iPhone 4S Unlocking Policies
Hello,
I've long stayed away from the smartphone game because of all the hassle with the contracts. Now that my old Motorala spitzer is literally dying, I'm considering to purchase an iPhone 4S.
I currently live in the United States but I am predicting that I'll move overseas to a European country within the next 1.5 years.
My questions are the following:
(1) If I buy a contracted iPhone 4S and cancel the contract after 1.5 years, will I be able to use that phone with a new carrier overseas?
(2) What if I buy an unlocked iPhone 4S? Can I use it then?
There has been some helpful discussion here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3359974?start=0&tstart=0
But if I understand correctly, that discussion pertains to 'roaming' - i.e. you are subscribed to a US carrier but want to use your iPhone for a brief period somewhere else on somebody else's network.
What I'm wondering is what happens when you pay the ETF for the phone and move permananetly abroad? Can you still use the phone?
Thanks.
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.10)
