Virgin Mobile USA to Offer iPhone With Prepaid Plans Starting at $30 on June 29

Virgin Mobile Sprint's pay-to-go brand has just confirmed that it will be offering Apple's iPhone with prepaid plans from June 29th.

Virgin Mobile would be the second carrier in the US to offer iPhone with prepaid plans after Cricket Wireless.

Virgin Mobile has announced that it will be offer Apple's iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with prepaid plans that will start at $30, which comes with unlimited SMS and data, as compared to the $55 unlimited plan offered by Cricket Wireless.

Virgin Mobile's Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans for iPhone start at $35 per month for access to Sprint's Nationwide Network, and customers can receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register for automatic monthly payments with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account, making iPhone available for as low as $30 per month. Customers can also use their iPhone as a mobile hotspot through Virgin Mobile for an additional $15 per month.

You can check out the pricing for iPhone on Virgin Mobile USA below:

As you can see, Virgin Mobile is not offering any subsidy for the iPhone, whereas Cricket Wireless offers a $150 subsidy. But prepaid plans starting at $30 could be attractive for customers who are not looking for unlimited voice minutes. They will be able to recover the additional cost for the iPhone within 6 months. Virgin Mobile will also be throttling speeds after 2.5GB of monthly data usage. It is also offering the mobile hotspot feature for an additional $15 per month.

It is not clear if Virgin Mobile will be taking pre-orders for the iPhone, but they have said that customers will be able to buy the iPhone on their website, RadioShack, Best Buy and select local retailers.

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Sprint’s Virgin Mobile to Offer iPhone With Prepaid Plans

MarketWatch reports that Sprint is gearing up to offer Apple's iPhone with prepaid plans through Virgin Mobile USA - its pay-to-go brand as early as July 1st.

Cricket Wireless had announced  last week that it will start offering Apple's iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on its network from June 22nd, which would make them the first carrier in the US to offer iPhone with prepaid plans.

MarketWatch reports:

The Overland Park, Kan., carrier will announce this week it will offer the popular smartphone on its Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go brand starting as soon as July 1, according to people familiar with the company's plans. Sprint follows Leap Wireless International Inc. in selling the device with prepaid service. 

By offering the iPhone, Sprint may help satisfy its commitment to Apple to buy $15.5 billion of the phones over four years, an aggressive bet as more carriers are getting access to the once-exclusive device. Sprint's prepaid service, which also includes the Boost Mobile brand, has been its lone area of growth as contract customers have fled.

Virgin Mobile's pricing for the iPhone is not yet known. Cricket Wireless is offering the 16GB iPhone 4S will cost $499 and 8GB iPhone 4 will cost $399 with $55 per-month, all-inclusive unlimited talk, text and data plan. Cricket Wireless will throttle the speed after 2.3GB of data usage per month.

Virgin Mobile currently offers a prepaid plans that start at $35 a month and offer unlimited data, although Virgin Mobile also throttles the speed after 2.5GB of usage. We doubt Virgin will offer Apple's iPhone at that price point.

It remains to be seen if Boost Mobile - Sprint's other pay-as-you-go brand will also be offering Apple's iPhone with prepaid plans.

Via: iphonehacks

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AT&T CEO: Data-Only Phone Plans Inevitable

In a somewhat surprising admission, AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson, at an investors conference in New York, said that data-only cellphone plans are inevitable, and that he expects them to arrive within the next two years.

While Stephenson didn't say anything about AT&T offering such a plan, the industry is definitely heading towards a data only direction, and it's just a matter of time until one carrier or the other gives in.

Stephenson's words from the conference:

"I'll be surprised if, in the next 24 months, we don't see people in the market place with data-only plans. I just think that's inevitable."

Smartphone's permanent web connectivity has given rise to a lot of alternative media of communication, some of which are much better than the traditional phone calls and text messages. People have in fact demanded data only connections since quite sometime, but till now carriers have only offered such plans for 3G/4G tablets. 

Assosicated Press' report on the event notes that AT&T has been recording a decline in the average number of minutes used per month, presumably due to people using apps like iMessage, Skype, FaceTime over traditional voice calls. In fact, AT&T execs has gone on record saying that iMessage and other similar texting apps are eating into their messaging revenues.

The transition to data only plans would be a difficult one for carriers, since significant portion of their revenues presently come from phone calls and text messages. When the process of transition is underway, carriers might increase data rates to compensate for their loss of revenue from phone calls and texts.

Presently, AT&T is on its way to launch shared data plans which will allow subscribers to share their plan over multiple devices instead of buying a new one for each of them. Although the initiative might reduce the amount a consumer pays, AT&T's CEO says that the company "is determined to make more money from the plans, not less."

One of the ways AT&T's planning to increase its revenue from data is by letting content providers pay for the data consumed on their portals or apps instead of directly charging users. Stephenson says that this idea would be tested next year.

While this might seem like a good idea at first, at least from a consumer standpoint, it would be disastrous for companies and organizations low on capital.

All we hope is that in the quest for compensating for their lost revenues, carriers don't come up with absurd ideas.

Via Apple Insider

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Cricket Wireless to Offer Apple’s iPhone With Prepaid Plan On June 22nd

Cricket Wireless has just announced that it will start offering Apple's iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on its network from June 22nd.

Cricket Wireless will be the first carrier in the US to sell Apple's iPhone with prepaid plans. 

However, the no-contract plans means that customers will have to pay a higher upfront cost for Apple's iPhone. The 16GB iPhone 4S will cost $499 and 8GB iPhone 4 will cost $399 with $55 per-month, all-inclusive unlimited talk, text and data plan. Cricket Wireless will throttle the speed after 2.3GB of data usage per month.

Here's an excerpt from Cricket's press release:

Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc., announced today that it will be the first pre-paid carrier in the US to offer iPhone to its customers. Beginning on Friday, June 22, Cricket will offer iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with its $55 per-month, all-inclusive unlimited talk, text and data plan. [..]

 [..] "Our customers want the best products available and we are excited to bring iPhone to our pre-paid consumers with an industry leading $55 per-month service plan," said Doug Hutcheson, president and chief executive officer, Leap Wireless International, Inc. "Launching iPhone is a major milestone for us and we are proud to offer iPhone customers attractive nationwide coverage, a robust 3G data network and a value-packed, no-contract plan."

The prepaid plan is available only to customers who have bought the iPhone from Cricket. Interested customers can provide their contact details on Cricket's website.

Apple continues to expand the availability of the iPhone. Last month, six regional carriers started offering Apple's iPhone, followed by three more regional carriers earlier in the month.

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Warning Message in iOS 5.1.1 Hints at FaceTime Over 3G

FaceTime, since its inception almost two years ago, has always remained a Wi-Fi only feature, owing to carriers' fears of data heavy video calls clogging their already clogged data networks or probably potential loss of revenues like iMessage.

According to a warning message found in iOS 5.1.1 by Russian blog iDevice, it seems that Apple is finally getting ready to flip the switch and enable FaceTime calls over 3G, and presumably over LTE as well.

The warning message, according to the blog, pops up when you try to disable 3G. The translation from Russian isn't all that clear, but it seems that you need to be on a FaceTime call to reproduce this:

Being called by someone, although I was connected to a 3G data network, when I tried to close the 3G connection I was greeted by the message of the picture above. Normally you should not be called if I was connected to the 3G, but the call originated to me did not stop, but I just got the iPhone warning I missed a call FaceTime.

If there was any doubt, this is clear confirmation that Apple is internally testing FaceTime over 3G. Sadly, even if Apple concludes that FaceTime over 3G is ready for mass consumption, it's ultimately up to the carriers to allow this. (Remember Internet Tethering?)

This is also not the first time that we've seen references of FaceTime over 3G in iOS, as last year a screenshot from iOS 5 beta had hinted at the possibility of Apple including this feature in iOS 5.

(If you don't mind jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad, there's a really easy solution to enable FaceTime over 3G.)

[via Gizmodo]

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RIM And Motorola Propose Revised Nano-SIM Design to Compromise With Apple

Over the past few months, phone manufacturers and carriers have been working with standard governing bodies to draft the design of the Nano-SIM card, the successor to the currently used micro-SIM cards in iPhones and iPads.

During the designing process, there was a stand off amongst Apple and a joint group of Nokia, Motorola and RIM over the design of the SIM. Apple even offered to license the patents involved in its design royalty free to reduce the opposition to the design.

However, till now, no side has refused to completely accept the other proposal. Majority support though, was for Apple's design, with major carriers backing it. The final vote was postponed to sometime later this month, with RIM and Motorola agreeing to strike a compromise by merging the two designs.

The Verge reports that RIM and Motorola have now submitted the updated proposal for the new SIM, which derives 80 percent of its design from Apple's draft.

The outline and contacts are carried over from the original Apple design, meaning that it'll still be backward-compatible with larger SIMs when used with an adapter. In fact, the only important element that they've added is a notch on one edge, a feature that RIM says would enable "push-push" mechanisms for storing the nano-SIM in devices — push it into a slot to secure it, push it again to pop it out. Without that notch, the design would necessitate a tray to hold it in place.

Interestingly, instead of being in favor of the joint design, Apple said that it could support both the proposals, perhaps realizing the leverage it has over carriers due to the iPhone's popularity.

Since Apple uses SIM trays for inserting the card into the device, its design didn't have notches, which are used by other phone manufacturers to include a "push-push" mechanism to store and eject SIM cards. The merged design includes these notches, but retains other components from Apple's design along with maintaining backward compatibility.

The Verge notes that Nokia hasn't been a part of the latest proposal, indicating that the company's fine by either of the two designs.

The next meeting is scheduled for the 31st of May in Japan, where Apple would voice its opinion on the new design.

(via iphonehacks ,Image courtesy: The Verge) 

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Verizon Clarifies Stance on Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans

Yesterday, we reported that Verizon is planning to end grandfathered unlimited data plans when customers switch to 4G LTE smartphones.

Verizon issued a clarification to the New York Times today regarding the changes noting that the loss of the grandfathered unlimited data plans will be limited to customers upgrading to subsidized handsets.

Customers who choose not to upgrade their devices or to purchase devices at their original, unsubsidized prices will be allowed to keep unlimited data plans.

- Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.

- When we introduce our new shared data plans, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing.

- Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.

- The same pricing and policies will be applied to all 3G and 4G LTE smartphones.

While some customers won't lose their grandfathered plans, the majority of Verizon subscribers will probably be affected regardless, as they're interested in regular handset upgrades at subsidized prices. The next-generation iPhone is widely speculated to support 4G LTE networks, so iPhone customers looking to upgrade to this device while simultaneously preserving their unlimited data plans will have to pay the unsubsidized price for the handset.

Sprint remains to be the only major U.S. carrier to offer truly unlimited plans, and they plan to continue to do so even if the next-generation iPhone supports 4G LTE. AT&T hasn't its plan yet, but based on CEO Randall Stephenson's comment a few weeks back, though, we won't be surprised if AT&T decides to discontinue grandfathered data plans with similar conditions as Verizon.

[via The New York Times]

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Verizon to End Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans When Customers Move to 4G LTE Smartphones

When Verizon started offering Apple's iPhone on its network in early 2011, it offered customers unlimited data plans. But in less than 6 months, it followed AT&T's footsteps to kill the unlimited data plans and moved to tiered data plans.

It however allowed customers to grandfather their unlimited data plans when they wanted to upgrade to the new iPhone on a fresh two-year contract.

That's going to come to an end soon, as Fierce Wireless reports that Verizon is planning to end the grandfathered unlimited data plans when they want to switch to 4G LTE, leaving them with no option but to switch to their shared data plans.

As these 3G unlimited data plan customers migrate to 4G LTE, they will have to purchase the company's data-share plan (which Verizon plans to launch in mid-summer) and move off the $30 per month unlimited data plan. "Everyone will be on data share," Shammo said.

Apple's next generation iPhone coming later this year, is widely speculated to support 4G LTE networks, so this will be applicable to iPhone customers.

Sprint has said that it will continue to offer unlimited data plans even if the next iPhone supports 4G LTE, which is one of Sprint's differentiator. AT&T is yet to make any statement regarding this issue. But we won't be surprised if AT&T also decides to end the grandfathered unlimited data plans based on AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson's comment few weeks back. In the on-stage interview at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference, Stephenson said that his only regret was to offer unlimited data plans to iPhone users when it was launched.

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T-Mobile Takes a Dig at iPhone 4S on AT&T’s Network in New TV Ad

Hot on the heels of announcing plans to launch its 4G HSPA+ network by the end of the year and 4G LTE network in 2013, T-Mobile USA has launched a new ad campaign dubbed "Alter Ego".

In the latest TV commercial, T-Mobile USA compares the iPhone 4S on AT&T's network with devices on its 4G network.

iPhone 4S supports 14.4 Mbps HSDPA, which is marketed by some carriers like AT&T as "4G" technology even though technically speaking it's not "4G". In fact, iOS 5.1 or later reports the network indicator on the iPhone 4S as "4G" on AT&T's network, so this may not be an unfair comparison.

T-Mobile USA announced earlier in the week that they plan to launch their 4G HSPA+ network by the end of the year, which will support Apple's iPhone.

Currently, more than a million unlocked iPhone users that use T-Mobile USA's network can use only the slower EDGE network as the iPhone is not compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network due to its unique band technology.

T-Mobile "Alter Ego" ad campaign isn't targeting just AT&T, it has taken a dig at Verizon and Sprint as well on their Test Drive website. They are inviting users to take a test drive of their 4G network, where they've compared their 4G devices with iPhone 4S on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T. The test drive shows how Samsung Galaxy S II - a 4G device on T-Mobile's network streams Netflix much faster than iPhone 4S on AT&T (takes 70% more time to start streaming), Verizon (takes 3 times more time to start streaming) and Sprint (takes 4 times more time to start streaming).

Check out the TV ad below and let us know what you think:

How much faster is T-Mobile's 4G network compared to the iPhone 4S on AT&T's network? Don't blink or you may miss it. Now see how much faster our 4G speeds are for real at tmobile.com/testdrive.

[via 9to5Mac] 

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T-Mobile USA to Launch iPhone Compatible 4G HSPA+ Network by End of the Year, 4G LTE Network in 2013

T-Mobile USA has announced that it plans to launch 4G HSPA+ network in the 1900 MHz band in a "large number of markets" by the end of the year. It also plans to roll out 4G LTE network in 2013.

T-Mobile USA, the fourth largest carrier in the US has not been able to offer Apple's iPhone as their 3G network is not compatible with the iPhone.

T-Mobile USA has announced that their 4G HSPA+ service will be compatible with Apple's iPhone.

As part of the company’s network modernization effort, T-Mobile also plans to launch 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900 MHz band in a large number of markets by the end of the year. Network modernization trials have shown up to a 33 percent increase in HSPA+ data speeds as well as improved in-building coverage. Rolling out 4G HSPA+ services in the 1900 MHz band will also provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile’s 4G network.

Despite the lack of 3G support, T-Mobile USA has more than 1-million iPhone users that use the slower EDGE network.

The launch of 4G HSPA+ service is good news for iPhone users, who have been holding back due to the lack of 3G support. But with Apple widely expected to launch a 4G LTE iPhone later this year, T-Mobile USA customers will again be limited to 4G HSPA+ speeds rather than 4G LTE that will be available on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint (to a limited extent).

But it would still be better off then be limited to slower EDGE network with a LTE iPhone. With the launch of 4G HSPA+ network by the end of the year, it remains to be seen if T-Mobile USA will officially offer Apple's next generation iPhone when it launches later this year or if users who want to switch to T-Mobile USA will have to buy factory unlocked iPhones.

Will you be switching to T-Mobile USA when it launches it 4G HSPA+ network? Let us know in the comments.

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AT&T CEO’s Only Regret is Offering Unlimited Data Plans For iPhone

AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson who spoke at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference, said that his only regret was to offer unlimited data plans to iPhone users when it was launched.

From New York Times:

“My only regret was how we introduced pricing in the beginning, because how did we introduce pricing? Thirty dollars and you get all you can eat,” he said in the on-stage interview at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference on Wednesday. “And it’s a variable cost model. Every additional megabyte you use in this network, I have to invest capital.”

Back in June 2010, AT&T killed the tiered unlimited data plans and switched to tiered data plans. It however allowed users to grandfather their unlimited data plans. But AT&T received a lot of negative publicity when it started throttling top 5% of the unlimited data plan users.

Stephenson also admitted that services like iMessage keep him awake at night as they're eating into company messaging revenues.

“You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model,” he said. “Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.”

Stephenson also reveals that the board was nervous about the iPhone as they had concerns that it could transform their business model:

“I remember asking the question: Are we investing in a business model, are we investing in a product or are we investing in Steve Jobs?” Mr. Stephenson said. “The answer to the question was, you’re investing in Steve Jobs. Let’s go after this thing. And we went after it, and the rest is history.”

But Stephenson doesn't regret the decision to support Apple's iPhone, which has helped AT&T post revenues of $31.8 billion, up 1.8 percent, versus the year-earlier quarter and operating income of $6.1 billion, up 4.9 percent, versus the year-earlier quarter.

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iPhone 4S Available For $114 And iPhone 4 For $34 at Some Walmart Stores [Updated]

Cult of Mac reports that Walmart has slashed the price of 16GB iPhone 4S and 8GB iPhone 4 models.

Walmart is offering the 16GB iPhone 4S for $114, which is a discount of $74 from Walmart's regular price of $188.

Walmart is also offering the 8GB iPhone 4 for $34, which is a discount of $54 from Walmart's regular price of $88. The offer is available only with a tw0-year contract through AT&T.

But the discounts don't seem to be available across all Walmart stores. Cult of Mac reports that the store in Edmond, Oklahoma and The Verge reports that the store in Austin, Texas are currently offering Apple's iPhone at lower prices. But Walmart's website still lists the price of iPhone 4S as $188, with a note that "store pricing may vary".

It is not clear if Walmart and AT&T have teamed up for the promotion and how long it will last. Walmart had  dropped the price of iPhone 4 last year to $147 from $197 in summer, few months before the launch of iPhone 4S. With the launch of the next generation iPhone expected only in fall and Apple still selling iPhones like hot cakes, the timing of the price drop is quite intriguing.

If you're planning to buy an iPhone then it may be a good time to buy one, assuming you can find a Walmart store that is offering these discounts. If you do then don't forget to let us know in the comments.

Update:

It was too good to be true, 9to5Mac reports:

Walmart just responded to 9to5Mac’s inquiry and said the retail chain “experienced a pricing error in limited stores” yesterday. The company spokesperson said the issue has been addressed and normal prices are now in effect: 16GB iPhone 4S for $188, iPhone 4 for $88, and iPhone 3GS for $0.97.

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AT&T Activated 4.3 Million iPhones in Q1 2012

AT&T announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2012.

AT&T's posted revenues of $31.8 billion, up 1.8 percent, versus the year-earlier quarter and operating income of $6.1 billion, up 4.9 percent, versus the year-earlier quarter.

AT&T also announced that it activated 4.3 million iPhones in the last quarter, compared to 3.6 million iPhone activates in the same quarter last year and 7.6 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2011. AT&T sold 5.5 million iPhones, which means that iPhone accounted for a whopping 75% of those activations, which is extremely impressive.

Here's an excerpt from AT&T's press release:

AT&T sold 5.5 million smartphones, exceeding a first-quarter sales record set last year. Smartphones represented more than 78 percent of postpaid device sales. At the end of the quarter, 59.3 percent, or 41.2 million, of AT&T's postpaid subscribers had smartphones, up from 46.2 percent and 31.5 million a year earlier. AT&T's ARPU for smartphones is 90 percent higher than for non-smartphone subscribers. About 88 percent of smartphone subscribers are on FamilyTalk^® or business plans. Churn levels for these subscribers are significantly lower than for other postpaid subscribers. About 30 percent of AT&T's postpaid smartphone customers use a 4G-capable device.

Both Android and iPhone device sales remain strong. iPhone sales were helped by AT&T's 4G network, which lets iPhone 4S download three-times faster than other U.S. carriers' networks. In the quarter, the company activated 4.3 million iPhones, with 21 percent new to AT&T.

But these impressive numbers haven't gone down to well with Wall Street as Apple, which will be announcing its quarterly financial results later today, is down $10 based on concerns that iPhone activations dropped 43% quarter on quarter. Apple stock has fallen by more than 10% after hitting a peak of $644, but up by more than 38.5% since the start of the year.

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Verizon Will Start Charging $30 Upgrade Fee From April 22nd

Verizon has announced that it will also start charging a $30 upgrade fee from April 22nd for current customers switching to new mobile phones at subsidized rates with a two-year contract.

Here's an excerpt from Verizon's press release:

On April 22, Verizon Wireless is implementing a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers purchasing new mobile equipment at a discounted price with a two-year contract. This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect which includes Wireless Workshops, online educational tools, and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices that are more sophisticated than ever. 

Verizon joins AT&T and Sprint who have been charging an upgrade fee for quite a while. In fact, Sprint doubled the upgrade fee a month before it started offering Apple's iPhone in September last year and AT&T recently doubled the upgrade fee in February.

It is quite ridiculous that carriers charge customers an upgrade fee when they are actually upgrading to a new two-year contract rather than switching to another carrier. It's sad to see Verizon following AT&T and Sprint's footsteps rather than setting an example as the largest carrier in the US.

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U.S. Carriers Working On Centralized Database To Track Stolen Mobile Phones

The Wall Street Journal carries a report on the major four U.S. carriers working with the government to build a central database of stolen or lost mobile phones. This database would then be used by the authorities to disable and locate these mobile phones.

The government's intention is to reduce mobile phone thefts by denying lost or stolen phones voice and data services, making it hard to resell. Presently only two of the four major carriers, Verizon and Sprint, have such mechanisms in place. AT&T and T-Mobile are expected to join these two carriers by setting up similar facilities very soon.

From the WSJ article:

Wireless phones that have been reported stolen to the carrier will be listed in the database using unique serial numbers associated with mobile gadgets. The carriers will block listed phones from accessing carrier networks for voice and data service.

Carriers will roll out their own individual databases within six months. The individual databases will be integrated and centralized over the 12 months thereafter. Smaller, regional wireless carriers are expected to join the database over two years, according to a person familiar with the plan.

The report outlines the increasing number of mobile phone thefts, and the lucrative resale market. Police felt that the present measures weren't adequate, which is one of the reasons why FCC, on behalf of the government, started speaking to carriers regarding this database.

The FCC plans on making the database compatible with that of other countries, to tackle the problem of stolen phone that could be exported to foreign countries.

There are a few shortcomings though. A "disabled" phone could still connect to Wi-Fi networks, play music and do other activities that don't depend on the network, or its software could be modified to spoof the identity number, thus restoring service. However, despite these shortcomings, other countries have successfully used this method to bring down the number of mobile phone thefts.

While mobile phone manufacturers like Apple have introduced features like Find My iPhone that helps you find and protect data on your lost or stolen iPhone, it is not completely fool proof, so any step taken to plug the loop holes is good news from a customer point of view.

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Has AT&T Unlocked Your Off-Contract iPhone Yet? [Updated]

It's April 8th, and according to AT&T's statement issued a couple of days back, the carrier plans to unlock users with off-contract AT&T iPhones starting today.

AT&T lists the following requirements in order for you to be eligible for an unlock:

• Your account must be in good standing.
• You should have completed the 24 months contract period, or paid an early termination fee, or upgraded under one of AT&T's upgrade policies.

According to some readers that have commented on the announcement post, the awareness about this policy change isn't high enough among AT&T's customer service reps, so expect a few clueless responses from the other end of the line when you call AT&T for an unlock.

A few comments from readers:

lynda writes: I called AT&T this morning, just after they opened the customer support lines. First customer service rep said that absolutely no-way could they unlock an iPhone, then cut me off. Second customer service rep said the same, but then did a little more research and acknowledged that they now can unlock iPhones that satisfy the requirements. However, despite the rep being able to see that my phone qualifies, they do not have access to unlock codes.

Happy writes: Called AT&T earlier today told them I have three iPhones and that I do not have an AT&T account with them and asked if I would be able to get them unlocked on the 8th and she said as long as they were free of contracts and charges they would be unlocked free of charge:}:}:}:} About time.

One reader whose unlock request did get accepted by AT&T writes in the comments section:

I just called ATT a while ago and requested to unlock my iPhone 4S which I paid the full retail price for. The guy I spoke to asked for my name, email, phone and IMEI. Put the request in and gave me a request confirmation. He confirms I will get details of how to unlock my iPhone a week from the day I called which is today. So fingers crossed.

You can note your device's IMEI number by navigating to Settings -> General -> About, or by connecting your iPhone to iTunes and checking it from there. (You have to click on the Phone number field twice to see the IMEI number.) Alternatively, you could get this number from the SIM tray.

After AT&T processes your request, which seems to be a week from the time they accept your unlock request, you'd be given instructions to complete your unlock.

You can call AT&T on 1-800-CALL-ATT (1-800-225-5288) or contact them via the online chat feature here and hope that the customer service rep on the phone has been briefed about AT&T's policy change on iPhone unlocks.

Update 1:

A forum member on iMore claims he has managed to get his AT&T iPhone unlocked:

Today, 4/8/12, I called AT&T to unlock my contract free 3GS. Took 30 minutes on T’s end to get the unlock code, and only 5 minutes to perform a backup and restore via iTunes. Interestingly enough, the phone number shows as NA in the iTunes screen. Same IMEI and ICCID if you click on the same spot.

Update 2:

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

While most readers who are eligible for the unlock are being told to wait for a week to get their unlock instructions, some readers have managed to get their iPhone unlocked. We're not sure what's the criteria.

Since it has been less than 24-months since the launch of iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, the only way you will be able to get your iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S unlocked would be if you pay the early termination fee.

Update 3:

Please note that you can also request for the unlock using the online chat feature on AT&T's website. Use this link to use the chat feature.

Update 4:

Ideally, you should not be required to restore your iPhone, connecting your iPhone to iTunes once your IMEI has been added to the whitelist should be sufficient (Check out Update 8 for more details). So restore your iPhone only if connecting to iTunes after you get a confirmation from AT&T does not work.

Update 5:

If you've purchased a used AT&T iPhone, then it looks like AT&T is looking at the original owner's history and checking if he or she has completed the terms of his contract, to verify if the used iPhone is eligible for the unlock. Hat tip to chpwn!

Update 6:

According to chpwn, the maximum number of iPhones that AT&T will unlock per account is apparently 5.

Update 7:

If you're eligible for the unlock, then you should receive the following email from AT&T, which provides the instructions to complete the unlock (via MacRumors). As we've mentioned earlier, you should not be required to restore your iPhone, connecting your iPhone to iTunes once your IMEI has been added to the whitelist should be sufficient (Check out Update 8 for more details). So restore your iPhone only if connecting to iTunes does not work after you get the confirmation email from AT&T.

Update 8:

Check out our step-by-step guide on how to unlock your off-contract AT&T iPhone without losing the jailbreak.

Update 9:

Users without an off-contract AT&T iPhone can check out this method to unlock iPhone using SAM.

Don't forget to let us know what response you get from AT&T in the comments below.

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AT&T to Unlock Off-Contract iPhones From April 8th

Couple of days back, we reported that best option to get your AT&T iPhone unlocked after the contract period was to send an email to Tim Cook.

At that time, we had mentioned that though it was nice to see Tim Cook going out of his way to ensure that the customer's iPhone is unlocked, we couldn't understand why users have to escalate matters to get their iPhones unlocked after they've completed their contractual obligation.

We've some great news for AT&T iPhone users. Engadget has just reported that AT&T has changed its policy for off-contract iPhones. It plans to start unlocking off-contract iPhone from April 8th.

We've just received word of a spicy strategy change, to be enacted this Sunday, that's sure to please the AT&T iPhone-loving masses. On Easter, select Ma' Bell customers with iPhones -- those off-contract with accounts in good standing -- will be able to request a carrier unlock for their device.  Once freed, any micro-SIM can be used -- provided its carrier's frequencies are supported -- by the smartphone. An AT&T spokesperson was able to confirm that "a policy change concerning iPhones" would indeed be rolled-out on Sunday, but declined to elaborate further.

Engadget reports that AT&T spokesperson has also confirmed the change in policy. This means that after AT&T customers have finished their 24-months contract they will be get their iPhones unlocked so that it can be used with any other GSM carrier. Update: It turns into a factory unlocked iPhone, so you don't need to be worried about locking it again when you update to the latest iOS software update.

AT&T has issued the following statement to MacRumors:

Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.

We wonder if Tim Cook (or the flurry of emails he may have received) had anything to do with this policy. But anyways, it is good to see AT&T finally making a pro-customer policy change.

We expect the resale value of older iPhones to go up slightly as a side effect of this move and giving users one less reason to jailbreak their iPhone.

We would love to find out how this policy change affects you, so sounds off in the comments.

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Tim Cook Gets AT&T to Unlock Customer’s iPhone

One of the problems of buying a subsidized iPhone from a carrier like AT&T is that even after completing the 2-year contract, they won't unlock your iPhone for free (or for a small fee) like in other countries.

It looks like the best way to unlock an AT&T iPhone is to email Apple's CEO Tim Cook as AT&T seems to make an exception when he requests for it on your behalf, according to a report on 9to5 Mac.

9to5Mac reports that one of their readers who moved to Canada for work was frustrated that he couldn't use his iPhone 3GS on the Canadian network as AT&T refused to unlock his iPhone even though he had finished his 24-months contract.

Frustrated, he sent the following email to Apple's Tim Cook:

Hi Tim,

My family is immersed in the Apple brand. All 4 of my children (aged 2 to 8) have been using iPod touches, iPhones, iPads, and iMacs since they were a year old. Our television is a 27” iMac using eyeTV. My kids talk to their grandmother every second day via video Skype on the iMac. All of our computers are Macs (we have 4 in the house). Apple has touched every aspect of our lives and made it richer!

My company recently moved me to Canada for a work assignment for a few years. My wife’s iPhone 3GS had finished its contract with AT&T so I bought her an iPhone 4 the day we moved to Canada. I took her iPhone 3GS and I contacted AT&T to see if I could have it unlocked so that I could use the phone with a Canadian carrier with a “pay as you go” plan for casual use (I’m forced to use a Blackberry for work, but I hate it so I’d like to use the iPhone for phone calls). This is where my problems began.

Basically AT&T told me that they couldn’t unlock it, only Apple could. I called Apple (but was routed through Apple Canada) and they told me “ask to talk to a supervisor at AT&T because the customer service rep won’t know the process, but AT&T definitely can unlock it”. So I called them back and the supervisor was adamant that they couldn’t help me. “Just jailbreak your phone” was their advice.

I didn’t want to jailbreak my phone, I like Apple’s curated experience and I don’t want to stray from that. However after several more calls to both AT&T and Apple, I made no progress. So I’m turning to you for a final plea.

I love Apple and will continue to buy your products regardless of what happens with this situation. However, I did pay $600 some odd dollars for this device (even though I bought it on contact and they say its subsidized, I’m basically paying for the device in my monthly payments) and I’d like to be able to use it.

My thanks to the Apple team, keep innovating!

To his surprise, he received a response from AT&T Partnership Operations that informed him that they got a request from Tim Cook to unlock his iPhone.

9to5Mac confirmed the emails are authentic. After AT&T confirmed the IMEI’s for the device, an AT&T representative told the reader that the carrier made an exception to unlock the iPhone. The reader was given instructions to tether his iPhone to iTunes to complete the unlock. 

He also claims that he received a call from Tim Cook's assistant to make sure AT&T had indeed unlocked his iPhone:

Mid day my wife sent me an e-mail at work saying “Um, Tim Cook’s special assistant just called and she wants to know if AT&T has unlocked your phone yet??? Why does Tim Cook care about your phone?”

9to5Mac reports that this is not an isolated case, after they ran the story, other users are also reporting that their iPhone was unlocked after sending an email to Tim Cook.

We have received upwards of six emails from readers confirming an email sent to Cook’s office resulted in a response from AT&T Partnership Operations informing them the carrier would make an exception to unlock their devices. Like the original reader, our tipsters have not received responses directly from Cook, but they did receive an email with instructions to tether their iPhone to iTunes to complete the unlock.

Though it is nice to see Tim Cook going out of his way to ensure that the user's iPhone is unlocked, we can't understand why users have to escalate matters to get their iPhones unlocked after they've completed their contractual obligation. It is high time regulators in the U.S. look into such issues, as carriers in quite a few countries unlock the iPhone for free (or for a small fee) after the contract period.

Until then as 9to5Mac points out, the best option to get your iPhone unlocked is to send an email to Tim Cook at tcook@apple.com.

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AT&T Always Had The Provision to Throttle Speeds in Its Terms Of Service

AT&T's throttling policies have come under a lot of criticism, after it became known that the company was throttling its unlimited plan subscribers for data usage as low as 2GB

It later amended this policy to literally remove the "unlimited" in its unlimited plan, by setting a limit of 3GB usage, up till which users would receive 3G speeds. On surpassing this limit, the user's connection speed would be throttled to 256Kbps.

This naturally enraged a number of AT&T's unlimited data plan subscribers, some of which took to social networks to express their frustration.

MacRumors took a look at AT&T's terms of service back when the original iPhone wasn't out (using a website called TOSBack) and this is what it found:

AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network.

Even the present TOS features similar language, where AT&T "reserves the right" to do practically anything to your connection if it believes you are degrading its network, right from throttling speeds to outright terminating your connection.

So there you have it, AT&T always kept a provision in its TOS to give the company the right to do anything to your connection, if it (not a third party, but the company itself) believes that your usage pattern degrades the quality of the network.

Now although AT&T has the TOS to protect its in court, customers opted for the unlimited plan believing that they would receive decent speeds, and not be throttled to EDGE speeds. While excessive load on a network is indeed a problem of great concern, especially when there's a spectrum crunch, AT&T were the ones who introduced the plan in the first place. MG Siegler, on his personal blog, writes:

AT&T are the ones that offered the unlimited plans in the first place. If they didn’t know that would be a problem down the road, they’re idiots.

It’s true that nothing in your unlimited contract guarantees the fastest speeds possible, but let’s be honest: that’s what customers were expecting when they signed those contracts. You know it. I know it. AT&T knows it. 

Now they’re in the position where they’re punishing their best customers, which is never a good idea. 

Moreover, the slow EDGE speeds make the data connection almost impossible to use, which is ultimately what matters.

What's your take on this? Are AT&T's actions justified?

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Apple Fixes iPhone 4S Compatibility Issue With China Mobile SIM Cards

The Next Web reports that Apple has fixed the iPhone 4S compatibility issue with China Mobile SIM cards. Due to the issue, China Mobile customers were unable to make calls even though they had a full signal in their area.

The Next Web reports that Apple had acknowledged the issue back in February and has fixed the issue by "modifying how iPhone 4S interacts with the GSM chip".

The issue is believed to have been caused by GSM chips which support the P frequency band (885-915MHZ), but not the E frequency band (880 – 890MHz). This led to many users finding they had full signal in indoor areas, but were unable to make calls.

It looks like Apple has fixed the issue in iPhone 4S units manufactured after February 8th. But those who had purchased iPhone 4S units manufactured before that will have to wait for Apple to release an iOS software update to fix the issue. We're assuming that China Mobile is referring to iOS 5.1 software update that is expected to be released on or around March 9th.

Even though Apple has not partnered with China Mobile yet, it is important for Apple to fix the issue as it is the country's largest mobile carrier with more than 70% of the market share (or more than 650 million subscribers). China Mobile  also announced earlier today that it has more than 15 million (unlocked) iPhone users on their network. They claim that more than 5 million iPhone 4S' were activated by them ever since it was launched back in October.

It's not clear what change Apple has implemented to fix the issue in iPhone 4S units manufactured after February 8th,   as the tweaked version of iOS 5.0.1 released back in mid-December 2011 was the last software update. We'll update this post if we get more information.

Apple is expected to release iOS 5.1, which should include a fix for the issue on or around March 9th.

[via The Next Web]

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