Fido iPhone 4S in the USA WITHOUT unlocking??

**fredericroumi** · 07-10-2012, 10:49 AM

So I'm going to the US on vacation soon and am looking for a way of having data on my cell phone at a fairly reasonable price. Ill mainly use it as a Hotspot to use my iPad.

From what I've read around, AT&T is the only network compatible with my Fido iPhone 4S and it says everywhere that I must unlock my phone to use an AT&T sim.

My question is, is there ANY way to use a US carrier's data plan on my Fido iPhone 4S without needing to unlock it?

Thank you for your help!

**Eluder** · 07-10-2012, 11:11 AM

Of course, that's done by getting roaming plans, but it won't be cheap.

**ceredon** · 07-10-2012, 12:24 PM

Just remember that if you roam, the new Canadian mortgage rules only allow home equity loans for up to 80% of your home's value. Something to keep in mind when it comes time to pay Fido/Rogers data roaming fees, which are the most expensive in Canada. Fido offers you their preferring data roaming rate for $10/month, which gives you access to rates as low as $1024/GB. A better value is the $100/500MB ($205/GB) US Data Monthly pass. If you are using data on your iPad by tethering your iPhone you will want to severely throttle your usage, even with these super prices, or you could be looking at multiGB usage. You would also have to verify if you would be able to tether while roaming.

You may want to consider buying a mifi device and getting a prepaid data plan from a US carrier. This can be expensive, but still cheaper than data roaming. For example, TMobile has a 4G mobile hotspot for $125 with no contract, which comes with a $25 prepaid card. The $25 is enough to get you 1.5GB on their prepaid. At that point you have 1.5GB data to share to both your iPhone and your iPad at the same time (up to 5 devices), with new hardware and it cost will you a bit more than 1/2 what Fido would charge you for just 1GB (not including taxes which are usually lower in the US). If you go to the US again, then it will be only $25 for 1.5GB instead of $300 for the same through roaming. If you are a really heavy data user, then they also have 5GB for $50 (or $25 more than 1.5GB).

If you are going to be hardly using your iPhone or iPad (and by that, I mean never), then certainly consider roaming. But make sure you get a roaming pack if yuo do plan to roam. Their retail PPU rates are $10485/GB.

**some-gei** · 07-10-2012, 12:30 PM

This is why my iphone 4 with an older baseband is infinitely more valuable to me than a 4s - I wouldnt upgrade even for free.

I can travel the world and put in a local sim (thanks to my gevey) and pay less than the hundreds or thousands of dollars per gb that rogers would normally charge me.

**ceredon** · 07-10-2012, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by some-gei

This is why my iphone 4 with an older baseband is infinitely more valuable to me than a 4s - I wouldnt upgrade even for free.

I can travel the world and put in a local sim (thanks to my gevey) and pay less than the hundreds or thousands of dollars per gb that rogers would normally charge me.

Yup. Roaming is for suckers or business travelers who aren't paying or can write it off.

**Eluder** · 07-10-2012, 12:47 PM

Agreed, that's why all my phones are unlocked and why I'd never get an iphone since apple controls the unlocking and not a simply code like every other vendor.

**ceredon** · 07-10-2012, 12:52 PM

^Don't all vendors 'control' their unlocking, but have long since had their generators and algorithms exposed? In any event, it's easy enough to buy unlocked iPhones unless you need it subsidized.

**fredericroumi** · 07-10-2012, 09:37 PM

Thank you all for your answers.... Definitely not getting a roaming plan! I knew they are ridiculously expensive and I don't even want to go near that possibility.

I think I'll try to get my iPhone unlocked somewhere and use it with a US carrier. Which ones would work on my iPhone? Can anyone suggest a company that will give me the most data for the least $$ ?? I will probably use somewhere around 4gb-6gb within the month....

Thanks for your help!

**ceredon** · 07-10-2012, 10:23 PM

Uocking your 4S will be a challenge, I think. For data, check with TMobile or H2O. Tmobile technically only supports EDGE speeds but depending on where you go they have repurposed some of their compatible spectrum so iPhones can get full 3G speeds, but not network wide yet. Worth looking into.

if you can't get unlocked, you have other options like buying a cheap paygo package that includes a cheap phone or using a mifi type device i previous mentioned.

**fredericroumi** · 07-10-2012, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by ceredon

Uocking your 4S will be a challenge, I think. For data, check with TMobile or H2O. Tmobile technically only supports EDGE speeds but depending on where you go they have repurposed some of their compatible spectrum so iPhones can get full 3G speeds, but not network wide yet. Worth looking into.

if you can't get unlocked, you have other options like buying a cheap paygo package that includes a cheap phone or using a mifi type device i previous mentioned.

Thank you very much for your input. Seeing as I'd like to avoid having to unlock the iPhone I think I might do what you said and look into a cheap phone that has tethering capabilities with either TMO or H2O...I think that would be even cheaper than a mifi device...Thanks again for your help!

**ceredon** · 07-10-2012, 10:55 PM

Good luck. Check into the other prepaid carriers too (can research some of them here on hofo). AT&T goPhone, Verizon, Walmart/Straight Talk, 711/Speakout, Boost and TMob and H2O as well. You'll want to verify if the carrier allows tethering as well as the phone.

**RobertHodgson** · 07-12-2012, 05:53 AM

Pick your self up a cheap AT&T prepaid phone that supports hotspot, I took my 4S to the US last year was able to use it on voice and text but not data yo have to change the APN settings to get the data to work. AT&T was not any help as they say the iPhone is not to be used on its prepaid.

**AndroidRootGuy** · 07-12-2012, 07:09 AM

Doesn't Gevey Sim work on iphone 4S?

**fredericroumi** · 07-16-2012, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by shushwap

Do a little reading about Gevey sims..... http://www.gevey.info/

Wow that's fairly easy! Thank you very much for the info! So if I understand correctly I can buy this and use it to unlock my iPhone and then get a T-Mobile micro sim and use it in the US for data (hotspot) right?

**some-gei** · 07-16-2012, 12:59 PM

I didn't realize the new gevey works on the 4s... apparently on all basebands/ios versions too - nice.

HIGHLY recommended. Costs the same as what a few MB of data, or a few minutes of calling in the US would cost you anyway if you were roaming on Rogers.