I'm planning on buying an iPhone through the OFFICIAL channel (Airtel/Vodafone) in INDIA. The problem is this:

Airtel doesn't have plan details online anywhere. Vodafone doesn't specify the contract duration for the iPhone plan. I called up the Support numbers and they dont know ANYTHING.

• Whats the contract duration for iPhone 3G (Both Airtel & Vodafone) ?
• Is GPRS available in unlocked iPhones ?

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try this:
Airtel: iPhone3G

I would advice you to visit a nearby airtel/vodafone store for details.

Edge is also available on both providers.

Airtel / Vodafone are official providers in India

Airtel - Offers carrier unlock ( you need to shell out something around INR 1800.00).
Vodafone - Price is competitive .. at lease 500-1000 with respect to Airtel

check out reliance time out/reliance digital (apple care) ... there also Iphone is available... hope some competitive prices.

- There is no contract ... it would be locked to particular carrier.
- GPRS/EDGE works great with Iphone in India.

__________________
Thanx * Rgds,
Girish Kumar

I would suggest you to buy it from Airtel. Overall it's cheaper, data plan is better from airtel than that from vodafone. Airtel offers 500 MB free download each month for first year of usage.

After 1 year your warranty cover is gone and you may get your phone unlocked for free by Airtel. There's no contract as such .... just that you void your warranty once you unlock your phone (at least that's what airtel guys told me when they sold it to me) and since for 1 year they offer 500 mb free download through gprs it doesn't make sense to use anything other than Airtel.

Reliance store prices some time back was same 31K not sure what they are selling at now. Vodafone offers the phone at less but data plan is expensive.

Hi Girish did u go to airtel outlet personally and asked them about officially unlocking or you heard from somewhere or someone? cos even i heard something like that and i did go to airtel headoffice "Peninsula towers" Lower Parel Mumbai and enquired them. they said they dont do it. i Even went to vodafone head office located next to airtel there and even they denied. this was few month back maybe 3-4 months back. and last week i went to airtel outlet at chakala Andheri Mumbai and asked them and even they denied. and also one of the guy there told me though unofficially that airtel would never unlock it cos they will lose 90% of iphone customer if they did. So i would request you to clarify once again from them personally going to some good outlet. and if they are doing then please let me know my email address is akbarali.ch(at)gmail.com.

thanks

Earlier as per apple site Airtel was *officially* authorized to unlock … might be recently they are not doing so.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1937


After seeing the link I could not believe my eyes.... that option has been removed.
(If you have any iguru friends then they should help you out)
I was offered for unlock at 1800.00 but I was not ok in paying that much of amount for unlock ; I had used dev teams tools to get it unlocked for me freely.

__________________
Thanx * Rgds,
Girish Kumar

read the fine print.
They have stuff like if you update your firmeware even thru itunes you warranty is void.

That part of info even i saw very very long back. what i need to know is that these igurus will unlock so that i can update any firmware without any issue or atleast it will unlck to the point that i dont have to wait for the dev-team to find a hack. If this igurus are doing the same thing as what dev-team says then i don't want to go for it cos i already have hacked my device several times before and done it this time too. i am currently on os 3.1 with baseband i gues 4.26 something not the 5xxx something. i am ready to pay that 1800 if its a hack i mention and not dev-team hack.

See if you get it unlocked by igurus... they will update your serial number with apple. The Unlock software they are using is coded by apple dev people has nothing to do with it.

I am not sure once they unlock it will be free from os update (i.e. once unlock is done if software gets updated unlock is lost or unlock would be present).

Now as the site is updated as no unlock would be available from both service providers (Airtel / Vodafone India) no option is available.

If you have and friends in iguru circle then there is ray of hope.

__________________
Thanx * Rgds,
Girish Kumar

Thanks so much Girish. just one last thing. kind of silly maybe but how to contact igurus or do they have a website like dev-team.