iPhone 3GS in India

[Europa]

Yeah, those prices are pretty close to the US no contract iPhones.You don't have the option of signing a 2 year contract and getting discounted (subsidized) pricing?

I know their locked to a carrier, the don't sell factory unlocked phones in India.

[ashwini]

That wont work very well in India. Contracts are alien in India.
Are the no contract phones still locked to the carrier in the US?

[Europa]

Yes, they are still locked to AT&T.

These are the only countries that sell factory unlocked phones; Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxemburg, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

[ashwini]

And after the contract is over, can you get it carrier unlocked...legally?

[Europa]

No. The only way you can get them unlocked, is to software unlock them yourself, or buy one that someone else has unlocked and put up for sale (like on eBay).

Factory unlocked phones have advantages over software unlocked phones. They cannot become locked with an Apple update, you never have to jailbreak and unlock them (they just stay unlocked), so you can always have the Apple updates as soon as they are available (rather than waiting for a software unlock to become available).

[ashwini]

Does that mean I am stuck with AirTel all through my iPhone's life?

[Europa]

No. You can software unlock it.

[ashwini]

I meant legally... without having to bother about updates and without having to JB.

[Europa]

You can never turn it into a factory unlocked phone. At best, it will always be a carrier locked phone with a software unlock. All iPhones that aren't sold in one of the countries I listed above are in the same boat.

[ashwini]

Damn !!!!!