iPhone 3G-S on MTN Contract

[StNick]

Hi guys,

I apologise in advance if this has been asked already (I am sure it has to have been covered somewhere, but search comes up empty), but perhaps this will answer the question for a lot of other users that haven't been able to find answers elsewhere.

Will the new iPhone 3G-S (sourced from Vodacom) work with a contract MTN simcard?

Here's what I want to do.... My MTN contract is up for renewal, and I want an iPhone without having to switch to Vodacom. My father is currently looking at taking out a new contract with Vodacom. He is prepared to let me pay in the once-off fee on a standard Talk 120 contract (around R3500) and give me the iPhone. Then when I do my upgrade, I give him the phone that he wants.

The only possible problem with this plan is that my simcard will not work in the iPhone. Can someone please advise?

[Flanjet]

Shouldnt be a problem. Check out the "Iphone tips and tricks" thread.

You will probably have to "jailbreak" the phone, but dont worry, this wont brick your phone or void the warranty.

[Gambit]

You don't need to jailbreak or network unlock vodacom sourced iphones. They will work with mtn sim cards.

[StNick]

Thanks guys... Good to know.

One question though, will I need to "activate" it on iTunes with my father's simcard first? Or can I put my simcard in straight out the box and activate that way?

[Gothan]

You can activate it with any simcard. Remember iphones are not network locked in SA, its against the law to do it here. I have an MTN sim, and I never put in another sim when I activate it. But don't listen to vodacom, they will warn of fires from the heavens and people rubbing ash in their face if you so much as look at an MTN sim (But between you and me...the iphone MMS works a lot better on MTN than vodacom, settings wise that is)

[StNick]

Cool, thanks a lot.

[TheManiac]

my brother is giving me his brand new iphone 3gs. i know im gonna sound like a retard now but as I understand I'll be able to use my MTN sim in the iphone no problem?

[Gothan]

Yip

[dziewiecki]

I have another quiestion to ask your opinions on.
If you buy the iphone 3gs from the USA, you can pick one up for around 500 dollars (R3500)
On a iphone 240 contract the pay in is R3500 now. (Where is the justification in such a price)
What problems can i face if i buy one from overseas and does in change anything if i get it from the USA or England, Germany etc.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what is the best way to buy the iphone 3gs in South Africa and not have any problems?

[fxit_man]

The iPhones bought from USA and Germany are locked to carriers, with no authorized Carrier unlocking offered.

Your best bet would be to find a country here that you can buy from which either is NOT locked to carrier, or which has authorized Carrier offered unlocking.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937

Check the "Locked to carrier" and "Carrier offers authorized unlocking" columns.

e.g:

UAE iPhones are NOT locked to carriers. Can simply purchase and bring it back here and it will work.

UK iPhones are locked to carriers, but O2 offer an authorized unlocking service. You would have to go to their webiste once in the UK to unlock the phone.

Here is what the website says (accessed from a UK proxy):

From 10 November, the iPhone can be unlocked for O2 customers in the UK.

Pay Monthly customers
Your iPhone can be unlocked at anytime free of charge. If you unlock your handset and place a non-O2 sim into it, you will still have to honour the remainder of the minimum term on your contract.

iPhone Pay & Go customers
Yes, you can unlock your iPhone for a one-off cost of £15. You'll pay for this from the money topped-up on your phone.

But if you unlock your iPhone less than 12 months after you bought it, we'll take off the free Web & Wi-Fi Bolt On (that we added for the first 12 months). You can buy a Web & Wi-Fi Bolt On for £10 a month when you fill in the unlocking form. Find out more about the Web & Wi-Fi Bolt On here.
What do I need to do?

Firstly, complete the unlocking form - it will take up to 14 days for the iPhone to be unlocked and we'll text you to confirm the unlock request. Then place a non-O2 sim into the iPhone and connect to iTunes via a USB cable. iTunes will confirm that the iPhone has been successfully unlocked.

Quite a few people on the forums have ordered factory unlocked iPhone from eBay. That is another option.

[splinter_watsup]

I got a vodacom 3gs and put a MTN sim card in it and have never had a problem :)

It just works! You don't have to change anything!

[ianh4]

Locked is one of the things to be careful of with imported phones.... Then there's warranty...

[Cowboy5933]

Help Needed....
Hi, i got my Iphone 32G 3GS 3 days ago but am battling to get the itunes to work. I am on an MTN contract & my mate is on a Vodacom contract. I wanted an Iphone & he wanted a Blackberry, so he upgraded his Vodacom contract to get the Iphone & i upgraded my MTN contract to get him a Blackberry & we swopped. I registered my Iphone with my MTN simcard, but now whenever i try access Itunes it says "Cannot Connect to the Itunes Store, the itunes store is not supported in this country". Even when i connect my Iphone to my laptop, it does open itunes, but i cannot sync it. Do i need to Jailbreak the phone to get it to work, or is there something i'm missing?

[fxit_man]

Are you logged into the iTunes store account you created?

Top right of iTunes store, click sign In.

Just get a free US account anyways, y
the SA ones are pretty useless. Check link in my sig.

Oh, and jailbreak too.

[MongooseMan]

Since we're discussing MTN, may I ask a question.
Has anyone on an MTN contract managed to get tethering to work?
I followed the instructions at http://wan.to/iphone but I still don't get a tethering option under Settings.

Anyone had more luck than me?

[fxit_man]

Since we're discussing MTN, may I ask a question.
Has anyone on an MTN contract managed to get tethering to work?
I followed the instructions at http://wan.to/iphone but I still don't get a tethering option under Settings.

Anyone had more luck than me?

I have problems on Vodacom myself sometimes :P

I just gave up and went the MyWi route. Supports WiFi /USB/Bluetooth.
http://www.rockyourphone.com/index.php/mywi.html