Can someone help me with this? (buy in US, use in UK)

[richbrown]

Hi

I live in the UK, so won't be getting iPhone over here until Christmas time, but I'm going on holiday to USA in June.

In the unlikely event that I am able to buy a iPhone in an Apple Store, do you think it would be ok if I went on contract with Cingular but then came back and used it in UK, since it's quadband should work? I'm guessing they'd just charge me more per text-message, phone-call etc. but since I don't do excessive amounts of this I wouldn't mind too much since. Would this be the case or would they put my monthly charge up for being in UK?

Or would they not let me on to a contract because I live outside USA?
Sorry if this is me just being stupid.

Thanks
Richard

 

[adrianblaine]

I have a couple friends that are here going to school and they have gotten phone plans and aren't residents, however I'm 99% sure they will require a US address (for billing).

 

[dalvin200]

Hi

I live in the UK, so won't be getting iPhone over here until Christmas time, but I'm going on holiday to USA in June.

In the unlikely event that I am able to buy a iPhone in an Apple Store, do you think it would be ok if I went on contract with Cingular but then came back and used it in UK, since it's quadband should work? I'm guessing they'd just charge me more per text-message, phone-call etc. but since I don't do excessive amounts of this I wouldn't mind too much since. Would this be the case or would they put my monthly charge up for being in UK?

Or would they not let me on to a contract because I live outside USA?
Sorry if this is me just being stupid.

Thanks
Richard

I assume all your charges would be as per the international "roaming" fee for whatever country you went to (in this case UK)..

And also, if someone were to call you - your number would be a US one - so any UK callers would have to make an international call even though you'd be in the UK

I don't really understand why anyone would do this.. except for the "look at me - i've got an iphone"

But if you plan on not using the phone itself (i'm sure there would be a setting to disable the phone itself - i have it on my Nokia N80 - called "offline", so I can still use the other features of the phone), then you could use the ipod and the internet over wifi..

 

[whooleytoo]

I assume all your charges would be as per the international "roaming" fee for whatever country you went to (in this case UK)..

And also, if someone were to call you - your number would be a US one - so any UK callers would have to make an international call even though you'd be in the UK

The phone number is set by the SIM card, so with a UK card in there it would be a UK number. Unless, of course, they introduce measures to the device itself to lock it to the Cingular network (knowing Apple, it's quite likely).

Whether it's worthwhile even if possible is another matter - we don't know if Apple and Cingular have any special deals on the phone charges for these devices, so it's impossible to know how much the OP would have to pay to Cingular even in addition to how much he's paying for his network in the UK.

 

[nukiduz]

just buy it and enjoy it un the states. if it can't work in UK, then sell it in ebay. you could also make money

 

[swiftaw]

Hi

I live in the UK, so won't be getting iPhone over here until Christmas time, but I'm going on holiday to USA in June.

In the unlikely event that I am able to buy a iPhone in an Apple Store, do you think it would be ok if I went on contract with Cingular but then came back and used it in UK, since it's quadband should work? I'm guessing they'd just charge me more per text-message, phone-call etc. but since I don't do excessive amounts of this I wouldn't mind too much since. Would this be the case or would they put my monthly charge up for being in UK?

Or would they not let me on to a contract because I live outside USA?
Sorry if this is me just being stupid.

Thanks
Richard

I believe if you are wanting to sign up for a US phone contract then you would need a US billing address. Also, I believe they also perform a credit check, so you probably need a Social Security Number.

 

[rabbro]

Thanks for your help

 

[ThinkGeek]

Does this also works in other countries (free roaming). I live in Indonesia and im possibly going to US in June...is it possible i can use it here in my home country

 

[UKLawTalkingGuy]

Nobody is sure that it can be unlocked.

An iPhone purchased in the US will be locked to the Cingular network. Now, unlike a Nokia or a SE phone, I very much doubt that all and sundry will be able to unlock the device. Apple have stated that they are putting a fair amount of effort to keep the devices locked and I suspect they will manage to.

Now, lets say for example that someone does manage to unlock it. It will cost $500 for the device, at least $50 x 24 (two year contract) and Cingular require non-US residents to pay a $750 security deposit, if they accept you at all.

So, $2450 for a device that you may or may not be able to use as a phone!