Hi guys!


Looking at the growing number of questioned posed at the iPhone subforum in regards to obtaining an iPhone 3G (both locked and unlocked), I thought that the creation of this thread will help to explain the situation better and also answer some frequently asked questions.




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Q: Alright, this subforum has gotten me all excited about the iPhone 3G! I will be heading to XYZ country soon/have an acquaintance from back soon et cetera, which countries are eligible to sell these officially unlocked iPhone 3G units?

A: To answer this question, there will be two parts to it; 1. unlocked directly from the box and 2 .initially locked but the respective carrier can perform an authorised unlocking subsequently
1. Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Macau, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia (Orange), South Africa, Turkey (TurkCell)
2. Argentina, Austria (One), Australia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Guatamela, Hungary, , India (Airtel), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal (Vodafone), Romania (Orange), Spain, Switzerland (Orange), Uruguay



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Q: Why would I fork out so much for an officially unlocked iPhone 3G? I can easily purchase an American bound unit from AT & T for a fraction of the price. The prices are clearly a rip off and not mention a day-light-robbery attempt!

A: Here are a couple of reasons on why you should NOT purchase these units in favour of these SIM card adapters (for example a TurboSim):-
1. Frequent dropped calls during the initiation of conference call
2. Frequent disconnection from the network provider (which may require you to search for the desired network manually thereafter)
3. Unable to ultilise the GPRS/EDGE/3G network for internet connectivity purposes
4. Unable to make/receive calls (frequent experiences of Call Failure)
5. Certain SIM card adapters (or versions) will not necessarily work for all network providers.
6. The upgrading/restoring process is no longer straightforward (requires additional software) and may pose undesirable complications
7. The possibility of the SIM card adaptor melting inside your iPhone (I am NOT joking about this)
8. According to the dev team, early reports suggest that the 2.2 update disables the functionality of these devices; meaning you will not be able to upgrade to future firmwares.
8. You should NOT be a cheapskate to own an iPhone.


officially unlocked iPhone 3G units will have a display like this upon successful upgrade/restoration, instead of "The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported."




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Q: But wait a minute, can't I just rely on the fact that locked units require some sort of SIM card adapter (for example a TurboSim) to bypass the unlocking process?

A: There is a growing concern regarding an ongoing scam, where the SIM card adapter is actually "built-in" where these unscrupulous parties dismantle the iPhone units and subsequently soldering them on (as shown below). Checking both the part number or model is the only way to certain. Period.


extracted from iClarified.com



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Q: So are you telling me now that those advocated SIM card adapters is my only alternative to locked units? As far as I am concerned, isn't there like some sort of software based unlocking method available?
A: Not for the iPhone 3G unfortunately.



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Q: So, enough of the mambo jumbo tech talk, now how do I actually locate this so-called part number or model?

A: For this question, I will be using two examples; a Singapore SingTel unit (mine) and a New Zealand Vodafone unit (davidgary73's).


on the box


on the actual iPhone via Settings -> General -> About -> Model

MB489ZA/A corresponds to the SingTel provider of a Singapore origin from the list

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on the box. picture taken by davidgary73

MB500X/A corresponds to the Vodafone provider of a New Zealand origin from the list

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the pictures in this thread are taken and owned by nokia2003 unless stated otherwise. all pictures are copyrighted by nokia2003. do not use pictures without permission. all rights reserved.

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 23 2008, 12:00 AM

SINGAPORE (SingTel)

There are relatively three easy methods for Malaysians to obtain the iPhone 3G.

1. ask a legitimate resident of Singapore to sign up a contract for you. (The easiest feasible alternative is if you know some acquaintances there)

2. purchase directly from those who are interested to let go their units upon renewing/signing up contracts. These private sellers typically advertise their intentions on ebay.com.sg, hardwarezone.com et cetera and are generally safe as they usually insist on a COD transaction. From there, you will be able to inspect the part numbers and model as described in the first post. A precise and detailed personal encounter of mine to acquire a SingTel unit has been documented here. (The likeliness of being ripped off is much less)

3. purchase from commercial resellers (or fondly known as mobile phone retailers) which can be found in major shopping complexes along Orchard Road for example. Please bear in mind that these retailers are out to rip you off and haggling or negotiations efforts are known to be futile as they can fetch as much as RM4000 for a 16GB unit. The discussed scam in the first post also runs freely under this section. (Not recommended)

Information courtesy of nokia2003

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 8 2008, 03:28 AM

NEW ZEALAND (Vodafone)

Unlocked directly from the box (with the cellophane packaging intact) iPhone 3G units can be purchased from Vodafone New Zealand.



According to psyeo, some shops don't sell outright, hence it is recommended to ring them up beforehand to check for availability and if they sell it outright (click here for store location map).

Even though, Vodafone stores and First Mobile do sell it outright, but certain stores require you to purchase it together with accessories.

Information courtesy of psyeo



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At the ongoing exchange rates (as of 07/11/2008), the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G units will set you back at RM2081.35 and RM2400.25 respectively.





This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 8 2008, 01:15 AM

AUSTRALIA (Optus, Telstra, Vodafone)

Out of the box, Australian iPhone 3G units are locked by nature. However, the local network provider can perform an authorised unlocking (by paying an extortionate fee)


According to mangoman, Optus prepaid iPhones are extremely rare nowadays and to make things worse, Telstra does not sell them outright anymore. However, one can head to JB Hi Fi, Next Byte or Harvey Norman to purchase them. However, the downside is, the unlocking process will cost you approximately AUD150 per unit.


Another viable alternative is, to sign up a contract. Please bear in mind that, you require a legitimate Australia resident to sign up a contract for you. Hence this is only useful if you do know some acquaintances there. The cheapest way to go around this is to sign up for Optus 'yes' AUD19 plan for 12 months period contract and then subsequently canceling it. This plan also includes an AUD62 per month handset repayments. Hence a simple calculation will yield a total price of AUD972 ([19 + 62) x 12 months] for the 16GB unit, which of course include a free unlocking service.


Information courtesy of mangoman



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Step-by-step instructions to perform an authorised unlocking (using Optus as an example)
1. Sign up a contract with Optus where a credit check will be conducted (applicable only to legitimate Australian residents)
2. Opt for the 12 months contract plan
3. Make at least one call using that very same iPhone with the provided Optus SIM card (enabling Optus to register your IMEI number on their database)
4. Call Optus to request for an unlock
5. A text will subsequently arrive, indicating that it has been successfully unlocked (this may take up to 10 days)
6. Restore using iTunes and test it with a SIM card from another network provider
7. If it fails, ring up Optus again. However if it does, proceed to next step.
8. Call Optus to cancel your contract and they will then bill everything in a single bill
9. Pay the bill (and please don't be a cheapskate to even contemplate forgoing the payment)
10. Enjoy your iPhone!



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According to NekoRacing, Optus based iPhone 3G units are entitled to an additional privilege where they do not incur any unlocking fees. One has to ring up Optus and their customer support team will subsequently transfer you to an Apple representative. From there, you will proceed to provide Apple with your IMEI number and it will typically take up to ten days to complete the unlocking process.

Once it has been initiated, you should be receiving a notification text message as shown in the picture below.



picture courtesy of beavis68


Information courtesy of NekoRacing


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At the ongoing exchange rates (as of 07/11/2008), an iPhone 3G 16GB unit will set you back at RM2348.35

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Dec 6 2008, 12:13 AM

HONG KONG (3)

There is not much information which I could retrieve about the Hong Kong bound units. The only information which I do know is that you can use Malaysian based credit cards to purchase them online, but you require a valid Hong Kong address for delivery purposes (hotel addresses will work fine as well). Hence for more information, kindly head to their official website here

Information courtesy of nokia2003


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At the ongoing exchange rates (as of 07/11/2008), the 8GB and 16GB iPhone 3G units will set you back at RM2550.96 and RM2928.88 respectively.





This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 8 2008, 01:29 AM

RUSSIA (MegaFon, MTS, Beeline)

According to Masamune, iPhone 3G can be found almost everywhere throughout Russia, from the Apple Stores, telecommunication stores and down to a modest typical phone shop. The official price found in the Apple Store is 21999rub and 25999 for 8GB and 16GB respectively.

In the view of the network providers, Megafon, MTC and Beeline are the three main players for the iPhone 3G. All three will enable one to purchase the iPhone 3G directly with no strings attached, but at different prices (for example Megafon sells their 8GB and 16GB units for 21500rub and 25500rub respectively)

As the information provided is relatively vague and the websites are in Russian, it is best to PM fellow user Masamune for more information.


Information courtesy of Masamune

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 16 2008, 03:18 PM

done! =)


thank you for complying with my request!

please elaborate the underlined statement further.

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 8 2008, 09:03 PM

mangoman's step by step instructions has been updated under the "australian" post

@ william1980


come on mate. surely you can read the first post? i believe that my thread is as clear as it can get to be honest.

your words truly intrigue me. read the thread again.

@ cksia

my apologies as i was reading your post in a rush. but in my defense, all the information needed for the singtel unit is widely available on their website. a simple google returned me all these answers.


for each plan and the unit price to pay respectively, the information can be found here




Q: What will happen if I terminate my contract before my contract period is over?
A: For new customers who terminate within the three month minimum subscription period, three months’ list price on the respective price plans plus an $856 equipment penalty will still apply.
For terminations after the minimum three months subscription period, the $856 equipment penalty will apply. For existing customers who terminate at anytime within the contract period, the $856 equipment penalty will apply.

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Added on November 12, 2008, 11:19 pmhow do you even unlock a singtel unit if it has already been unlocked in the first place?

This post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 12 2008, 11:19 PM

pretty straightforward from what i have gathered from the singaporean forums.


for example if you have opt for the iOne Plus plan at $25.68 per month, you will have to pay $848 for a 16GB unit (no questions asked)


however if you opt to terminate it, it is 3 multiple by $25.68 plus $848 plus $856

dude, did you even read the first post to begin with?

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Added on November 12, 2008, 11:30 pm

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Added on November 12, 2008, 11:32 pmThis post has been edited by nokia2003: Nov 12 2008, 11:33 PM

you do not need illegitimate methods to make a profit; a simple common sense will tell you how.

updated a new picture to the first post


courtesy of davidgary73; taken using an iphone with a magnifying glass!

despite this thread being shut down by moderator (for clarity purposes), i will still update this thread from time to time.

however, i still reckon that this thread is a good source of information nevertheless. hence feel free to navigate those in need to this thread

added more information regarding australian bound units!