Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

jmmo20

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 15, 2006
1,166
102
About 11 months ago I bought a sim-locked iPhone from my local operator.
Last march I got 2 replacement iphones (first came with dead pixels, Apple sent me a second one that worked fine).

However, this third iPhone is really strange regarding the sim LOCK.
So, it's supposed to be locked to my operator (Movistar Spain).

If I put any other spanish sim card (Vodafone, Orange), the iPhone asks to be activated thru iphone, and the process logically fails.

HOWEVER; If I put my old italian sim card (from TIM, one of the official carriers in Italy that sell the iPhone), I can successfully activate it thru iTunes.

That means that I can use my TIM simcard and my MOVISTAR simcard in a phone that is supposed to be sim-locked to movistar.

Moreover, I borrowed a friend's iphone, also locked to movistar, and I put in my italian sim card. The iphone directly said "incorrect SIM" it didnt' ask for activation. So I reckon there's something different about this replacement iphone since it doesn't reject other sim cards (never shown "incorrect sim") but activation fails.

Any explanation for this?
(I've been told maybe I was given a replacemtn iphone meant for the italian market where iphones are sold unlocked - but as I've said, my iphone is not unlocked to all operators, only to TIM. I guess I would need to try a Sim card from another country that sells iphones but I don't have any at hand).
 
Wirelessly posted (BB 8900: BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.101 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/301)

Was your replacement a new or refurbished unit? Often they are refurbished... If it is, maybe it was a refurbished unit for TIM that was redone improperly, and there is a lingering hw/sw/fw issue allowing you to use that one company's sim?
 
Wirelessly posted (BB 8900: BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.101 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/301)

Was your replacement a new or refurbished unit? Often they are refurbished... If it is, maybe it was a refurbished unit for TIM that was redone improperly, and there is a lingering hw/sw/fw issue allowing you to use that one company's sim?

refurbished. From what I gathered back in March, the iphone's serial number meant it was a refurbished which originally was an AT&T iphone..

also, TIM iphones are sold unlocked.. completely 100% unlocked.

I wish I could try a different sim card..
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.