Tue, 10 Nov 2009 O2 to start unlocking iPhones from today

RALU said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Does this also apply to Pay As You Go customers? If you were to buy an Iphone from O2 without a contract and just a Pay As You Go sim will O2 unlock the phone for you?

David Collins said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Complete rip-off for Pay & Go customers who paid outright for their iPhones. Locking them in for 12 months is inexcusable and will only serve to alienate present customers and deter future customers.

David Collins said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Complete rip-off for Pay & Go customers who paid outright for their iPhones. Locking them in for 12 months is inexcusable and will only serve to alienate present customers and deter future customers.

Jebus said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Apple & fisting springs to mind again!

Keith Doherty said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

David Collins

Wrong the Iphone PAY & Go still has about £150-£200 of subsidy by O2 to recover. Along with the guaranteed period of unlimited G3/Wireless access. 12 months lock-in is not un-reasonable.

Anyway currently where would you want to take an O2 iphone unlocked too ?

Well only T-mobile as Orange now offer it (with more limited terms of use that O2!)
Vodaphone will have it in just a few more weeks (Hey they 're generous with G3/Wifi rates -NOT !)

As for 3 coverage poor but they have expressed an interest in carrying the iphone in the new year.

That leave the parasite operators such a Virgin/BT Business and some Sim only companies. These won't give the full service for sure and their DATA rates are usually VERY HIGH. (These piggy back on the networks of the big three anyway0

David Collins said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Keith Doherty

Wrong. This is a specious argument put forward by telecoms to justify the 12 month waiting period.

They have no subsidy to recapture on purchased units, only projected profit on the unit. This Pay & Go subsidy fallacy is based on the projected return any telecom expects to take back in profit on a non contract phone. Whereas a real subsidy involves the telecom underwriting the actual cost (to them) of the phone against contract return. They underwrite no cost of the phone on Pay & Go as anyone familiar with the wholesale cost of the units knows only too well. The so called subsidy on P&G relates to the 'free' data aspect which they contend they are underwriting and entitled to recover.

Why would you want an unlocked O2? Because their coverage is horrendous for anyone who travels extensively in the UK. I spend more time without a 3G signal than with one. If they provided a credible service I wold have absolutely no interest in unlocking.

G said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

^ Also, an unlocked phone is exceedingly useful for travel to another country, as you can use a local sim, rather than paying roaming charges, especially if calling someone in that country.

CB said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

I'm actually surprised at O2, doing this for free, good on them. There was always going to be restrictions on PAYG, the phones are subsidised, you just have to look at the difference between PAYG phone costs and sim free phone costs.

Stefano said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Glad they are doing it.
Reason one for jailbreaking gone.

Gavin said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

How the heck is a phone that cost me £540 subsidised, you guys are off your heads, so your telling me the phone really cost £1000 and I got it for half price or something? This is not on, shouldnt be allowed, the people who bought their phones should have more flexibility not less.

I'd actually be losing out on another 8 months of free internet on mine if I went to Orange, so there would be saving that bandwidth of mine for a start, this just stinks, anyone who is on PAYG should be allowed to use any provider that is available they wish.

Secrecy said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

If I got my phone unlocked and then I had to send it to the Genius Bar for repairs. Does the replacement phone have to be unlocked again?

Imagine PAYG customers paying 15 quid every time the phone develops a fault within warranty period.

@Secrecy said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

I've had mobiles for over half my life - 11 years - and never once have I had a fault, let alone within the warranty period.

MisterP said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Can you unlock and stay with O2? I'm interested in dropping a Vodaphone or Orange sim in to see if their 3G coverage is any better in my area than O2.

MisterP said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Can you unlock and stay with O2? I'm interested in dropping a Vodaphone or Orange sim in to see if their 3G coverage is any better in my area than O2.

Eddie said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

The PayandGo iPhone is most definitely NOT subsidised by O2.
If you bought an iPhone from Apple it is/was the same price as O2. And any notional projected losses are just that - notional and projected. O2 surely are not being pair by locking in O2 sims for twelve months - just another ripp-off!

@PAYG Moaners said on Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Did you sign a piece of paper?

Philip Osborne said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

I am currently with Orange, although I don't yet have an iPhone. If having the little 3G symbol in the corner of your screen is all you require of your 3G network, then yes, Orange has great coverage. However, if you require the ability to actually access the network, make phone calls, send texts and use the internet rather than getting incessant "Network busy", "Network unavailable", "Connection failed", "Send failed" messages then I would highly recommend staying away from them!

The network is also very, very, very focussed on urban areas ... I expect a lower signal when I'm away from town, but with Orange you get nothing at all if you are more than 3 or 4 miles from an urban centre.

So Orange's "largest 3G network coverage" consists of either no signal at all or fantastic signal but you can't get on the network. I'd rather be with a smaller network where the signal is not as great, but at least I can use what there is!

O2 Lover said on Fri, 13 Nov 2009

O2 in Germany is the best... you can get a pre-pay internet package for 10 Euro... soo freaking cheap! And with an iPhone you can get by with the current txt programs online (gloabal.AQ) for free (or seriously cheap) txts! Pay 15 Euro for the voice and you can go for a whole month on 25 Euro... I think O2 and I might get married one day, but don't say anything. I'm going to propose the next time I need minutes :-)

TiM said on Wed, 02 Dec 2009

Well, I contacted O2 14 days ago & they have taken the required money from my prepaid O2 account to unlock the phone, however they state they have no record of my application to unlock! Have been told this will take at least 5 more working days to resolve as Apple supply the unlock codes.