Hackers successfully unlock the iPhone 3G

Since Apple unveiled the iPhone 3G earlier this year, it has grown to become one of the most popular smartphone in the world, with 16.6% of the global market. Still, one major obstacle to its adoption is the fact that in most regions the device is tied to a single carrier – such as AT&T in the United States.

While it admittedly took them a bit longer than with the original iPhone released in 2007, the iPhone Dev Team has finally figured out a way to alter the iPhone 3G’s software so that it can be unlocked for use on any GSM network. This is particularly exciting for overseas users and frequent travelers, which will now have other GSM carriers to choose from instead of having to deal with overly expensive roaming charges. The unlocking hack isn’t out yet, but the team plans to release it on New Year’s Eve and said it will require a Jailbroken iPhone 3G that’s running baseband version 2.11.07 or earlier.