I'm on the same boat of 3.1.3 and knowing no unlock-JB is possible yet ,i want to ask something different

according to apple ,you can use 3G and 3GS phones like an ipod by activating them with the carrier's (which the iphone is locked to) sim card.

But because i live in turkey , i will need a foreign simcard , but which carriers ?

i cannot locate the part number (for ex. which includes LL=USA-AT&T) because i cannot reach the springboard ,only i have "slide to emergency" screen

First question is , how can i find these part numbers in my current situation (with a software etc.)

Second , i'm 99% sure ,this phone is bought in north america..

Klantenservice: Serienummers

This website gives info about apple products ,but unfortunately it doesnt give any about these part numbers but ...


International Numbering Plans, © 2001-2010

This website ,from the imei number , gives "primary market" info , which is north america for mine...

And also the buddy who gave me the phone also told me that a student coming from america sold the phone to him.. (sorry for my bad english)

So i went to a shop here , and tried to activate with AT&T simcard (that was only a card , with no active line signal , an old simcar) but no success

According to your opinion ;

a) This phone is never activated with AT&T , so itunes servers dont recognize it (from imei , iccid or another number) ,and refuses to activate? Because maybe the first owner just used it with jailbreak , never needing to activate with AT&T

b) Or i'm mistaken and there is no "firstly activate with AT&T" rule ,and the problem is that the simcard we put in the phone yesterday is not an active one.

I need your opinion ,because till we're waiting for JB , i just want to use it for music , wi-fi etc...

Do not you have the box ? If yes, you could find infos on the back of it.

Here in France (orange), I used my 3gs not offialy activated during 2 months.
After I restore it and activated it with an activate orange simcard's friend, work perfectly!

If you have the box, you can see the serial number and put it here to see if your iPhone was already activated:

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

You just have to use the apropriate avtivated simcard to activate your phone.

In USA, I think there is only at&t, you can see this here :

Locating iPhone wireless carriers

If you do not have the box, try to contact the seller, he maybe have a bill with all infos.


Point B is correct!

Maybe your phone has a 3.1.2 shsh on cydia, you never know what the previous owner have done with it.
Maybe changing your hosts file to use saurik server and restore to 3.1.2 will success for you... You could check this easily with firmware umbrella.

i know my serial number

but serial number doesnt show which carrier is my iphone locked to

but what i got from the site is as follows

Registered (with a green tick near it)

Telephone Techical Support : Expired

Repairs and Service Coverage : Active (Again with a green tick)
(Your product is covered for eligible hardware repairs and service under Apple's limited warranty)

But how ever the info i needed is something like "MB1283LL" or etc. ( where LL represents the AT&T of USA)

i cannot locate it .. but still it's 99% percent AT&T iphone

again , same question .. if even it is AT&T locked , it may be possible that the first user never activated it with AT&T simcard...

If so , am i still any chance to activate it with AT&T simcard

and if i'm able to , this simcard needs to be signal-active (with line on it) , or just a simcard (previously used and no longer has a line on it)

so you say , whether this iphone is EVER activated with AT&T or NOT , it doesnt matter

if i find a ACTIVE simcard (from someone visiting turkey for ex. with his AT&T line that is active) , my 3GS will be 100% activated)

??

By the way ,as i mentioned before , the primary market show as north america ,so in north america there's no simlocked iphones other than AT&T i know ...

So the first user i think HAD to use AT&T once .. Because he couldnt get the device at first if he hadnt signed up the contract

So i think at least once this phone has been activated with AT&T

but now doesnt activate with AT&T simcard (that is not an active sim)

Originally Posted by tiktak

By the way ,as i mentioned before , the primary market show as north america ,so in north america there's no simlocked iphones other than AT&T i know ...

So the first user i think HAD to use AT&T once .. Because he couldnt get the device at first if he hadnt signed up the contract

So i think at least once this phone has been activated with AT&T

but now doesnt activate with AT&T simcard (that is not an active sim)

Canada is part of North America. Plenty of carriers sell iPhones in Canada. Mexico also (no idea if iPhones are available in Mexico)

There is no easy solution for you with the iPhone in the state it is in now and no box.

i just want to learn that IF THIS IPHONE IS AT&T's (i dont know if it can be found out now , but if it is) , just a simcard of AT&T is enough or a usable (with line) simcard is required ?

Originally Posted by tiktak

i just want to learn that IF THIS IPHONE IS AT&T's (i dont know if it can be found out now , but if it is) , just a simcard of AT&T is enough or a usable (with line) simcard is required ?

The way I interpret the Apple document that started this whole conversation is: you need to have had the 3GS active on a valid contract with AT&T then terminated the contract for this to work.

Assuming this is an AT&T phone.

it means if the first owner did it like the way you tell.

then today it can be activated again with an AT&T card ?

but the point , the simcard (that today i must find) needs to be a active one

or a 1 year old , non usable now ,just a AT&T plastic will do the same activation ?