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Can you use your unlocked iPhone in the UK?

on 17-12-2007

Remember how we reported that you can buy and unlocked iPhone on the Continent because T-Mobile and Orange have been forced to sell unlocked devices in Germany and France? Well, apparently you need to watch out if you're thinking of picking an unlocked iPhone up during your Christmas or New Year trips to the Continent. There are rumours that Orange have put in a country lock to make sure you can't just pop in your UK SIM and start making calls.

Depending on which report you read, you either can't make any calls at all that way, or you simply have limited service. According to our friends at iPhone Atlas, officially unlocked iPhones aren't really unlocked in the true sense of the word. Although unlocked iPhones reportedly account for around 20% of all sales in France, and although many people travelling to Paris for the week-end from London might be tempted to buy one, a word of caution! Yes, unlocked iPhones allow you to insert a different SIM so you're not forced to use Orange, unfortunately some reports suggest they deliberately added a country lock to make sure that won't work elsewhere than France. Other reports suggest that this is not the case and that only some applications like 'Visual Voice Mail' may not work abroad.

Now we haven't tried to do this yet and we don't know of anyone who has attempted to buy an unlocked iPhone from the Continent. Have any of you had any difficulties using your French iPhone with a UK SIM? We'd love to hear from you so we can clarify this issue once and for all.

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