Unlocking Iphone with AIRTEL India

Question

Level 1

8 points

Unlocking Iphone with AIRTEL India

Can somebosy please help know what is the procedure to unlock the IPHONE 3G purchased with AIRTEL operator in India.

This is a officially purchsed from Airtel outlet & as per the agreement will be unlocked at the end of 12 months with AIRTEL.

I have completed the 12 months lockin & approached AIRTEL to unlock the phone.
The Nodal Officer has responded asking me to contact Apple IPHONE store to unlock.

Apple web site and the IVR redirects me to the operator.

I am going in circles, Appreciate if somebody can help me have this unlocked.

Iphone 3G, iPhone OS 3.1.2, Purchased from Airetel

Posted on Jan 27, 2010 12:22 AM

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Answer 1

wjosten

Level 10

95,369 points

Jan 27, 2010 3:03 AM in response to krkamath

krkamath wrote:
Personally find this unethical on behalf of both AIRTEL & APPLE to let genuine customers to fend for themselves.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Apple. Whether a phone is sold locked or unlocked, whether unlocking is offered or not, is controlled strictly by the carriers, by contract. Apple does not unlock phones. Only the carrier that the phone was originally locked to can unlock your phone. Like it or not, it's your carrier that's giving you the runaround, not Apple.

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Answer 2

Jan 27, 2010 12:28 AM in response to krkamath

It is the network operator who you should request the unlock from.

However the document below shows that Airtel do not offer authorized iPhone unlocking.

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

So, unless that document is incorrect, you're stuck with a locked iPhone.

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Answer 3

krkamath Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 27, 2010 2:54 AM in response to Julian Wright

Julian,

Thank you very much for your response.

Hope this is incorrect, when i checked the same website some time earlier (many months back) I did see that the unlocking was allowed by AIRTEL. Seems to have been updated later on.

I have emailed AIRTEL back again, hope this will be resolved.

Having paid unsubsidized rate of more than USD700 equivalent, it is quite frustrating to be tossed around. Personally find this unethical on behalf of both AIRTEL & APPLE to let genuine customers to fend for themselves. The guys who purchased from the grey market must be having the last laugh.

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