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O2 Offers to Unlock iPhones in UK

Monday November 9, 2009 12:00 pm PST by Eric Slivka
Starting tomorrow, UK wireless carrier will begin offering to unlock its customers' iPhones, allowing them to be used on any compatible network. The move comes as rival carrier Orange begins selling the iPhone there.

O2 will be offering unlocking for both customers on monthly prepaid plans and on pay-as-you-go plans. Customers under contract for monthly prepaid plans will be able to have their iPhones unlocked at any time and may move their device to another network whenever they wish. Customers will be responsible for fulfilling the remainder of their O2 contract, however, as the carrier requires that revenue to make up for upfront handset subsidies offered at the time of purchase. Customers on pay-as-you-go plans may have their iPhones unlocked 12 months after purchase for a one-time 15 fee.

iPhone unlocking requires that users fill out an online form to request the unlock, a process than can take up to 14 days.
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alphaod
Posted: 30 months ago
Awesome. When AT&T's exclusivity ends, we can only hope AT&T will do the same.
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bigandy
Posted: 30 months ago
Good news, but I'd rather it was around £15 less.
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afd
Posted: 30 months ago
I wonder what the second hand value of an officially unlocked iPhone will be? prob a lot less than it is now?
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declandio
Posted: 30 months ago
The instructions tell you to insert a new carriers sim card and then connect to iTunes. Easy enough.... but

Anyone have any idea if that means you can't swap sim's on-the-go? If you have 2 sims on different networks, will you always have to re-connect to iTunes after you swap them around?
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OllyW
Posted: 30 months ago

Good news, but I'd rather it was around £15 less.


It is if you've got a contract. ;)
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JordanNZ
Posted: 30 months ago

The instructions tell you to insert a new carriers sim card and then connect to iTunes. Easy enough.... but

Anyone have any idea if that means you can't swap sim's on-the-go? If you have 2 sims on different networks, will you always have to re-connect to iTunes after you swap them around?


Once it's unlocked, you don't have to do anything again... Mine is factory unlocked, and worked fine swapping sims when I traveled.
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Macjames
Posted: 30 months ago
Awesome sent my form. I'll be sticking with o2 though as i have had no issues with them.
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declandio
Posted: 30 months ago

Once it's unlocked, you don't have to do anything again... Mine is factory unlocked, and worked fine swapping sims when I traveled.


Cool, thanks. Reason I asked is that there was talk on another thread that the little process they make you go through in iTunes enables the phone to work with a new sim, but isn't really a proper 'unlock' as the name might suggest... i.e if you stick a Vodafone sim in after unlocking from O2, it will just work on Vodafone (and maybe O2 still).

Cheers....
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markm49uk
Posted: 30 months ago
Will be sorting mine asap.....
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ukcolinr
Posted: 30 months ago
Just submitted my form to unlock :)

Means I'll be able to put my T-Mobile USA Sim when I go away with work :) I just wish it was possible to use data on a Prepaid plan in the US. I dont think any networks offer this :( Oh well... one step at a time! :D
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