Iphone unlocking

redoscar

Does any one know if once orange release the iphone next week, will you be able to buy the iphone unlocked on all networks on o2 pay as you go

Jon_01

The Apple store 'may' sell unlocked iPhone and just send out a payg sim for the network you pick, no one will know until the 10th. . .

Jamey_2

O2 have said they will allow you to officially unlock your iPhone (for free) once it's available on other networks. See this news story:
http://www.bitterwallet.com/o2-will-...networks/20369

Jon_01

Yeah, but they'll only unlock payg phones after a year !

Is it just me or is that talking the p ??

Jamey_2

Just use it really lightly for a year? Does it count if you only used it twice and there were 364 days in between?

Jon_01

I guess its a year from the date you register it.

But that's not the point. You've just paid a minimum of £440 and they still want a years worth of top ups from you.
I'm sorry, but if I pay that much for anything I'll uses it as I like and they can whistle for their years worth of credit...

Jamey_2

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I think it'd be great if O2 let anyone unlock whenever they liked. But the iPhone wasn't the first handset to be locked onto one network, it's been going on for years with loads of different models. In some countries it's illegal (which is why you can buy imported 'factory unlocked' iPhones on eBay for loads of money) but in the UK it's perfectly legal to lock a handset to a network, as far as I understand it.

So for O2 to offer to unlock handsets for free seems like more of a goodwill gesture than a legal obligation to me, otherwise all networks would have to offer to unlock all handsets, wouldn't they?

redoscar

Got an email from o2 saying that as no other network have launched it yet they will not be able to advise. They have stated tht once another network launches the iphone then they might be unlocking the iphones but to visit their website for updates.

Also Apple wont say anything stating that they have not had any official confirmation that the iphone will be released on orange which I think is a load of crap.

And if it is true you have to wait 12 months before unlocking the pay as you go I think that is taking more than the p...

Jon_01

I can't understand Apples stance on this. If you buy a phone from any other manufacturer (Nokia, HTC, Samsung) it's unlocked.
If you buy a phone from Apple (at the moment) it's locked to O2? I can think of any other piece of consumer equipment where if you buy it from one company you're tied to another ?