How well does the iphone 4S work in Vietnam?

According to the technical press, a new iThingy version 5 will be released this summer.

This new version will have the capability of using both GSM or CDMA networks selected from the menu.

The differences between US systems (along with Canada) is FREQUENCY. The USA always has different standards - Canada is forced to go along with them as it is next door - be they frequency assignments or modulation characteristics.

You might of heard of Tri-band cell phone, or Quad. These refer to the number of frequency bands a cell can handle. Low band is 850 MHz and High band is 1900.

The World and it's dog (except North America) use 900 and 1800 MHz.

Canada actually needs a 6-band cell to accommodate all the newly introduced frequencies there.

The good news is, you don't have to worry about any of this with Android, iOS and other smartphones as they look after everything.

WHAT YOU DO have to be concerned about that even if you buy an unlocked iThingy from Apple, the American cell networks will lock them up, defeating the unlock feature. UNLESS you jail break a iOS system you are effectively screwed, once locked.

Most other networks in the world honour an unlocked phone.

In VietNam the best coverage is provided by Vinaphone and it's wholly owned subsidiary Mobiphone, they both use the same base stations.

For younger people, Mobiphone provides some cute features apart from being cheaper than Vinaphone.

Both Vinaphone and Mobiphone are authorised iThingy distributors in VietNam. Both have main offices on Nguyen Du (at the intersection with Hai Ba Trung) and have competent technicians in attendance.

The 4S was released here within a month of it's release in North America.

There are repair stores both in HCMC and Ha Noi who might be able to help you until V5 emerges.

IF YOU WANT Siri, think carefully before spending your money, Siri is still in Beta.

Siri, the voice response software, has problems - big problems. It gobbles battery, it gobbles band width.

Some people say it's like conversing with a person in outer space, somewhere around Mars, because of all the main frame/server problems as well as the sluggish data connections.

Ask Google: >> problems with siri <<

Remember, the Siri software is useless without a decent connection ... which makes your V3 look pretty good, especially considering Lemon 4 never did work properly.

As I said, Version 5 is coming, so why not get your V3 patched up - there are several repair shops around Ton That Tung Street and the intersection with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Jaitch,

Thanks for the exlainations and tips.  I broke the old phone really good; there is no way to repair it now.  But, holding out for the 5 was exactly what I was doing.  I was not very fond of the antenna problems.

But, unlocking, isn't that tweaking the solfware so that the phone will read SIMs from a different region?  If I were to buy a phone here, will I have to do the same when I bring it to the States?

Howie

Jailbreaking is getting rid of Jobs petty software control techniques whereas unlocking is a legal way of providing access to all networks BUT the software control remains.

Remember, those damn North American networks re-lock an unlocked cell (they tell you in the user agreement. You can only get the unlocked versions from Apple stores, so if you have a friend buy one for you, be very careful! Don't let him sign-in!

The unlock feature is through the network, not by the network, Apple issues the commands from it's facility. Other cells unlock through keyboard control.

The V5 has the dual modulation system - GSM/CZDMA - which, with unlocking will give you world wide access.

Don't buy anything for Siri, apart from being in Beta, the excessive data demands load the systems, which delays response, and runs your data plan usage up.

Personally I use an Android, so I can load anything on it.

If your present plan times out (as in unused) Mobiphone has cheaper rates than Vinaphone. I travel VN widely and there are very few areas not covered by these networks - the CGST uses the Vina network instead of two two-way radio - a few places in Son La Province and Lai Chau Province up in the mountains.

Vina and Mobi even have coverage in the Spratly Islands. They also have service in Phu Quy Island (120 kilometres off Phan Thiet) except between 24.00H and 06.00H when the island switches the power off!

This is our 'cell' in our DakLak
workshop - any system or frequency!
But not exactly portable, either.

Howie

Happy New Year my old man.

As Jaitch said, if you buy a OFF-CONTRACT, AT&T, Quadband iphone 4S, the phone is already unlocked. It is important to note:
   - Buy AT&T since they use the GSM system which is compatible with much of the world. Verizon uses CMDA system which, first of all, does not use a SIM card, let alone being compatible with the rest of the world.
   - Buy a Quad band since the US GSM system uses a different frequency band than the rest of the world, so buying a quad band phone would make it compatible to more countries. However, I think a tri-band is also usable in Vietnam.
   - Off contract since it is not locked to AT&T so you can use other companies' SIM card. Having said so, the Vietnamese technicians are quite good so they can unlock the phone for you for a few bucks.

Once you get the phone to Vietnam, you get to cut the Vietnamese SIM card (in half) to fit the so-called microSIM format of the iphone. Again, hire a technician if you are not comfortable.

Some told me also go to Settings menu to change the following for better compatibility:

Settings > General > Network > Cellular Data Network — Under Cellular Data: APN – m-wap, Username – mms, Password – mms


>What about taking the phone back to the US, will it work there still?

Yes, even the one you manually unlock in Vietnam. Worst thing: you can already reset it to mfg condition. A technician can do it for you easily.

>Will Siri work here?
Yes. Best when you have WiFi coverage: cheaper and fast. Not sure it is worth the price alone.

Hi Anatta,

How was Tet my funny friend?

So, buy the phone straight from AT&T (no contract) or at the Apple store and that should work fine here?  Do they still sell it that way?  I remember there were time that the contract was a must.

Thanks again fellas.

Howie

Howie
It used to be sold with a plan only, then both due to competition and customer complaints, they started selling unlocked phone a few years ago.
Go to apple store and choose

"Or get iPhone unlocked and contract-free" at the bottom of the screen instead of choosing one of the three phone operators on the top.

Tet was quiet where I went. Took a trip to Europe with the family. London was crowded. Good New Year sale, but only for winter clothing: nothing for this poor fellow.

Anatta,

Thanks for the tips.  I think that is what I am going to do, right after I check with Mobiphone.

Oooh, England, hey?  That must have been good.

Howie

If you are living in VN wouldn't you be better off getting it here? Both Vina and Mobi are authorised iThing dealers and, by VN law, they have to sell them unlocked.

The V5 is an 'all band' unit - whether a frequency is used now or in the future. Frequency assignments are set by the SIMs.

SIM card cutters are on sale in the area of Q1 - TP HCM I mentioned above (Vina and Mobi at Nguyen Du offices have them for you to use). Apple has applied for a SIM-less (e-SIM) GMS registration; CDMA already uses SIM-less (or e-SIMs).

Jaitch,

That is what I was thinking about.  I am going to check with Mobiphone tomorrow, since they have been my carrier from day one.  Are you sure they have iphones?  I know that Vina and Viettel have them.

Wild_1 wrote:

Jaitch,
That is what I was thinking about.  I am going to check with Mobiphone tomorrow, since they have been my carrier from day one.  Are you sure they have iphones?  I know that Vina and Viettel have them.

Mobi is a subsidiary of Vina (common network, too).

Last year Vina were telling their customers to get a iThingy from Mobi, when Vina ran out of stock. (The offices on Nguyen Du, Q1, TP HCM - call them, the call is free!)

BTW:

iPhone 4S unlocked by Vietnamese student
Last week an on-line forum has been buzzing over the fact that an untethered iPhone 4S has been successfully unlocked by a young Vietnamese man without physically changing the phone!

A year ago a Gevey SIM could be used to unlock an iPhone 4, but now iPhones are secured by iOS5. In addition, jailbreaking, or running the iOS operating system through the use of custom kernels, has not been comp[leted for 4S.

This has slowed the 4S iPhone market, since almost no traders dare to import the product for sale, although the potential profit is very lucrative.

However, last week Le Minh Tuan, a Vietnamese university student in architect in Saint Petersburg, Russia, posted a simple method of unlocking an untethered iPhone 4S on Tinh Te, a science and technology forum at < www.tinhte.vn > under the username Fullove.

To unlock an untethered iPhone 4S, users need a USB SIM card reader, a magic SIM (6 in 1), a local network SIM card, and a SIM produced by the Internet service provider that locks the phone, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Telus, Bell or SFR, Tuan said.

He showed that the unlocking is carried out through four steps on his AT&T iPhone 4s:

Step 1: Insert the AT&T SIM into the USB SIM card reader using Magicsim v255 to back up ICCID, IMSI, and SMSC of the AT&T SIM.

Step 2: Then insert the local SIM into the USB SIM reader. Tuan used a Beeline SIM with Magicsim_v255 to get the parameters of the SIM including ICCID, IMSI, SMSC and KI – the most important tool to clone a SIM. Note: copy a new style SIM that has not been used for calling. Data changes after use!

Step 3: Plug a magic SIM (6 in 1) into the USB SIM reader and record at location No. 1 the above ICCID, IMSI, SMSC and KI of the AT&T SIM and record at location No. 2 the the Beeline SIM's ICCID, IMSI, SMSC and KI that have been taken from the USB SIM card reader.

Step 4: Plug the magic SIM (6 in 1) into the iPhone and carry out the process: settings -> phone -> SIM Applications -> Switch Number where the user selects the Beeline SIM -> main screen. The iphone will activate its search carrier and identify the Beeline network. The subsequent manipulations are illustrated in a video clip attached to Tuan's posting on the forum's website.

Response

Tuan's posting has stirred up the forum with tens of thousands of hits and comments, with many by iPhone 4S users agree that this is a possible way to unlock an iPhone 4S in VietNam to use it through the local Internet service providers.

However, The most difficult thing to do is to search for the KI using a local SIM, since SIMs of the latest versions have been secured by COMP-2 instead of KI, as in several years ago. Therefore, the search for KI using a USB SIM card reader will be very hard, even impossible.

A member of Tinhte confirmed that Tuan's unlocking method helped that member unlock an iPhone 4S using a SIM card from 2005.

However, the fact that an iPhone 4S can be unlocked only with SIMs of older versions made it hard for most users to unlock their phones. Minh Hoang, another member of the forum, said, “How can I have a SIM card produced in 2005 or older search for KI?”

On the other hand, Le Hoang Tung, who is in charge of technical issues at VinaPhone, said KI is a system code that is not allowed to be disclosed for confidentiality purposes.

Tran Thinh, from the technical department of military-run Viettel group said, said, “KI is a password that is not provided to anyone. Viettel SIMs are now secured by COMP128V2 with high confidential ability, and if users try to search for KI, their SIM cards may be ruined.”

Tien Duong, who is in charge of iPhone unlocking services at a phone company in Hanoi, said, “The method of unlocking introduced on Tinhte is right, but it is not highly feasible, since Internet service providers in Vietnam have strengthened security ability for their SIM cards following the many cases of SIM hacking that have happened.

The easiest answer is to buy an Android - unlocked and open!

Alright gang,

I had just visited Mobiphone, and they don't carry the ithingy.  They only have Blackberries and Motorollas.

I will pass by Nguyen Du offices later and get the low down.

They had it since way back < http://www.vnnnews.net/mobifone-undercu … one-rivals >.

Should post or PM by 19.30H, I have to pick up junior from night skool today.

Hi Howie,

Hope this help. Not sure if this is old news.

By the way, I am arranging to meet Bryan in Can Tho mid Feb. Wondering if we can catch up for a drink! You can PM me as well. Thanks.

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/12/14/vietname … this-week/

Vietnamese carriers to launch iPhone 4S this week

by Michael Grothaus
Dec 14th 2011 at 11:00PM





Back in October, Viet Nam Business News reported that the iPhone 4S would go on sale in the country by the end of the year. Now Thanh Nien News is confirming that Apple's latest smartphone will go on sale in Vietnam by the end of this week. Vietnamese carriers VinaPhone and Viettel have both confirmed that they will begin selling the iPhone 4S this Friday.

As is the case with the iPhone in most foreign countries, users can expect to pay much higher prices than in the US. VinaPhone plans to sell the 16 GB iPhone 4S for VND15.6 million (about US$740) while Viettel will sell the same device for VND16.4 million (about $780) on contract.

Thanh Nien News also reports that Vietnamese iPhone users who want the device off contract will have to pay an additional VND600,000 to unlock the phone. However, it's not clear if that sum is correct, since it's roughly the equivalent of only US$28.

Hi Michael,

It will be a pleasure to meet you.  Bryan, his wife and I, have been getting together quite a bit.  He is a very cool young man.  Thanks for the run down on this ithingy of mine though. 

I have never bought any gadget here, ever.  But, I have brought my old phone here, had it unlocked by Vietnamese technocrats; but it did not work the way it was supposed to.  I couldn't log onto this site from my phone.  Anyhow, there were limits to their abilities.  That was something that I didn't really want.  Therefore, this time around, I want to get things right.  I want my phone to work the way it should...

Anyhow, thanks to all of your tips.  I will find out where Vinaphone is in Can Tho, pay them a visit before I decide.  A 16g 4S, in the US, cost about $700 USDs.  But, like I had mentioned before, it is the peace of mind that I am really after.

Regards,
Howie

As said elsewhere, the 4S is imminent. Mobiphone have completed their sales quota of the Lemon 4 and is waiting to sign on for the 4S. They have zero stock.

An unlocked 4S, without contract, from Vinaphone, without SIM costs as follows:
iPhone with 16 Gigs of memory: VND16,399,000
iPhone with 32 Gigs of memory: VND18,799,000
iPhone with 64 Gigs of memory: VND21,299,000

The number for the Vina Nguyen Du office is 094-976-3468 and she will be happy to give you status. Give her your number and she will call you.

I couldn't understand how to get on the wait list.