Can I buy an iPhone and switch it to sprint?

Depends on what country you're in.

All GSM iPhones sold through official channels in the US are locked to AT&T who will not unlock an iPhone at any time for any reason.

So the only way to use an iPhone with Sprint (that we could discuss here, anyway) would be if you could find a private seller offering an officially unlocked iPhone from another country. That is a risky venture, since many such iPhones are not in actuality officially unlocked but rather have been hacked and will be re-locked to the original carrier when the OS is upgraded or restored. Any such iPhone would also have to be sent back to the country of original sale should it need service. So if you don't want to switch carriers, for now at least, an iPhone is probably not a practical option for you.

Regards.

Sprint uses CDMA.

All iPhones sold in the USA are "carrier-locked" -- meaning that a code has been entered into the phone that restricts its use to a single vendor. In the USA, for CDMA, that would be Verizon.

Unlocked phones are sold by Apple and carriers outside the USA, HOWEVER, most of the rest of the world is purely GSM (the technology AT&T and T-mobile use) and those phones won't work on the Sprint network.

You would need to purchase an unlocked CDMA model iPhone. No doubt you can find one on the Internet, but I'd suggest you try and find one from a reputable source. I don't believe that Apple takes US orders form their international stores, so you really have only resellers and carriers to chose from. I can't suggest any off the top of my head.

That said, I'm sure that Sprint has no problem allowing you to use an unlocked iPhone on their network. The visual voicemail feature will be unsupported, but other than that, it should work just fine.

Doh! Thanks, JD. I was misremembering what Sprint uses now and forgot that they'd sold off their GSM networks and went all to CDMA.

I don't know of any unlocked CDMA iPhones. The CDMA units sold in the US are all locked to Verizon, and they don't provide unlocking services either. I don't know of any other market that has a CDMA iPhone. So the only way to have an unlocked CDMA iPhone would be to hack it, if that's even possible.

Regards.

The iPhone will not work on Sprint at all. The GSM phone is not compatible with Sprint's CDMA network (even if you could unlock it), and the Verizon CDMA phone is locked to Verizon.

The Sprint 4S is here now -- if you can find it! Granted, Sprint-specific iPhone 4S's are harder to lay hands on than hens' teeth, and harder still to get info on. The basics: 1)) As of November, every 4S that Apple sells will arrive unlocked, meaning that it can work on either the CDMA or the GSM system. Until then, we're all supposed to commit to a particular network at point-of-purchase, since each unit is pre-set for a network, to override the pre-existing "global phone" function. [It seems Apple has promised each carrier that its first bite at the apple will be a doozy.] Sprint and its parent company, Verizon, use CDMA; AT&T uses GSM. You might do well to buy a Sprint 4S outright now, at full price, and unlock it yourself. It's perfectly legal, and as I understand it, unlocking a Sprint or Verizon 4S only affects one minor element of functionality. By buying outright, you'd incur no $350 cancellation fee if you ever chose to try Verizon, which like Sprint offers a pay-as-you-go, no-contract service. Note: regardless of which official source sells you a brand-new 4S phone, the warranty and Apple Care options are the same. Pricing, too, is uniform across all retail channels. Of course, the 32GB always costs $100 more than the 16GB base model, with the 64GB being $200 more than the 16GB. 2)) You can back-order the Sprint 4S online, via Apple Store USA. You must be a current holder of a full-fledged Sprint account. You can't be someone who's used Sprint for ages on a no-contract, monthly payment basis. Anyway, there's no deposit on handset or service: zero. As of today's writing, your phone will ship in a week or two. 3)) You can reserve a Sprint 4S online from 9 p.m. onward, Eastern Time, for pickup the next day at the specified bricks-and-mortar store: provided Apple USA shows that the store you've checked has that phone in its inventory on the night you order. Again, there's no money up front for handset or service. Again, though, at present, making an online reservation -- whether for in-store pickup, or for shipment to your home at a future date -- works only if you ALREADY have an official Sprint account, regardless of whether you use an iPhone 4 or another brand of handset, like BlackBerry, etc. Note, too, that it's not enough to have ported your cell number to Sprint if you're a pay-as-you-go, no-contract customer, one with a new prepaid card for each month of service; even if you've used Sprint prepaid since you first got that number ten years ago. Anyway, to reserve online for retail-site pickup the next day, check availability at your nearest store/s online via Apple Store USA, which you can only do as of 9 p.m. East Coast time that night before, no earlier. [And, to judge from my recent experience, the window of opportunity seems to close by 9:05 p.m., if the phone I'd sought had even been available that night at the sites checked.] 4-A)) The other trick is that some stores won't sell you a 4S for any carrier, or for any GB, black or white, unless you've pre-reserved that unit online the night before. The good news? Many/most Apple stores will sell you an unreserved phone off the shelf, if they still have it once you've made it through the waiting line. It makes sense, natch, to phone ahead to the store, not to 800 MYAPPLE -- unless you can reach someone helpful at the 800 number's Customer Service division, to whom Sales will connect you, if asked. [You need someone who's willing and able to place an outbound call to the store/s, since Sales can't view any retail store's inventory.] 4-B)) The best news, perhaps: if you're willing to go the bricks-and-mortar route, some of the truly humane stores, like the one in Cambridge, MA, won't just tell you what's on hand [if anything, iPhone 4S-wise] in advance, or once you're standing there. When you arrive, if exactly what you want is sitting unclaimed on the shelf, the manager of the waiting line will write you a card with both your name and the product's specs: black 32 GB Sprint 4S, etc. You just stand in line until it's your turn to buy, and Ooh-la-la!, your very own phone is waiting for you. 5)) You can buy a 4S at a Sprint corporate store. These folks have been taking orders for phones for some time now. They'll call or email you when the model and type you requested has arrived; remember that you're allowed to order more than one Sprint 4S, of more than one type, to boost your odds. The stores don't know exactly when their phones will arrive, being dependent on the Apple supply chain. But they'll give you their best guess. Be advised, though, that some take a very flexible view of their waiting list, as they've told me themselves. Imagine, for instance, that a store gets its very-first 4S on Wednesday, October 26th at, say, 2 p.m.: just one Sprint unit, a black 64GB. The employees have just started phoning and emailing their waiting list, starting with the first person, who came to them on October 1st, having heard through the grapevine that the 4S launch would be announced at October's big press conference. You walk in at 2:08 p.m. on the 26th, show them your ID, and are "added to" the list." At some Sprint locations, that one phone will go to you, if no-one already listed beat you into the shop. 6)) You can buy a phone via another electronics retailer; many/most of them have waitlists. Like Apple's and Sprint's stores, they won't charge up-front for the 4S or its service. But like Sprint's corporate stores, they're never sure when they'll get a phone order, or which types of 4S will be in it. Good hunting, all!