James Delahunty
4 Sep 2007 7:09
CNN has looked into the claims of a group of anonymous software developers that plan to release iPhone unlocking software into the wild. The software, they claim, can let the iPhone break-away from the AT&T network in the United States, opening it up to T-Mobile there or providers in other territories. CNN Los Angeles software consultant Brett Schulte, decided to test out the iPhone unlocking software, and demonstrated it for CNN.
"It's completely software hacked," Schulte said after getting an iPhone to work with a T-Mobile SIM card. "There's no case opening required. It's not required to do any kind of disassembly." It took about two minutes to unlock the iPhone. The developers did not give their last name to CNN, because they didn't want to be hounded.
An Apple spokesperson refused to comment, while AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said, "When you sign up, you're signing a two-year contract. You're obligated to pay the bill." He also said, "when people buy the iPhone it's clear from our materials it's designed to operate exclusively on AT&T."
The developers of the unlocking software recently created iPhoneSIMfree.com and plan to begin selling the software. Two members of the group who identified themselves as "John" and "Liu," told CNN that six people on three continents worked to unlock the iPhone as a hobby. "I'm not in America and I can't use it," said Liu. "It's not fair."
When asked if he thought iPhone unlocking was legal, he said, "That's a very good question. I truly believe it is."
Source:
CNN