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A comment on Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone. Parent comment

Re:Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone by grmarcil on Wednesday February 11, 2015 @06:20PM (#9036368)
As far as I know, that is an artifact of the hardware. The network compatibility of early (all?) iPhone 5s was divided across three models. Some can work on other networks, but not in other networks' LTE bands. Depends on your particular model and which network you're trying to move to.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/26/4150856/bringing-your-ipho...

Edit: better explanation at this link: http://www.wired.com/2012/09/iphone5-lte-model/

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Re:Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone by nanidin on Wednesday February 11, 2015 @08:09PM (#9036774)
My Sprint iPhone 4S worked fine on CDMA networks in the US, and it worked fine while traveling internationally on GSM / non-CDMA networks.

There's something going on in the baseband firmware that rejects domestic carrier SIM cards, but still allows international carriers when an international unlock is granted.

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Re:Starting today, wireless carriers have to unlock your phone by pkamb on Thursday February 12, 2015 @04:55PM (#9041626)
Yes, my newly "unlocked" Sprint iPhone 5 will work fine overseas. It's specifically on non-Sprint domestic carriers where it won't work.
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