Roaming fees while you're abroad can wreak havoc on your wallet. And unless you rely completely on Wi-Fi for everything, including phone calls and text messages, you're probably going to have to pay them. An Android phone from Republic Wireless can use Wi-Fi for calls and texts seamlessly, without needing any special apps. But what about for iPhone owners, especially when you're away from a Wi-Fi hotspot?
One option is to buy a prepaid SIM card while overseas. Then you can swap your iPhone's original SIM card for theirs, and use another telecom company's wireless network to make phone calls and connect to the Internet. Not all iPhones work with this, though, and some work better than others.
So if I'm going on a business trip next week, which iPhone should I buy?
None of them.
Why's that?
Because as of November 11, none of the iPhones from the three major carriers that sell them will work with an international SIM card out of the box.
How do you get them to accept one, and what changed on November 11?
Before November 11, Sprint sold unlocked iPhones. According to MacRumors, however, a leaked internal Sprint memo detailed plans to lock iPhones starting on that date; "Customers can sign up for one of our international rate plans" instead. Sprint has since confirmed that this is, in fact, what the company's doing.
Now both Sprint and Verizon sell locked iPhones, which can only be used with their SIM cards. Verizon will allow "customers in good standing" to request that their phones be unlocked, though, after 60 days. And according to Jason Snell's MacWorld article about the new Sprint policies, Sprint is now adopting a similar stance, except that you have to have used your iPhone (which was purchased after November 11) for 90 days.
What about AT&T iPhones, which use GSM wireless radios?
AT&T iPhones are actually the worst of the bunch, despite AT&T using the international GSM standard.
Sprint and Verizon use what are called CDMA wireless networks, which are a kind that's used in very few places worldwide. The United States is a big exception, along with Japan. GSM, used by AT&T in the US, is much more popular worldwide.
The iPhone 4S includes both a GSM and a CDMA wireless radio, which is why unlocked Sprint and Verizon iPhones can use SIM cards from overseas networks. AT&T, however, " seems to consider that micro-SIM slot sacroscant" according to Snell's article, and will not allow you to unlock it.
Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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