Authorized Unlocked iPhone 3G from Italy and Hong Kong? - Looks so
I have been following the iPhone 3G in Europe closely because of the the laws concerning locking a cellular phone to one mobile carrier. It seems that the lucky Italians (and buyers in Hong Kong are confirming this as well) can purchase the iPhone 3G that is authorized to be unlocked upon activation. ion Italy the cost is €499 (have a look here), or about for about $775 USD (or about $4,900 TTD), The 16 GB is €569 - WOW
According to this thred on Hackint0sh a user named Ma5ter says:
“Yep, I can confirm. 11.07 I bought iPhone in Italy at central TIM store and I’m from Croatia. Only for the first time I had to activate phone with TIM card (through iTunes), what I got in package, and after that all Croatian SIM card works. Yes you can change APN.
Go for it.”
UPDATE: Buyers in Hong Kong are also saying that any sim card can be used once you have activated the iPhone with the 3 Sim card. BUT you are still signed to a 24 month contract, even though you can use the phones anywhere in the world, so this only really benefits the original owner/buyer who’s name is on the contract unless you manage to buy one off an Italian of Hong Kong dude that forgets to transfer the contract payments to you ;).
hkbeejay writes:
“Confirmed. I am one of the 500 and am holding one that is unlocked. I was also advised by my account manager that all iPhones 3G sold by “3″ are unlocked.
Don’t forget, however, that when you buy the phone you will also have to commit to 24 months contract signed before they let you have the phone.”
But This means that you or someone can walk into TIM Italy or 3 Hong Kong, and purchase a iPhone 3G that is authorized to work on any carrier network, aka unlocked (without contract), activate it with the provided sim card, then toss out the TIM or 3 sim card that came with the iPhoen 3G (wait - you should probably keep it in case you need it to activate or upgrade in the future) - pop in your sim card and presto have a working iPhone 3G - with a 24 month contract. If there is a way to get out of the contract then it may really be worth something. But with the price that high already, adding a early contract termination fee, may send the price upwards of $1000 USD from the carrier. Ouch.
If someone is willing to send me an iPhone 3G that is authorized to be unlocked I would love to test it with my local Bmobile sim card 
A quick look around on eBay reveals that people in these countries are already buying these unlocked iPhone 3G’s and selling them for over $1000 USD - wow - BUT that’s good considering what the iPhone 3G would probably go for PWNED unlocked (and comparable to what first gen unlocked iPhones went for a year ago). - But what about the Contract with the original carrier, can you pay an early termination fee?
A closer look on Apples website revealed some interesting info (as well as confirms TIM and Vodafone Italy, as well as 3 in Hong Kong - iPhone 3G’s are officially listed as NOT “Locked to carrier” according to Apples website) It also shows which countries you can possibly get an iPhone 3G authorized for unlocking, Switzerland maybe? Apples notes that customers should “Contact carrier for authorized unlocking” in the following countries:
- France
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Spain
- Autralia
- Portugal
- Norway
So how do you know if you are being scammed when purchasing a iPhone 3G that has been Authorized to be unlocked? Easily, it will have one of the following model numbers if its from Italy: MB489T/A, MB496T/A, MB500T/A as per Apples website.
My older brother, who I miss allot, lives in Switzerland. I will give him a call and ask him to contact Swisscom and ask them if he can buy an Authorized Unlocked iPhone 3G. If he can, I’ll let you know. Maybe Zibri will start selling Authorized Unlocked iPhone 3G’s instead of trying to recompile ZiPhone for 2.0 and 3G Baseband or keep up with the big boys, as he seems so pissed off with the whole iPhone community. Ok maybe not 
With Apple and supporting Carriers keeping a tight leash on activating the iPhone 3G, maybe these countries may offer a real solution for those wanting an iPhone 3G that is truely unlocked and authorized by Apple and that you would be able to update and use freely, the way it should be in a perfect world.
Categories and Tags 3G iPhone, Software Unlock - YES!, What's New, iPhone, iPhone Unlock Updates
