Unactivated iPhone 5

[sandy1982]

Guys, i am planning to buy unactivated AT&T iPhone 5. Wanted to know if it can be activated and used on other gsm network. Just heard from some that thr is risk of phone not getting activated except legit AT&T sim. I know phone can be unlocked but to use, it need to be activated. Could you let me know, if i can buy and get it activated.

 

[kiwee]

From my understanding all the iPhones that have been shipped from Apple are unlocked. You can drop any sim in there and will be fine. Once the initial sim goes in, the phone will be perm locked to that carrier.

 

[imutter]

You probably better off getting it at Verizon depending where you want to use it and on what network
Verizion phones are unlocked
Here you can see the difference is really when you start using LTE services
http://forums.everythingicafe.com/threads/what-model-works-on-what-network.99180/

 

[Europa]

Guys, i am planning to buy unactivated AT&T iPhone 5. Wanted to know if it can be activated and used on other gsm network. Just heard from some that thr is risk of phone not getting activated except legit AT&T sim. I know phone can be unlocked but to use, it need to be activated. Could you let me know, if i can buy and get it activated.

Yes, it will work with any GSM network. You can buy a contract-free, full-price AT&T iPhone at an Apple store. After you get it home, you'll need to restore in iTunes. Since it is not tied to a contract, restoring it will permanently unlock it for use with any GSM network.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/to-unlock-a-full-price-att-iphone-5-just-restore-it-in-itunes/

From my understanding all the iPhones that have been shipped from Apple are unlocked. You can drop any sim in there and will be fine. Once the initial sim goes in, the phone will be perm locked to that carrier.

The contract AT&T phones are locked to AT&T. You can buy an unlock on eBay for less than $10, though.

You probably better off getting it at Verizon depending where you want to use it and on what network
Verizion phones are unlocked
Here you can see the difference is really when you start using LTE services
http://forums.everythingicafe.com/threads/what-model-works-on-what-network.99180/

The Verizon iPhone won't work with GSM LTE networks (they are limited to 3G/HSPA+), so a Verizon iPhone is not the best option for the OP.

 

[imutter]

The OP needs to be specific where on what network he wants to use the phone.

 

[sandy1982]

Thank you guyz for the reply - i have idea about the unlock on att and verizon, my only concern is will i b able to activate the unactivated phone of att, it shuld not get stuck on iTunes logo.
I checked with unlock dealer and he said, phone wil get unlocked with imei # but chances are, phone not getting activated hence i wanted to know, if i can use any att sim n get it activated or i wil have to go to att store to make it work.

 

[Rugaby]

From my understanding all the iPhones that have been shipped from Apple are unlocked. You can drop any sim in there and will be fine. Once the initial sim goes in, the phone will be perm locked to that carrier.

Sprint phones come activated. Not correctly but they are assigned in the sprint system and attached to whatever line it was purchased on or upgraded on.

 

[Amillio Patino]

to activate just grab a att sim and it should let you get past the activation screen.