keep me locked to Verizon anyway?
I need a phone to work at more than 2G data speeds in the USA, UK and UAE. A UK iPhone 4 works fine in the UK and UAE (I suspect they have the same frequencies for their networks but haven't been able to find out...yet). The UK iPhone 4 will apparently only receive data on T-Mobile in the USA, and that's Edge only, (barring WiFi of course) so ridiculously slow!! My worry is that the UK iPhone 5 will be the same over here.
The Verizon CDMA iPhone 5 appears to be the same as the UK GSM iPhone 5, but with two additional LTE bands and CDMA (which we don't have in the UK, so I don't really understand), so I'm hoping it'll be the better choice globally.
(Also, in 7 months, I'm moving to the USA, so looking into a 2 year contract to subsidise the phone as I'll be here for at least 17/24 months anyway.)
So if I get this right I should be able to use a Verizon iPhone on any carrier in the US but won't get LTE. And should be able to use 4G or DC-HSDPA in Europe or other countries...
If that's correct, Verizon here I come!
If that's correct, Verizon here I come!