Lots of foreigners own a precious phone that is called iPhone. Unfortunately, this phone has not been officially released in China for now.
In the meanwhile, you can still get an imported iPhone. However here is what you have to consider :
Coming with the phone that you’re using abroad or buying an imported iPhone might let you face to a problem : the simlocking. Basically, it’s the manufacturer operator lock that avoid you to insert and use the mobile services from another operator.
However here is some solutions :
Both cards inserted into the sim location
Hardware unsimlocking : You buy kind a card that you will insert with your sim card in the sim location. That will make the phone to not know that’s it’s not the original sim card that you’re using. This unsimlocking only work with the current firmware that you’re using. Upgrading the firmware will probably make the card not usable anymore and you will have the card to work with the latest firmware version. This piece of card is called in Chinese “Ka Tie” 卡贴.
Software unsimlocking : This method required some technical skills : you will have to jailbreak your iPhone in order to install third-party program (from the Cydia library) like the yellowsn0w program (for iPhone 3G FW until 2.1.1) or ultrasn0w for iPhone 3G FW 3.0+
Getting connected everywhere in China
Some more nice cool things that you can do with your iPhone is to enjoy the cheap GPRS cost to have your emails and surf on the Internet.
If you don’t already have a GRPS package, you can enable one with the China Mobile operator.
Set the Access Point to CMNET
The basic package is :
30MB package (*) | 5RMB / month | Yearly subscription
To enable this package (In Sichuan) : send KTWAPQ to 10086. You should then receive a SMS confirmation in Chinese with the beginning date of the package subscription.
Then, configure your iPhone and set the Access Point in the Cellular Data to CMNET
SMS showing your phone balance with China Mobile
How To check how many GPRS data usage you have left :
In Sichuan: call 1008611 and immediatly get an SMS with your balance. In the following screenshot, I can read that : this month I have already used 36.20 RMB and there is still 67.11 RMB credit left on my account. I have 93 local minutes + 5 MMS remaining in my subscription plan. At the end of the SMS you should see something like “剩余GPRS流量合计5377KB” which means 5377KB GPRS data remaining.
(*) Be carreful : When your 30 RMB quota is over, you will be charged 0,01 RMB / KB (10,24 RMB / MB)
Article written by Nicolas Gies. For more info, please contact:
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Quite useful info! thanks for posting the Chinese names too.
However you may want to specify that the GPRS package is only enabled at the beginning of the next month following the activation SMS (at least in Shanghai that’s how it is).
Thanks for the reminding, I updated the post with the detail you just mentioned.
I just got an iPhone at the Ito Yokado here in Chengdu, but it doesn’t seem to like my China Mobile sim. Do I have to get a China Unicom account with GS?
I figured it out. Currently iPhones sold in mainland China are locked to China Unicom, but you can use a China Mobile sim. What you have to do is first unlock the phone using a China Unicom sim (borrowed mine from a friend), and after iTunes unlocks the phone you can swap to the China Mobile sim. I hope this helps.
Thanks for your feedback Steve.
Reagarding the 3G, regardless the origin location of the iPhone, the 3G would only work with China Unicom. The one used by China Mobile is unfortunately not compatible.
The iPhone 3G released in China does NOT have the Wifi function (hardware removed). Please take this info in consideration when buying your official iPhone in China.
i have a 3g from the USA. I am going to be in China for more than a year. Can I unlock the phone with my USA simm, then change it to a china moble simm? using snowbreeze and black rain for unlocking and jailbreaking
Dear Thom,
Yes, it is possible.
Cheers!