This week, Telus announced that the wireless company will be unlocking their IDEN/HSPA+ devices as of February 15, 2011 for a $50 fee.
At first glance, this seems similar to the Rogers/Fido unlocking policy, but there is one major difference. The Telus unlocking policy is more flexible, not requiring customers to be on their contract for the full three year term before allowing the unlock.
Device unlocking applies to TELUS postpaid SIM -based devices that operate on the Telus IDEN and HSPA+ postpaid networks and meet the following conditions:
Also, the initial eligible device list will not include the iPhone, but it is in the pipeline.
Remember that this policy does not void your contract. Paying $50 just unlocks the device, but the contract will remain. Having the device unlocked provides users with more flexibility in terms of choosing a wireless carrier when traveling, for example.
So far, the major carriers, such as Rogers, Fido, and Telus, all have an unlocking policy, with Telus being the most lucrative for customers. At this time, Bell has not said if it too will have an unlocking policy.
[CNW]
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“Users must be post-paid customers with Telus”
Could anyone explain to me this one…
Must have a contract or be paying a monthly bill.
Must have a contract or be paying a monthly bill.
We are headed to Italy in March and it would be really nice if we could take our FIDO iPhones with us and just insert an Italian SIM card in the iPhones while traveling there. Hopefully FIDO updates its policy to fall in line with Telus and allows iPhone to be unlocked. It’s not as though they are letting us out of the contracts. They would simply be allowing the owner of the phone to use it to its full potential.
I hope the iPhone unlock is coming soon. I may need it when travelling to other country in May.
Fido has been unlocking the iPhone since mid december. You just need to be eligible.
“Account must be active for at least 90 days” is not exactly true. Say I upgraded today to a new phone, I would still have an old account. It’s the phone for 90 days.
“…using an active and eligible SIM-based device for a minimum of 90 days…”
Thanks! Guess I’m all good!
There is a catch. Fido cannot unlock the iPhone permanently. If you every upgrade the IOS, it will erase the unlock feature. So to me, I don’t think that’s a true unlock. It’s just a waste of $50. I’m suspecting that this is another Apple’s evil scheme to protect its sales of their own unlock iPhones.
And that is why I think Telus hasn’t included this unlock service for the iPhone yet. I wish they have better luck dealing with Apple.
Can a jailbroken iphone be unlocked by Telus, Fido, Rogers?
If not, can an iphone be jailbroken after the carrier has unlocked it or will jailbreaking it disable the unlock?
Is it true that the unlock only works until the next iOS upgrade and then you have to unlock again?
Would you have to pay another $50?
Question 1: Yes
Question 2: Yes. Jailbreaking does not alter the unlock
Question 3: For these carrier unlocks, I think that’s true. If you update the firmware, you lose the unlock.
Question 4: If question 3 is true, then yes to question 4.
The unlock is permanent. I had Rogers unlock my iPhone on the first day they unlocked devices and I’m now on iOS 4.3 and it is unlocked still.
The iPhone unlock is permanent for that device. You can upgrade the device. I unlocked my iPhone on the first day Rogers unlocked devices in December and I’m on iOS 4.3 and it is still unlocked. Updated with iTunes and devices still works on different carriers.
What if you restore though?
Restore to 4.3 and report back if it’s unlocked
Shouldn’t matter. The device’s lock/unlock status is stored on an Apple server. The unlock is as permanent as the db entry on Apple’s server (which can only be modified by Apple or the carrier the phone came from). Here’s a blurb I found last year when trying to get my phone factory unlocked.
‘To unlock an iPhone you need the NCK which is a unique 15 digit key. Those keys for unlocking are sitting on Apples servers and send to the iPhone via iTunes while the iPhone is connected to the Mac/PC. Each iPhone has a unique HWID, NORID, CHIPID, (id’s embedded in the iphone hardware/chips and unique to each phone), the NCK is only working with the one iPhone where the above are matching. The NCK does not unlock any other iPhone. Trying to bruteforce the NCK would take years even on high-end computers (NCK Brute Force – The iPhone Wiki). Trying to guess the NCK is limited aswell, After 5 or so unsuccessful attempts, the iPhone becomes permanently locked to the carrier – unless you’re feeling really, really lucky, I wouldn’t try it.
Apple has HWID, NORID, CHIPID… of all iPhones sold in countries, where the iPhone has to be sold unlocked (Locating iPhone wireless carriers). So once a phone of those is connected via iTunes, the apple servers check HWID, NORID, CHIPID and compare it to their database. If the matching iPhone is marked “factory unlocked” the Apple servers send the unique NCK for this iPhone.
Since 3G, Apple pre-notes all of those iPhones that are factory unlocked, HWID, NORID, CHIPID and NCK are already sitting in Apples database.
That’s good, but still attempt the restore to be 100% sure. You have nothing to lose.
If the unlock is permanent, the restore shouldn’t matter.
Test it.
Fine…
Restored and first thing that came up was the “Congratulations, Your iPhone has been Unlocked” message on iTunes.
See post above…
I am a new user of the iPhone 4 and have a question re this Telus unlock option. I am post 90 days of account activation so when my phone is unlocked and want to use in the States, do I just buy a SIM card from say AT&T or Verizon (starting in Feb), insert it and its good to go? Do I need to sign up anywhere to have the phone usable and lastly will I still have my contact list data on the phone with a US sim card or would all of that be gone with a US Sim card? Sorry for this elementary question but I really don’t know how Sim cards work when travelling? Thanks in advance for your replies.
Do you have a screenshot? I’d love to add it to the post!!!
The weird thing is, with Rogers/Fido, they say that if the phone goes in for “repair”, the iPhone unlock is gone and you have to pay $50 again!
You purchase service from the provider of the SIM. So if you take an ATT sim, you’ll buy service from them.
Your contacts stay on the iPhone.
Yes, if it goes for repair chances are you will get a refurbished iPhone with a new IMEI number which will not be registered with Apple as being ‘unlocked’. So if I’m still covered under AppleCare till the summer. If I get my iPhone 3GS replaced then I will receive a replacement iPhone which is locked to Rogers again.
No screenshot. I do have the original screenshot from when I originally had it unlocked on December 14th, which was the exact same.
Thanks Ex for your super fast response. Appreciate it! I do have a few more ?? would an ATT microsim work with a TELUS iPhone 4 as they are GSM no? Would I have a locally assigned phone number when I activate the prepaid card? Do you know if these US prepaid cards come with data+voice plans or just one or the other? Once again, thank you.
If your Telus iPhone 4 is unlocked, it will work fine on AT&T.
Yes, you would have an AT&T, USA-based phone number.
Prepaid cards normally come with Voice only. Data normal comes when you do
postpaid monthly plans.
Just read on some links via Google news that Telus will unlock most devices but not the iPhone. If that’s true that is so unfair! Can anyone tell me where i can go to get my iPhone unlocked and does this void my warranty? Thanks everyone!
What is the eligibility requirement to unlock a FIDO iPhone?
i recently bought a telus phone that is locked. im with bell and want to take the iphone 4 to bell. is there any way i can get telus to unlock the phone for me for 50$, or is it impossible given the above conditions?
I just called TELUS about unlocking my iPhone 4 as I fit the crteria, the rep told me flatly that iPhone is not amongst the list of handsets that will be unlocked for a fee and no confirmation if they will make it available in the future so I doubt you will be able to have them unlock it but do try and best of luck! I am sure iphoneincanada.ca will provide an update once TELUS approves unlocking of iPhones!!
Where did you get iOS 4.3 as I’m positive it isn’t released until at least February 28th?? Do you have a beta or some pre release?
I purchased an unlocked iphone 4 in Singapore, my boyfriend popped his Sim card into my phone when he was having difficulties with his phone, my phone is now locked to telus as he updated something. How can this be fixed, can this be fixed, I currently have no phone due to this. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Hello,
I bought an Iphone 3GS with a 3 years plan with Telus on June 2010 and moved back to Europe in July 2011. I thus had to cancel my plan after 1 year and pay around 2/3 of the Iphone value (around CAD 450$)… Then I called Telus to unlock my device, in order to use it in Europe with another carrier. Telus answered they could not unlock it. I’m very disappointed since I paid a lot to get an Iphone that I can’t use !!!
Does anyone know how I could put some pressure on Telus ?I think it is not fair to pay for a device that you cannot use…
if you pay off a contract through telus, does your phone become unlocked and able to accept sim cards from other companies?
I dont know how i got here i thought i was eating pizza
i really dont know were im at -_-
I fit the Telus unlocking criteria. Did they extend their unlocking policy to the iPhone?
Can smbd help me with unlocking my Telus locked iPhone 4?
ji****@***il.com
Thanks!