Thai Iphone In N America

[seedy]

Good morning all. I spend 6 months a year in Canada, 6 in LOS.

I have been trying to purchase an IPhone here that will work overseas. No carrier will unlock them.

If I purchase one in Thailand, unlocked, I can buy a SIM card in Canada, but no data package available.

I must buy their fone, with their plan, and lock into a contract.

Crooks, everyone.

Anyone found a way around this fiasco ??

Many thanks.

[roadrunerboi]

Am not sure if am allowed to say this...

Jailbreaking and unlocking the phone will solve all your issues... with a N American phone.

You can get a data package plan for Thailand and a basic plan for N America since you only spend 6 months there...

[seedy]

Thanks roadrunerboi.

Dare I ask - I have checked with quite a few Google hits re unlocks. Some forums have said that some fones were permanently damaged and had to be returned to Apple (sound of dread !) Any recommends for a good unlock source ?

Thanks

Edited May 11, 2010 by seedy

[nikster]

I was in the USA recently and found that AT&T had removed the data plans from their go-phone plans. I was able to purchase it, and somehow it didn't work, and the Kafkaesque customer service had me on the line for 30 minutes without resolution, but in the end tried to tell me that they had locked out iPhones from their mobile data package specifically. Why you'd ever do that? No idea. I ended up not having data on my phone which sucked.

T-Mobile didn't even offer prepaid data SIMs at all (geniuses!) but they had a contract without lock-in so that would have worked for your case. You'd be on contract and post paid, but able to cancel at any time. Not as good as the prepaid card of course because you'd always have a different number every time.

The bottom line is that mobile companies are crooks, but also often downright stupid and will simply not offer what you would really like to them pay for. They don't want your money, instead they follow their schemes to lock everyone into 2 year contracts.

In your case if there is no prepaid data in Canada, I guess you could get a contract iPhone, then suspend the contract while out of the country, jailbreak and unlock it to use it in Thailand where they do have prepaid data plans. Jailbreaking a 3GS with 3.1.3 firmware is currently impossible though. So you'll need to catch the right moment just after firmware 4.0 is released and the jailbreaks / unlocks are released. Before Apple patches it up again.

I'd do more research on data plans in Canada first. Buying a firmware unlocked phone in Thailand would be a much better option than a jailbroken one where you need to be really careful with updating the software.

[seedy]

Thanks Nikster.

I have been searching for the last week re: a solution to this problem. Free Trade - what a joke !!!

You are right - those crooks just want you to lock into a plan. If I buy a Thai fone, and return to Canada, purchase a Telus SIM card, rates are 35 cents a minute !!! Local and Long distance.

Bend over, we are here for you !!!

Appreciate the reply. Will keep trying.

Take care.

[b19bry]

Sorry Nikster but what your posting is incorrect. (Not sure how much I should be saying on that on the forum ?)

Seedy, if you can go back to Canada via Hong Kong, your best option it to buy an officially unlocked iPhone there. You would then be able to install any SIM with any data plan once in Canada.

Next release of iPhone is coming in June so if you can wait for that it's probably best too.

[seedy]

Thanks all for your help. I am still up against the 'no data package' snafu with an out-of-country phone.

Maybe they will change their plans.

Maybe pigs will fly.

Take care.

[roadrunerboi]

Thanks roadrunerboi.

Dare I ask - I have checked with quite a few Google hits re unlocks. Some forums have said that some fones were permanently damaged and had to be returned to Apple (sound of dread !) Any recommends for a good unlock source ?

Thanks

Couple of forum members already mentioned sources of unlocked iPhones. Singapore is another place to source unlocked iPhones.

As for jailbreaking... I have lived with mine for the past 2 years and have performed jb on 4 other 3Gs' so IMHO, it is pretty safe. Not to mention the "added benefits" of having a jailbroken phone. PM me if you are interested cos am not sure if am breaking forum rules discussing a jb.

Best of luck!

[nikster]

Guys - phssshhhhhhhhht!!! Jailbreaking is not illegal, as much as Apple would like it to be. So discuss it here all you want. It's not illegal in the USA, and it's not illegal in any other country in the world, either. You're not breaking any laws. Ok?

[nikster]

Sorry Nikster but what your posting is incorrect. (Not sure how much I should be saying on that on the forum ?)

Can you be a bit more specific than that?

If the operator in Canada will simply not offer you a data package, no amount of Jailbreaking or standing on your head can change it. This is what happened to me with AT&T. They had a data package for prepaid phones - but not for iPhones, oh no! Reason: Want me to buy a locked iPhone at AT&T with contract. Don't want customers with prepaid plans and iPhones. In reality, it's ignorance more than malice - they clearly want to switch all their _own_ iPhone customers away from prepaid plans and into postpaid ones. They get more money that way. My case, where I enter the country with a phone bought outside just didn't occur to them, or it's too small a minority of users for them to care. They leave us out in the cold. Who knows, next year this might change again. Operators introduce new plans and options all the time.

[JKaterenchuk]

I think many of you are missing out on on valid point. The North American carriers subsidize the price of the iPhone and in return you sign up for 2 years. A 3GS 32MB is $299US with a 2 year plan and the equivalent phone factory unlocked in Thailand is around $900US. So you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either get a locked phone at a discount with a NA provider and save the $600 to use it against paying for you dataplan when not in country and put up with having to jailbreak and unlock the phone each time the firmware is updated. Or spend more money to get a factory unlocked phone in Thailand or similar country and suck up the cost of having to pay for a dataplan you do not use when out of country but have the peace of mind to not have to worry about jailbreaking and unlocking yourself.

John

[nikster]

I think many of you are missing out on on valid point. The North American carriers subsidize the price of the iPhone and in return you sign up for 2 years. A 3GS 32MB is $299US with a 2 year plan and the equivalent phone factory unlocked in Thailand is around $900US. So you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either get a locked phone at a discount with a NA provider and save the $600 to use it against paying for you dataplan when not in country and put up with having to jailbreak and unlock the phone each time the firmware is updated. Or spend more money to get a factory unlocked phone in Thailand or similar country and suck up the cost of having to pay for a dataplan you do not use when out of country but have the peace of mind to not have to worry about jailbreaking and unlocking yourself.

John

I don't think this thread is about subsidies - but it's part of the reason that north american carriers don't offer prepaid plans with data.

Subsidies would be OK if they were optional. I think the evil lies within them being not optional - the bundling of access fees with what basically amounts to loan payments. The iPhone monthly plans are grossly overpriced - because they include (the subsidy + X%) spread over 2 years. If I bring my own unlocked phone - tough luck, I still pay the subsidy, only I am not getting anything in return. I think it's way more than the original subsidy. In any case, this, and limited competition is the reason the plans in N america are so expensive. Europe is a bit better off as there are many operators and MVNOs for all kinds of usage patterns.

[mshoichi]

Another consideration - T-Mobile's 3G network is incompatible with the iPhone.

They have a couple of no-contract plans. I recently tried to sign up for the base plan and add a non-3G data plan for $9.99, but couldn't. The rep explained that the no-contract plans (on their website, opposed to a contract that's expired and placed on a month to month plan) are only available in the tiers described; e.g. to get internet, you need to add the SMS plan.

I ended up with a 3GS on permanent EDGE. It'd probably be too slow for a lot of people, didn't matter much for myself.

[nikster]

I ended up with a 3GS on permanent EDGE. It'd probably be too slow for a lot of people, didn't matter much for myself.

An iPhone with EDGE is perfectly fine, I was running EDGE for 2 years before I switched to True, and True isn't 3G at all times either. EDGE is just fine for emails and some light web surfing, just not so good for tethering. EDGE is definitely a million times better than no internet, which is what I had last time in the USA. It really sucked.

[seedy]

After checking with all carriers in Canada, no one will offer a data package on any fone not purchased from them. You can not get a data package on an IPhone purchased from Telus if you switch to Rogers or Bell !!! Buy our fone or tuff luck - that is the reality.

So, purchase an IPhone for Canada and a separate one for LOS. This is they only solution I can find.

Bend over - it just goes on and on.