The day has come for the iPhone to break free from the blue, spherical shackles that bind it to AT&T. It appears as if a full software-enabled unlock has finally been done by a group that now operates iphonesimfree.com, meaning that prospective iPhone buyers will be able to use the device with any GSM carrier worldwide. In the US, that means they'll be able to use it both on AT&T and T-Mobile.
The group has not published the details of their unlocking procedure because they plan to sell the service beginning next week. Engadget broke the story this afternoon, vouching for the validity of the procedure with photographs, a video, and basic details. "Last night the impossible was made possible: right in front of our very eyes we witnessed a full SIM unlock of our iPhone with a small piece of software," Engadget editor-in-chief Ryan Block wrote in the entry.
The event comes almost two full months after the iPhone's widely-publicized release by Apple and AT&T. And, like most cell phones sold through carriers in the US, the iPhone comes from the store locked to AT&T. New purchasers are required to either commit to a two-year contract with AT&T in order to use it or go with AT&T's pay-as-you-go service. Even though activating the iPhone "unlocks" the WiFi and iPod features of the phone, canceling AT&T service renders the device unable to make phone calls or make use of the EDGE data network.
Given the fact that Apple has a five-year exclusive contract with AT&T in the US, such restrictions have led to much angst over the fairness of locking a phone to a carrier—especially since the iPhone's purchase price is not subsidized by AT&T. The issue has even gotten the attention of Congress, which held hearings in July to discuss the anticompetitive nature of locking phone handsets to specific carriers, among other things.
Unsurprisingly, Apple has not responded to our request for comment. Of course, Apple is only affected positively by this development, as unlocked iPhones translate to more handset sales regardless of what happens to AT&T. According to Engadget, the unlock apparently stays intact, even after a software restore. AT&T, on the other hand, can't possibly be happy—an unlocked iPhone means fewer activations through AT&T and more for the competition. However, AT&T shouldn't worry too much; the process on the user end still requires a roundabout AT&T "activation" using third-party tools that a layman (read: most customers) would probably not be interested in taking. An AT&T spokesperson did respond to our request for comment by telling us that they wouldn't have one.
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