iPhone 3G different hardware for each country?

[kamiboy]

The Australian, Belgian and French iPhones can be bought unlocked (only for the carriers of those countries apparently) the other iPhones are locked for life.

How does this work exactly? They all have the same firmware file installed, so I am thinking it must be some sort of hardware difference that enables each iPhone to know which country it was sold in?

 

[Warbrain]

The Australian, Belgian and French iPhones can be bought unlocked (only for the carriers of those countries apparently) the other iPhones are locked for life.

How does this work exactly? They all have the same firmware file installed, so I am thinking it must be some sort of hardware difference that enables each iPhone to know which country it was sold in?

No, you can code a different firmware for those countries so that they're unlocked from the start. The hardware changes that might have had to occur are those where the 3G network is on a different frequency than those in other areas.

 

[kamiboy]

No, you can code a different firmware for those countries so that they're unlocked from the start. The hardware changes that might have had to occur are those where the 3G network is on a different frequency than those in other areas.

That makes sense until you start thinking about doing a upgrade or restore via iTunes. How does an iPhone in DFU mode know if it was an unlocked one before installing the newest firmware or just restoring to the current.