Buy iPhone in UK then move to US?

[DeusxMac]

Would it be possible to get a new iPhone and contract with a UK carrier (3, Orange, O2), use it for several years, then bring it back to the US to continue using it (assuming anyone will keep an iPhone that long in the future)?

Or are the machinations of pulling this off just too Byzantine to be worth it?

[decay]

wouldn't it be cheaper to buy one in the States?

[DeusxMac]

decay wrote:
wouldn't it be cheaper to buy one in the States?

It will live and work in the UK for several years.
Everything I've read says it would be way too expensive to use a US carrier for that long.

[decay]

so when would you be buying, and when would you be coming to the States?

your time frame isn't clear.

[DeusxMac]

To UK this fall, return in 2 years.

[decay]

so you are in the USA now?

going to UK this fall, and staying there for 2 years?

i think you can use a UK iPhone here with an AT&T sim - can someone else verify this? i'm assuming.

[space-time]

1: who keeps a phone that long? most people don't. sometimes I do, but most people upgrade after 1-2 years

2: buy an UNLOCKED iPhone (see Canada) and use it wherever you want.

[Winston]

As I understand it, Europe and the US are using different frequencies for 3G mobile data. I am not sure about the current iPhone (4g), but I don't think the US iPhone 3g could do 3G mobile data in Europe, and the European model could not do 3G mobile data in the US. (In addition, AT&T and T-Mobile are using different 3G frequencies in the US, so you can't use an AT&T iPhone on T-Mo right now at 3G speeds. Will be a moot point soon as they are merging.)

I checked the iPhone 4, and apparently the US version can do some European 3G:
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/06/07/iphone-4s...rld-phone/

I was not able to find a similar article on the UK iPhone with a quick Google search.

So while the UK phone might work in the US, it might not be able to access data on the mobile phone network at 3G speeds. And by then the phones would probably be available on 4G.

Also, if the UK iPhone is locked to one carrier (as is the case with AT&T iPhones) you'd have to jailbreak it to unlock it.

My working assumption is that as the technology develops, phone makers will come out with "world" smart phones which can do data on all the frequencies around the world. This happened with voice: most GSM phones in the US today can handle both the two US voice frequency bands and the two voice bands used in Europe and elsewhere. But data hasn't caught up.


Good luck.

- Winston

[Winston]

DeusxMac wrote:

It will live and work in the UK for several years.
Everything I've read says it would be way too expensive to use a US carrier for that long.

Yes. Much too expensive. You will want a UK phone and local contract.


Good luck.

- Winston

[decay]

this site is informative:
http://shop.o2.co.uk/update/unlockmyiphone.html

also found this by putting USA into the support page:

All O2 customers can make calls back to the UK whilst travelling in another country. You can also make calls to numbers within the country that you’re roaming in, and to other countries around the world.

Before you take your mobile outside of the UK, there are a few things you’ll need to do:

Contact customer services at least two days before you go (three days if you are going to the USA or Canada) to make sure your mobile will work when you’re away. You can do this by clicking on the 'Call Us' or 'Email Us' link below.

Pack your charger, and adapter.

Store any numbers in your mobile that you’re likely to need in international format e.g. +44 161 000 0000.

If you plan to use Voicemail 901 while you’re abroad, dial 1780 to get your personal Voicemail retrieval number. It’s a good idea to save your Voicemail retrieval number for future reference.

Make a note of the emergency number for the country you’re going to. It’s usually 112 or 999 (911 in USA or Canada).

Make sure your mobile is insured in case of mishap.

To make a call to another mobile or landline from outside the UK, always use the full international number. This full international dialling number includes the international dialling code (+ or 00) the country code, area code (without the 0) and then the mobile number.

For example, to call a number in Paris (even if you are in France) dial +33 1 23 45 67 89. To call back to the UK you must also use the full international number. For example, to call Manchester dial + 44 161 000 0000.

Important Note

International calls may take longer to be billed than standard UK calls. This is because whilst abroad you use a foreign network. We have to wait to receive the details of calls you have made on a foreign network before we can bill you for them.

If you need further information, please click on the ‘Travelling abroad’ link below.