Can we use this German iPhone 5s on straight talk?

January 4, 2016 5:44 PM

Question for a German foreign exchange student with an iPhone 5s and an O2 Sim card. Would like to use this phone in the USA but only need it for one semester. Is it possible to buy a sim card / then prepaid plan from Straight Talk (or any other bring your own phone no contract service)?
posted by J0 to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: Yes, essentially all German cell phones are unlocked. It won't pick up some of the LTE bands, but regular 3g data and voice will just work.
posted by wnissen at 6:21 PM on January 4, 2016

In addition to the LTE bands, your phone might also be missing UMTS band 4 (also known as "AWS" or "1700/2100" band). The model number should be on the backside off you phone and you can look up the supported frequency bands on https://support.apple.com/kb/sp685.
If I understand the situation correctly Straight Talk might use T-Mobile's infrastructure (depending on where you are). T-Mobile seems to be using UMTS band 4, so in that case you would have limited reception in some areas.
Regarding SIM/netlock I would try a SIM from a different provider while still in Germany - just to make sure the phone is really unlocked.
posted by mirage pine at 4:37 AM on January 5, 2016

Ask for an AT&T straight talk SIM. The bands they use are basically the european GSM bands, last i checked. AT&T also has better coverage.
posted by emptythought at 2:50 PM on January 5, 2016