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Use an unlocked iPhone 4 with T-Mobile

16.06.2011
Now that to U.S. customers, budget- or carrier-conscious buyers may wonder whether they can buy an iPhone 4 and use it with T-Mobile. Although T-Mobile has its own 3G network, it doesn't use the same frequencies as AT&T's; thus the most a T-Mobile iPhone customer can hope for in the U.S. is slower, EDGE (2G) data speeds.

Even if you're willing to settle for slower downloads in exchange for jumping onto T-Mobile's network with a legitimate, unlocked, non-jailbroken iPhone, there's a bit of work involved. So I visited a local Apple Store and purchased an unlocked iPhone 4 (in white, natch) and set out on my journey. Here's what I did to get connected.

First, you'll need a T-Mobile SIM card. If you already have a T-Mobile phone, you already have just such a SIM card; pop it out of your phone, and you're good to go. You can also go to or a local T-Mobile store and pick up a prepaid or pay-as-you-go SIM card. I bought one for $10 at my local store.

There is a catch, though: The iPhone 4 doesn't include a SIM slot. Rather, Apple uses a slimmer SIM, the micro-SIM. As it turns out, a micro-SIM is actually just a SIM that's undergone some serious trimming.

Presumably at some point T-Mobile will realize there's now an opportunity to reach users of unlocked iPhones and offer micro-SIMs as well as standard SIM cards. (When we called T-Mobile's PR department, they declined to comment about the unlocked iPhone.) In the interim, then, you'll need to make your own micro-SIM.