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Very cheap iPhone 3G no-contract; €322 in Switzerland

kis said:
I can assure you, you need to live in Switzerland to legally buy any SIM-card.
I suppose not all shops will enforce the policy but it's the law.

kis
Click to expand...

Quote from: http://www.swisscom-mobile.ch/scm/prv_registrierungspflicht_prepaid-en.aspx

Law requires registration of prepaid cards
The Swiss parliament has enacted into law a registration requirement for all users of prepaid SIM cards. The law also requires mobile phone operators to provide their prepaid customers with information regarding these regulations. Therefore, since 1 July 2004 all customers who purchase a prepaid card from Swisscom must register with Swisscom.

Please note the following
You must register in person.
You will be required to present a valid passport or ID card at the post office or Swisscom sales store at which you register.
Registration is free of charge
Click to expand...

It does not say that you need a Swiss passport/ID card. And this is my experience as well.

I just called the swisscom hotline, and what I heard was quite frustrating. The new iPhone with the pre-paid card CAN DEFINITELY be bought by ANYONE. But it comes with a SIM-lock for 2 years. There is no fee that you can pay to unlock the phone.

Oh and another bit of news fresh from the hotline, if you don't have a reservation yet, you will have to wait AT LEAST 4 weeks until it will hit the stores for regular sales!!
 
unlocking

To unlock it you need to simply use the method by the guys at http://wikee.iphwn.org/. this method does not use any small hacks but changes the bootloader which is at the top most level and then you can put any firmware version you want on and best of all you use the firmware version downloaded by YOUR ITUNES!!!.
 
Lets say that you DO need to show a Swiss ID to buy a prepaid card and actually register with Swisscom, could this be done:

- My Swiss friend buys the phone and register with Swisscom (due to regulations)
- Hands the phone over to me
- I throw the locked sim away and go home

Without him getting in any trouble?

I mean, the register part is only to prevent crimes I guess..And since the sim card has been destroyed/tossed away then nothing can happen, right? :)

EDIT: Btw, I have sent a question to Swisscom regarding the Only-swiss-citizens-can-buy-the-phone-issue to verify if this is true or not. I didnt call them, would be too expensive. :p
 
frosse said:
- Hands the phone over to me
- I throw the locked sim away and go home

Without him getting in any trouble?

EDIT: Btw, I have sent a question to Swisscom regarding the Only-swiss-citizens-can-buy-the-phone-issue to verify if this is true or not. I didnt call them, would be too expensive. :p
Click to expand...

I doubt that would get him into trouble - the registration's for the SIM-card, not for the phone.

Also, please read my posts: you have to be a Swiss RESIDENT, not a citizen to buy the iPhone. I have witnessed more than once that people coming over from Germany weren't able to buy phones because they don't have a Swiss address. YOU CAN'T REGISTER YOUR SIM-CARD WITH A FOREIGN ADDRESS, and without registering, you can't buy the package. Not matter what people keep on telling here.

kis
 
kis said:
I doubt that would get him into trouble - the registration's for the SIM-card, not for the phone.

Also, please read my posts: you have to be a Swiss RESIDENT, not a citizen to buy the iPhone. I have witnessed more than once that people coming over from Germany weren't able to buy phones because they don't have a Swiss address. YOU CAN'T REGISTER YOUR SIM-CARD WITH A FOREIGN ADDRESS, and without registering, you can't buy the package. Not matter what people keep on telling here.

kis
Click to expand...
I see. Well that makes sense, a registration wouldnt work without an address. And since you're from Switzerland I believe you :)

I think I'll have a chat with my friend in Swissieland and convince him that he needs to buy me an iphone. Otherwise I'll hop on a frikkin plane :eek:
 
Damn plane tickets are expensive. A two way ticket Sweden - Switzerland is almost $580. I'll have to rely on my friend :)
 
frosse said:
Damn plane tickets are expensive. A two way ticket Sweden - Switzerland is almost $580. I'll have to rely on my friend :)
Click to expand...

At first when I thought that the iMini prices where the only offer I thought I would do the same. But combined with a 99 abo and 199 flatrate the price of 3220 or 4020 seem to be quite fair. Especially since I would have combined it with that plan anyway. (But from telenor)
In case you missed that, here are the prices with additional plans http://www.telia.se/privat/produkte...rocherbjudanden/apple/iphone_pris_privat.page

For the RESIDENT stuff, I don't think that they verify that you actually live in that place. So just make up some address that you know exists. For example a student hostel..
And I was in Switzerland and I was not registered yet, and I bought a pre-paid card. No matter what some people are telling here..
 
The reason why I dont wanna go with a swedish one is because I dont wanna sign up for a contract for 18 months, Yuppi. I'm prolly going to be abroad during a couple of months later this year. So I'm gonna get the swiss one and unlock it to telenor, whats your plan Yuppi? I take it you're from sweden too...

I wonder when Orange in Switzerland will release their prices.

EDIT: I found Orange's prices in Switzerland here

Says nothing about a contract free option though...
 
frosse said:
The reason why I dont wanna go with a swedish one is because I dont wanna sign up for a contract for 18 months, Yuppi. I'm prolly going to be abroad during a couple of months later this year. So I'm gonna get the swiss one and unlock it to telenor, whats your plan Yuppi? I take it you're from sweden too...

I wonder when Orange in Switzerland will release their prices.

EDIT: I found Orange's prices in Switzerland here

Says nothing about a contract free option though...
Click to expand...
At first my plan was to take the 18 month contract with 99 + 199 which I think is a pretty good deal. But actually I am from Germany and just for my master in Sweden. And I will leave in about 12 month. So I would pay for 6 month without using it which is worth 180 EUR. So it sums up to 460 EUR+180 EUR=640.
And as I am currently close to belgium I will stick with the contract-less belgian version. I am not a fan of unlocking my phone myself. Especially when it includes replacing the baseband firmware.
EDIT and then I will use the 99+199 Telenor offer. They are said to have higher broadband speeds.
 
Yuppi said:
At first my plan was to take the 18 month contract with 99 + 199 which I think is a pretty good deal. But actually I am from Germany and just for my master in Sweden. And I will leave in about 12 month. So I would pay for 6 month without using it which is worth 180 EUR. So it sums up to 460 EUR+180 EUR=640.
And as I am currently close to belgium I will stick with the contract-less belgian version. I am not a fan of unlocking my phone myself. Especially when it includes replacing the baseband firmware.
Click to expand...
I see. You wouldnt do me the favor of driving down to Switzerland and buy it for me, would you? :p haha.

Well like I said, I'm probably going abroad for half a year in february which means that a deal from Telia would really suck for me. I'm doing my best to get someone to buy it for me. My dad travels alot, especially to Lyon, which is like an hour and half drive to Geneva. I guess he could fix one for me, but I 've heard that only ppl who live in switzerland can buy a prepaid phone. too bad.
 
Freegeek: Nice. €615 is a bit too much I think. But I'll give it a thought :)

EDIT: Seems it is locked to Belgium only.

*Maximum selling price. Recycling premium of 0,05 € included. Valid until exhaustion of stock.
The device can only be used with a belgian SIM card.
Click to expand...

Too bad :(


To all who say that you need to live in Switzerland, you're wrong. Here is Swisscom's reply to my question:

Dear XXXX

We would like to thank you for your e-mail and your interest in Swisscom and gladly respond in reference to your request.

You can purchase in every Swisscom Shop or Post Office in Switzerland a Natel easy prepaid card.

As long as you can provide a valid Passport it is no problem to buy it.

All the important information's for Natel easy can be found on the following page:
http://www.swisscom-mobile.ch/scm/natel_easy_liberty-en.aspx

The prepaid option for the iPhone called Natel easy liberty uno is available as per today
in any Swisscom Shops http://iphone3g.swisscom.ch/?lang=en

Important to know the iPhone has a Sim Lock of at least two years, which means that you
are not able to enter any other Sim Cards into this phone.

Best regards
Your Swisscom Team
Click to expand...
Really nice I must say :)
 
So where can i purchase a contract free phone from and use my 02 sim in the UK?

Confussed?
 
I caught a train from milano to chiasso to buy a swisscom phone but the store there said they wouldnt have phones available on the easy liberty uno plan until september, and they didnt have black 16gb phones at all
 
frosse said:
Freegeek: Nice. €615 is a bit too much I think. But I'll give it a thought :)

EDIT: Seems it is locked to Belgium only.
Click to expand...
Actually it is more pervert.. It is unlocked in Belgium. And it is said to be locked in foreign countries. At least this is what a mobistar employee told me. While the store to the right (BASE) advertised that the iPhone will run perfectly in their network :)
 
moveteam said:
Hi all,

I just checked the Swisscom site, and they offer the iPhone 3G without any subscription.

8 GB: CHF 519 (€322)
16 GB: CHF 619 (€384)

Although you have to unlock it for use with other European carriers.

http://iphone3g.swisscom.ch/?page=1&lang=en

Isn't that cheap? Or have I misunderstood something?
Click to expand...

:( in portugal is about 499 and 599 euros
and you still have to agree with iphone plans starting at 29 with 250MB of data
 
Does unlocked mean the phone can be used in any country on any network

Please excuse my ignorance, but if I buy an unlocked 3G iphone through italy does that mean it can be used in any country on any network?
 
cpeare said:
Please excuse my ignorance, but if I buy an unlocked 3G iphone through italy does that mean it can be used in any country on any network?
Click to expand...

That is exactly what most people consider to be unlocked. But Telcos go nuts. And Mobistar the belgium provider said that unlocked would be restricted to the given country. So that you have the freedom to use any SIM card in the country, but has to use the distributing provide outside. I really hope that was a bad joke from a mobistar employee and far from what I could imagine....
 
for me Switzerland was not an option anymore because you need Swiss residence to be able to buy one. I just bought one in Belgium (Mobistar shop). It was 615 euro for the 16 Gb but it is legally simlock free here
 
i have a friend in switzerland, 615 eu is too much compared to 380 eu ($175), that's why i need to know weather prepayed iphone can be bought or not very badly
 
freegeek said:
for me Switzerland was not an option anymore because you need Swiss residence to be able to buy one. I just bought one in Belgium (Mobistar shop). It was 615 euro for the 16 Gb but it is legally simlock free here
Click to expand...

Freegeek, does that Belgian phone work with a SIM from another country then, yes/no? I'm planning on a trip to Belgium specifically to buy the phone, but if they've changed the policy to lock it only to Belgian SIMs (which is why I can't buy in Switzerland), it's useless for me.
 
kittenbutt said:
Freegeek, does that Belgian phone work with a SIM from another country then, yes/no? I'm planning on a trip to Belgium specifically to buy the phone, but if they've changed the policy to lock it only to Belgian SIMs (which is why I can't buy in Switzerland), it's useless for me.
Click to expand...

afaik yes

see this link https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/519077/

they activate the iphone in the store so you can test it immediately with your sim.
 
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