AT&T: iPhone SIM cards are portable

AT&T today said it would offer the ability to opened iPhones and that users would be able to use the provide iPhone SIM card in other AT&T phones. Through efforts, MacNN has managed to obtain information on the return and warranty policies for the iPhone, including the ability to reuse SIM cards. At AT&T's retail stores (kiosks are inelligible), both the phone and Apple's Bluetooth headset will have a 14-day return policy, which is applicable only with an AT&T receipt and all of the original equipment. If a box has been opened, AT&T will take 10 percent off the refund as a re-stocking fee. All other iPhone products -- first- or third-party -- will fall under AT&T's normal 30-day return policy, including the wireless service. Critically, AT&T will not accept products bought directly from Apple, and it will not handle "dead on arrival" iPhones.

That will be up to Apple, who is taking care of repairs under a scheme called the Same Unit Repair Process. Customers will have to send their phones and Apple headsets directly to the company, either by mail or through a store; repaired devices will then be sent back. This should take approximately three days.

AT&T is emphasizing the fact that not only are SIM cards not required for repairs, they should be taken out of phones before they are sent off, and kept safe. An iPhone card should in fact be usable in other AT&T phones, and mostly functional, including access to IM, MMS, and voicemail. Visual Voicemail will be disabled however, and no contacts will be carried over. Internet access will be switched over to MEdiaNet, which provides services such as games, e-mail and sports scores.

Filed under: Apple