how to get iPhone 3G in BC/Canada?? (morally)

[Virgil-TB2]

I'm preparing to get a new mobile device and unless the new iPods coming out in September are upgraded with cameras/speakers, etc. (and possibly even if they are) I will need to get an iPhone 3G.

So my question is, what's the best way to go about getting one, without running afoul of Satan (Rogers)?

I am in British Columbia and am very familiar with Rogers so I consider doing business with them a non-starter for moral reasons. I have convinced myself that using the device (iPhone) in ways the manufacturer and distributor don't want me too (unlocking), is now to be preferred ethically speaking, over the clearly unethical practices I would be supporting by going with Rogers. In other words, I am prepared to violate the contract because to support it is to support a greater "wrong" than the contract violation itself.

So in looking at my options on eBay and Craigslist, I got very confused very quickly. Some people claim they can unlock 3G, some say it isn't possible; some say that it's possible to legally buy an unlocked 3G phone in Canada, some say it's impossible.

• Where do I go to get a 3G white iPhone that I can (possibly) unlock?
• If I unlock it, can I get a Canadian phone company to support a voice only function with a non rogers SIM?
• Do I need to initially buy one with a Rogers/Fido sim in it even if I am ultimately not going to use Rogers/Fido?
• How many of these iPhones are stolen? Is it possible to get a non-stolen one? (a lot of the ads *are* from Surrey )
• If I just want voice only, can I use a sim from Virgin/Bell etc.?

I don't really care about the cost of the device, but what I want to end up with is a 16GB white iPhone that I can use as an iPod/camera for now but be able to unlock it at some point with a voice only contract from basically any other Canadian telco but Rogers. Is this even possible? I'm sure many have done this already and I would be grateful for any concrete advice.

 

[Virgil-TB2]

message to MacRumor community ...

I'm not really peeved that I got zero response on this particular thread but this is a perfect example of why these forums get so negative and are (mostly) unhelpful for the majority of people coming here.

I've had this happen many times before where I started a nice thread on a topic that lots of people want to know about, politely worded etc. and got no help or advice at all. Zip, nothin, nada. I've also seen this happen to many others. I have many many times helped out someone else who had a similar thread/question posted and was getting no response from anyone about it, so it's not like i think this is a one-way street either.

People wonder why forums like this devolve into a lot of sniping, name-calling and general grandstanding/boasting. Well this is why.

I also degenerate into one of those types myself, so I am not trying to be holier than anyone here, I'm just pointing out one of the reasons why the discourse degenerates in that way.

If no one is willing to help with stuff like this and people who post don't get any help, then all that's left is those "other" types of posts. You know, the ones where we are all bitching at each other. We are all capable of both types of posts, it would be nice to promote the good ones and thus reduce the others. A little more thinking of ones fellow man/woman and a little less of the egoism would go a long way towards making this a better place.

I stopped posting so much here myself lately exactly for this reason. I find the whole experience negative, and increasingly frustrating. My own posts have degenerated into negativity, born out of that frustration. Instead of a place to find help, advice or information on a problem, this forum has become just a lot of ugly clamouring for attention and gain-saying IMO.

I've been reducing my contributions over time as I said, but if the (few) posts I make from now on are all intensely negative and tend to cut people's opinons to pieces, you know at least part of the reason why I'm so bitchy.

It used to be a pleasure to come here, maybe in the future it will be again.

.

 

[Kardashian]

I

• Where do I go to get a 3G white iPhone that I can (possibly) unlock?
• If I unlock it, can I get a Canadian phone company to support a voice only function with a non rogers SIM?
• Do I need to initially buy one with a Rogers/Fido sim in it even if I am ultimately not going to use Rogers/Fido?
• How many of these iPhones are stolen? Is it possible to get a non-stolen one? (a lot of the ads *are* from Surrey )
• If I just want voice only, can I use a sim from Virgin/Bell etc.?

.

If you're not bothered about the price of the phone, fly to Hong Kong, New Zealand or better yet, Italy.

They sell pre-paid iPhones already unlocked.

Basically, you buy them on Vodafone (Italy and NZ) and simply take out the sim card, and insert your own. It's as simple as that.

Other than that, I have no idea, sorry.

 

[Scottyk9]

The iPhone is GSM, and currently the only GSM provider in Canada is Rogers/Fido....





edit: and by the way, many Canadians who know a bit about the iPhone in Canada deal with Rogers/Fido. You may get more assistance by toning down your vehemence.

 

[Tourist]

The iPhone is GSM, and the only GSM provider in Canada is Rogers/Fido....

Yip, currently Fido/Rogers are the only game in town for GSM in lower Canada, ( there are a couple of small networks in the NW territories and Northern Manitoba I am aware of) But for urban coverage, if you want an iPhone, you *will* have to deal with Rogers/Fido

If you are really prepared to really die in a ditch, (and pay for the privilege) you could arrange to get one in the US on AT&T and simply roam it in Canada (This will cost you serious $$$ and actually using the Rogers/Fido Network for service (I am not sure how deep your ethical objection runs)

 

[aristotle]

Just go to Fido. They are the better of the two.

With Fido you get:
- earlier evenings and weekends than Rogers with the option to start at 5pm with an add on option.
- Fido dollars that you can use toward the purchase of plan options or the next iPhone.
- generally friendlier staff
- other misc options not offered by Rogers.

I actually switched from Rogers to Fido.

 

[Scottyk9]

Just go to Fido. They are the better of the two.

With Fido you get:
- earlier evenings and weekends than Rogers with the option to start at 5pm with an add on option.
- Fido dollars that you can use toward the purchase of plan options or the next iPhone.
- generally friendlier staff
- other misc options not offered by Rogers.

I actually switched from Rogers to Fido.

ok, but they are the same company...

 

[aristotle]

ok, but they are the same company...

No they are not. Have you never heard of conglomerates or subsidiaries before? A example would be Phillip Morris which started out as a Tobacco company but now owns a number of companies including Kraft foods.

Fido still competes with Rogers and does offer some unique features for their own brand. About the only thing that changed was that Fido now requires contracts but the per second billing and earlier weekends and evenings are still hold overs of when they were fully independent.

*Edit* I just checked my bill and nowhere does it say "Rogers" but rather Fido solutions Inc. Fido might be owned by Rogers as a parent company but they are still separate entities.

 

[Scottyk9]

No they are not. Have you never heard of conglomerates or subsidiaries before? A example would be Phillip Morris which started out as a Tobacco company but now owns a number of companies including Kraft foods.

Fido still competes with Rogers and does offer some unique features for their own brand. About the only thing that changed was that Fido now requires contracts but the per second billing and earlier weekends and evenings are still hold overs of when they were fully independent.

Fair enough, Fido is a subsidiary of Rogers. I suppose we can leave it up to the OP to sort out the details (if he considers the holding company of Rogers to be satan, would Fido be a demon??)

 

[iblastoff]

i'd like to know what possible carrier you're going to be using the iphone with if you're not going to go with rogers (seeing as fido = rogers as well)

 

[Tourist]

No they are not. Have you never heard of conglomerates or subsidiaries before? A example would be Phillip Morris which started out as a Tobacco company but now owns a number of companies including Kraft foods.

Fido still competes with Rogers and does offer some unique features for their own brand. About the only thing that changed was that Fido now requires contracts but the per second billing and earlier weekends and evenings are still hold overs of when they were fully independent.

*Edit* I just checked my bill and nowhere does it say "Rogers" but rather Fido solutions Inc. Fido might be owned by Rogers as a parent company but they are still separate entities.

OP says he will not deal with Rogers or Fido,

# Do I need to initially buy one with a Rogers/Fido sim in it even if I am ultimately not going to use Rogers/Fido?

It seems fairly clear what his thoughts are on whether Fido and Rogers are the same.

 

[aristotle]

OP says he will not deal with Rogers or Fido,

It seems fairly clear what his thoughts are on whether Fido and Rogers are the same.

In that case, the OP has two choices.
1. Get an iPhone alternative from one of those crappy CDMA providers locked into their download store for ringtones.
2. Somehow sign up with AT&T in the US and go roaming in Canada.

The OP is trolling since everyone by now should be aware that the iPhone is a UMTS /GSM device and that all of the other providers in southern Canada are on CDMA networks which are not only incompatible with the iPhone but they do not use the SIM based variant of CDMA.

These facts have been covered so many times already that I think someone should make a sticky with frequently asked questions that include what type of technology the iPhone supports, what GSM is and what CDMA is.


I don't care what he thinks of Rogers and his "feelings" do not change the fact that there are no other GSM providers to choose from.